Sensorial

Birth to the age of six is very important for children, because it is the time period in which they learn the most with their five senses.   Maria Montessori utilized a variety of materials for sensory-motor training.  The sensorial materials are designed to attract children's attention, "education the senses", and allow manipulation by children.

The goal is to assist the children in creating order and sequence in their sensory input of the experiences, that proceed very slowly from concrete to abstract.  The materials are grouped according to sense:  auditory, visual, tactile, baric (weight), gustatory, olfactory and stereo-gnostic.

When one "educates the senses", he is not trying to make the children see, hear, or touch "better", but rather help them understand what it is that they are seeing, hearing or touching.