In the Montessori Sensorial curriculum, the Mystery Bag activity is an engaging and interactive exercise that enhances children's sensory exploration and discrimination skills. It provides an opportunity for children to refine their senses of touch, concentration, and tactile perception in a fun and stimulating way.
The Mystery Bag activity involves using a small bag or pouch to hold various objects that children can explore through touch without seeing them. The objects placed inside the bag are carefully chosen to represent different textures, shapes, and sizes. The aim is for children to rely solely on their sense of touch to identify and categorize the objects within the bag.
Benefits of the Mystery Bag Activity
The Mystery Bag activity offers several benefits for children's sensorial development:
- Tactile Discrimination: By relying solely on touch, children sharpen their tactile discrimination skills, learning to differentiate between textures, shapes, and sizes. They develop a heightened awareness of the sensory information provided by their hands.
- Concentration and Focus: Engaging in the Mystery Bag activity requires concentration and focus as children concentrate on the sensations they feel. It helps develop their ability to sustain attention and engage in focused exploration.
- Vocabulary Development: Describing and discussing the objects within the Mystery Bag encourages language development. Children learn to articulate their observations, use descriptive words, and expand their vocabulary.
- Sensorial Exploration: The activity stimulates the senses, particularly the sense of touch, allowing children to explore and categorize different textures. It supports the development of the sensorial foundation, which is vital for future academic and cognitive growth.
Montessori Mystery Bag Lesson
“This is the Mystery Bag.”
The Mystery Bag Lesson: Presentation I – One Bag Only
Montessori Sensorial: Mystery Bag
- Open the bag and remove one object at a time, name it, and set it down forming a vertical line.
- “Let’s put them back in the bag now. Would you give me the …?” Continue until all objects have been replaced into the bag.
- Close the bag and insert your hand
- Visually think about the object you are grasping in the bag: “I think maybe I am holding a…”
- Remove the hand with the object in it. Hold it up for the child to verify.
- Ask the child: “Now would you like a turn guessing what is in the mystery bag?”
The Mystery Bag Lesson: Presentation II – Two Identical Bags with Identical Objects
Take the objects out of one bag, then the other bag, name and pair them.
- Leave one-half of the pair out of the bag. Place the other half in the bag.
- Reach into the mystery bag with one hand, grab an object, and point to the one on the table that you think you have found.
Or
- Place both halves of each pair back into their bags.
- Reach into one bag, grab an object, identify it, and pull it out.
- Then reach into the other bag to find its mate.
- Alternatively, reach into both bags at the same time and search for the same objects.
The Mystery Bag activity in the Montessori Sensorial curriculum offers a delightful and enriching experience for children, fostering sensory development, concentration, and language skills. It encourages them to engage their sense of touch and heightens their curiosity and exploration of the world around them.
Best,
Marnie