Pink Tower in Montessori
If you are just beginning to incorporate Montessori education at home or planning to enroll your child in a Montessori School, you might have come across the term “Montessori Materials”.
The Montessori Method of education provides children with several specifically developed Montessori materials that facilitate effective education.
Montessori Materials are the cornerstone of Montessori philosophy and often provide tactile and concrete ideas for complex as well as abstract concepts.
Whether it is for sensorial, mathematical, language or practical life curriculum Montessori materials act as a tangible medium for almost every Montessori program.
The Montessori Pink Tower is one such Montessori material that a child might be introduced to during their Montessori Primary program.
Pink Towers is a Montessori Sensorial Material that is unique to the Montessori method. It is important to have an intimate knowledge of this material whether you are a beginner who is just stepping into the world of Montessori or a Montessori parent.
To help clear doubts and confusion about this wonderful and exciting Montessori Sensorial Material, Here is everything one should know about Montessori Pink Towers.
What is the Montessori Pink Tower?
The Pink Towers in Montessori are one the most iconic Montessori Materials and sometimes it is also referred to as “Symbols of Montessori”.
It is a welcoming sign for Montessori Primary students and is one of the first Montessori sensorial materials a child might work with.
The Pink Tower in Montessori consists of 10 pink-colored wooden blocks that vary in size. The Blocks range from 1 cubic centimeter to 10 cubic centimeters. The Blocks have the same color and texture.
Isolating complex concepts is a common theme in Montessori, which helps children comprehend difficult topics. Since all the cubes of the Montessori Pink Tower are of the same color as it helps isolate the concept of size.
What is the Purpose of Pink Tower?
The Montessori Pink Tower is an exciting and interactive Montessori material that is introduced to children between the ages of 2 to 3 years.
The pink tower is a simple Montessori Sensorial activity that provides visual stimulation and develops fine skills as well as muscular coordination.
The Pink Tower helps the child develop a deeper sense of space, dimension, and size by touching, feeling as well as assembling the three-dimensional figure.
The visual discrimination when using Montessori Pink Towers covers the following dimensions:
- Length
- Height
- Width
Lastly, The Pink Tower helps prepare children for forthcoming abstract and mathematical concepts like spatial volume and cube roots.
How to present the Pink Tower?
The Pink Tower is a unique Montessori Material that does not require any specific instructions or demonstrations, it is as simple as stacking blocks on top of each other.
Instructions for presenting Montessori Pink Tower:
- The Adult will roll out a mat on the workstation.
- Then the Adult will invite the child to identify the Pink Tower Material in the Sensorial Activity Area.
- Moving from the top one by one start to randomly place all the Montessori Pink tower Blocks on the mat.
- Once all the cubes are placed on the mat, the adult will then sit next to the child.
- The child is then instructed to organize these wooden blocks, from the largest size block at the bottom to the smallest on top.
- Sometimes stop and ask the child to compare the sizes of the cubes.
- The Adult will then ask the child to view the tower while performing the activity.
- Once the Pink tower is completed, again ask the child to view the completed Pink Tower from a bird’s eye view.
What are the benefits of Pink Tower in Montessori?
With the help of Montessori Pink Tower children can enjoy the following benefits:
- Control of Error
- Self-correction
- Has a three-finger pincer grip
- Visual Discrimination of three-dimensional figures ad sizes
- Development of Fine motor skills
- Development of Muscular coordination
- Development of Gross Motor Skills
- Prepares children for future mathematical concepts like geometry, volumes, distance, cube roots, and spatial volume
Activity involving Montessori Pink Tower?
Here is a list of Montessori Exercises one can perform that involve Montessori Pink Tower material:
Exercise 1:
- The child will be encouraged to build the Pink Tower as shown. The child will initially make mistakes but will learn how to rectify them eventually. The teacher must not interfere while the child is performing this activity.
- If the child is unable to understand the instructions the teacher will then provide the child with a new lesson a day before by using the material.
- The tower should not be knocked down once the activity is completed, rather each block should be taken down one by one.
Exercise 2:
- Once the child is completely acquainted with the first exercise the teacher will then provide the child with new instructions to help create new shapes.
- The teacher will place each cube in the center of the cube under the cube.
- The teacher will then line the cubes at a right angle with the two sides adjacent. Once the entire tower is completed, the teacher will gently pinch the topmost cube with her thumb and index finger (pincer grip) and place the said cube on the ledge of the cube placed at the bottom.
- Moving from the back, the teacher will then move the smallest cube along the length of the ledge.
- This method will be repeated for each ledge that is created, the teacher will work her way up from one ledge to another.
- The child will then be instructed to participate in the activity and try to recreate the ledges.
- Once the child has completed the activity, the child will be asked to replace the tower that is centered on the stand.
Why should you incorporate Montessori Pink Tower in your Home Environment?
Sensorial stimulation and Sensorial Training are among the milestones of the Montessori Philosophy.
According to Dr. Maria Montessori for the initial six years of their life, the child has an Absorbent Mind, in conjunction with Sensitive periods.
The Montessori Pink tower is bright vibrant, eye-catching Montessori Sensorial Material that takes account of the said periods of Sensitivity and enhances the child’s visual senses.
This amazing Montessori material is the symbol of Montessori Philosophy and is a Montessori must-have for Montessori and the school environment.
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