Stereognosis in Science and More:
Feeling the Difference!
 Stereognosis is the ability to identify different objects using only your sense of touch. An adult example of stereognosis is being able to find your keys in your purse by feel only - no peeking! The perfect activity for young children to develop the important skill of stereognosis involves a Mystery Bag! Search your closet for a bright, shiny bag and fill it with all sorts of common items that differ in size, weight, shape, and texture (i.e. keys, dice, clothespins, corks, coins, cotton balls, utensils, etc...). See below how the Mystery Bag Activity can be used to support science and literacy objectives:
Mystery Bag for Science:
The Mystery Bag Activity builds understanding of scientific properties! When a child reaches into the Mystery Bag to identify an item, he or she uses verbal expression skills to communicate similar and different properties (hard/soft, heavy/light, and texture). This activity also allows children to feel different weights in their hands, which helps them develop regard for hand pressure or how firmly or gently to grasp items of various weights. Pencil grasp requires firm, but gentle pressure. Proper regard for pencil grasp pressure promotes endurance during writing of letters, words, sentences, and stories.
Mystery Bag for Literacy:
Extend stereognosis and the Mystery Bag Activity into literacy! Fill your Mystery Bag with our Magnetic Letters and Magnetic Numbers so that children can reach into the bag, feel and identify different letter/number shapes without looking, then place on our Magnetic Tabletop Easel. Place in ABC/123 order, spell name, or spell short words! Letters and numbers not identified correctly should be talked about, felt and named over and over again, and then placed back in the bag for future success. Start with a few letters/numbers and increase quantity as children's skills grow! |
