Montessori Animal Sensorial Puzzle

Here is a typical Montessori material to make children discover fauna in a Sensorial way. It is a small wooden eco-friendly puzzle with wooden knobs. There are eight  different painted animals, each with several pieces making up the body of each animal. 

The cute and green wooden board reminds of nature. Please pick your favourite before placing it your cart.

Material: Wood
Size: 23.8 cm x 23.8 cm
Age: 3-4 years old

Education and fun go hand in hand: This sensorial Montessori activity is a fun task for children aged 3 years and up. The Montessori Animal Sensorial Puzzle is designed to stimulate the child’s interest in the natural world and help them identify the animals represented and is a hands on opportunity to learn the anatomical parts of each animal.

The Montessori Animal Sensorial Puzzle teaches the 5 main Montessori classes of vertebrates being the frog (amphibian), bird, fish, turtle (reptile) and horse (mammal) in a fun way by adhering to the Montessori principles of beauty, simplicity and realism. The Montessori method of teaching emphasises active learning, independence and learning in harmony with each child’s unique pace of learning.

This puzzle activity is a perfect example. Each puzzle piece has a wooden knob which encourages both tactile and visual sensory skills and enhances fine motor skills. It prepares the child indirectly for writing, as they use their fingers in a pincer grip to hold the knobs, the same grip they will use later to hold a pen or pencil. Their fine motor skills are engaged by manipulating the tiny knobs.

Also, by using their hands to sort and by handling real objects, instead of only looking at pictures, the child is able to engage and this is beneficial for all-around learning.

Children have a natural desire to create order and make sense of their world. This Montessori Animal Sensorial Puzzle gives them a sense of purpose and a feeling of capability by being in control of which puzzle piece goes where as well as encouraging hand eye coordination and problem solving skills, as the child sees the puzzle and has to figure out where each piece goes and then fit it using their hands.

This Montessori sensorial task also teaches logical thinking and self-correction, or control of error, as children are able to see for themselves when the puzzle pieces don’t fit into the correct places. This helps the child to develop decision making skills as they are the ones who get to decide what piece goes where.

Why buy this item: Children are attracted by challenge and feel a sense of achievement on successful completion of the task. It is a fun-learning skill, that engages both visual and tactile senses, but in a way that is more of a game than work.

Children will go back to this activity again and again to re-feel the sense of achievement and satisfaction they get from completing the puzzle successfully.