Recommended Age: 3 and ½ to 5 years
Level of Parent Involvement: High during the initial presentation, then medium observation is required when the child is working independently
Prerequisites
- None
Materials
- Fabrics of great contrast differing in texture and colour but of the same size 8-10 pairs (Spotlight or Lincraft often have fabric scraps for sale)
- A box
- A blindfold
Preparation
- Cut the fabric (if needed) so that the pairs are the same size and place in two piles, randomly mixed in the box so that each pile has its matching pair
Steps
- Invite the child to the activity, telling them for this work they must wash their hands
- Supervise hand washing if needed, encouraging the child to dry their hands briskly on the towel
- Take the child to the fabrics and invite them to bring the box to the table
- Take out a piece of fabric and feel by rubbing the fabric in the palm of your hand with your thumb and 4 fingers
- Invite the child to have a turn to feel the fabric then place the fabric on the table
- Repeat for all fabrics (fabrics form a line across the table)
- Take out the other pile of fabrics from the box, placing on the table behind the line of fabrics
- Close your eyes or put on a blindfold
- Take the first fabric from the pile with your left hand and feel
- With your right hand (eyes closed) run along the line of fabrics from the left side, feeling each fabric until you find the matching piece
- Once found place the fabric on top of its match in the line
- Repeat for the rest of the fabrics in the pile
- Open your eyes to visually check the fabrics match
- Remove the top fabric from each pair and place mixed back into a pile
- Invite the child to have a turn matching the fabrics
Variations
- On another day give the language for the fabrics (denim, linen etc)
- The child may use the fabrics to play a matching game, finding items in the household environment which are the same as the fabrics in the box
