TOUCH AND THINK
 
     
Materials Purpose Process
 
 
 
 
 
MATERIALS
 
 
  • A cloth bag large enough to put several objects in. You should not be able to see through the bag.
 

 
  • Several objects from around the house that are recognizable by touching.Here are a few examples: building block, apple, orange, small hairbrush, toothbrush, shoelace, biscuit, marble, key, crayon, balloon, cotton ball, small toy, jelly bean, banana, spoon, comb, button, ring.
     
     
     
 
 

Warning: Do not put any sharp objects in the bag whereby the child might be injured.
 
 
PURPOSE
 
     
This activity is designed to develop the thinking process through the sense of touch. The child will feel different objects that are familiar to she/he, then decide what those objects are. The child will be encouraged to describe the object as he or she is touching it. This will also develop the communication skills. It is important that children get the concepts of hard, soft, round, square, smooth, rough, etc. before going to school.
 
 
     
PROCESS
 
 
     
1. Select three or four objects and place in the bag. This should be done so that the child cannot see the items going into the bag. The items should be familiar to the child.

2. With the child sitting beside you, but not able to look in the bag, ask the child to put her/his hand into the bag and select an object. Ask the child to feel it and see if she/he can tell what it is. Encourage her/him to feel for shape or any other unique part of the object, e.g., the bristles on a toothbrush.
 
   
 
3. When your child has recognized the object, tell him/her to take it from the bag and lay it on the table. If the child is having trouble with recognizing the object, let him/her have several tries then tell the child to take the object out of the bag. Let the child feel the object with both hands and look at the shape and unique peculiarities.

4. Repeat with the rest of the objects in the bag.

5. Let the child select a number of objects and place into the bag while you do the touching.

6. You may select objects from different rooms in the house, e.g., the kitchen, bathroom or living room.

7. The objects selected to go in the bag may be of certain shapes that the child has to name (round, square, triangle) or they may be of a certain roughness (smooth, rough, bumpy, slippery).

8. You may wish to provide the child with words to describe the feel of the objects.

WHAT TO LOOK FOR: As the child progresses through the objects you have chosen, you might want to make the objects a little harder to recognize. If the child is having trouble with this activity, you may want to familiarize the child with about seven or eight objects then place three or four in the bag and try again. The child should be encouraged to talk about how the object feels. This will not only help him/her extend his/her vocabulary but also help in determining what the object is. It will also provide you with the opportunity to help the child and possibly offer some hints.