Skill: Stereognosis

Guess the Toy

Guess The Toys

Step 1: Take an empty cardboard box & glue construction paper around it. This simplifies the exterior to eliminate distractions.

Step 2: Use any toy or item in the house, so long as it is safe, to put in the box. Make sure the toy or item has an identical partner (i.e. use 2 identical markers, 2 identical stuffed animals, etc.).

Step 3: Place each toy or item inside the box (3-6 toys/items at a time), and keep the toy’s/item’s identical partners right next to you, so the child does not see them.

Step 4: Lay the box on a horizontal surface.

Step 5: Take any of the toys/items right next to you, and place 1 of them on top of the box.

Step 6: Ask, “Which one of these (the toys/items inside the box) feels like what this (the toy/item on top of the box) looks like?”

Step 7: Have the child reach into the box to feel all items, making sure they do not see.

Step 8: Have them place their answer on top of the box in order to see if they got it right.

Step 9: Repeat until they have correctly identified all items.

Stereognosis Shape Finder

Shape Finder

Setup the Game

This activity is a game that you can play with the child, or have two children play together.

For this activity, you will need to use a shoebox with a lid.

Using scissors, cut open a circle on the side of the shoe box.

Make sure the hole you cut is wide enough for a child to put a hand through easily.

Insert different shaped blocks (i.e. triangle, circle, square, etc.) into the box, and tape down the lid to close the box.

Cut the construction paper to 8-10 squares, and draw shapes on them. The shapes should match the shapes of the blocks you put in the box. If you don’t have construction paper available, you can use any white piece of paper.

How To Play the Game

To play the game, pile the cards and place them in front of the child, facing down.

Let the child go first and flip a card. Then, instruct the child to put his hand in the box and find the block that has the shape that is shown on the card.

If the child pulls out the right block shape, he can keep the block and have another turn. If he pulls out a different shape, it’s your turn.

Grading

To grade the activity you can use a timer or a sand clock and have the child find the matching block shape in the allotted time.

Can You Feel It

Fill up a large container or a bucket with beans, rice, macaroni, sand, or birdseeds (you can mix a few media together if you wish to).

Let the child put his/her hands in the container and pour, sift or move the media from side to side.

When using bird seeds it is recommended to powder the child’s hands with some baby powder to keep the birdseeds from sticking to the palms of the hands.

Mixing small plastic shapes, plastic letters and numbers, small plastic animals and any other educationally related items in the media can be a fun way for the child to develop his/her stereognosis sense.

Tactile Cards

Preparation for activity: creating the tactile cards

    • Step 1 – Create the tactile cards by writing letters or sight words on each card.
    • Step 2 – Create a matching set of cards
    • Step 3 – Go over each letter or word with puffy paint or glitter glue. Let dry overnight. This creates raised letters on the cards.

You can have the child help you with the preparation part by either writing the letters/words or by tracing them (after you write them)with the puffy paint or glitter glue.

Activity:

    • Step 1 – Mix up the cards and place them face down on the table so that the child can not see the letters.
    • Step 2 – Each player takes a turn by turning over two cards attempting to match the letters or words.
    • Step 3 – If the player matches a letter or a word, the player should trace over the raised letter or word using his finger while saying the letter or word aloud.
      If the player is unable to find a match, it is the next player’s turn.
    • Step 4 – Continue play until all the matches are found.

Modifications:

    • Play on carpeted area and instruct the child to play while on all fours instead of sitting at a table. This position provides proprioceptive input.
    • Place a card on the table with the letter or word facing up. Place a piece of paper over the card. The child can then rub the crayon over the letter or word to reveal what letter/word it is.

Tactile Container

Fill up the plastic container with beans, rice, or sand.

Add coins or beads to the container and mix with the selected container contents.

Ask the child to use his hands and pull out the different objects you hid inside the container.

To grade this activity, you can hide a variety of items in the container and ask the child to sort the items and put them in separate smaller containers.