Recommended Age: 2 and ½ to 3 and ½ years
Purpose: Visual discrimination of dimensions (thickness)
Level of Parent Involvement: Low, once modelled the child may work independently
Prerequisites
- None
Materials
- The paper version of the Brown Stair (refer resource pack)
- The real material consists of:
Ten wooden, brown prisms which all have the same length, 20cm, but differing in breadth and height
- A mat (you may use a towel or bath mat if the child does not have a suitable work mat)
Preparation
- Lay out the paper version of the Brown stair, mixed on the child’s table
Steps
- Invite the child, taking them to their table
- Notice the brown stair rectangles laid out, let the child know that for this activity they will need their work mat
- The child may lay out their mat (ensuring there is distance between the child’s table and where they place their mat to encourage movement)
- Invite the child to bring the Brown Stair rectangles to their mat, one at a time
- Once the child has brought all rectangles to their mat, sit to the right of the child
- Begin by taking the thickest rectangle and placing it at the top of the mat in front of you
- Then take the next thickest rectangle and place it directly after the first
- Show the child the rectangles remain the same width by simultaneously running left hand along left edge of rectangle, right hand along right edge of rectangle
- Repeat for remaining rectangles, building the stair from thickest to thinnest, running your hands down the sides after placing each rectangle
- Once the stair is built, mix up the rectangles and invite the child to build the Brown Stair
- Leave the child to work independently
Variations
- The child may play an environment game with the Brown Stair rectangles (prisms in a real setting), finding objects in their environment which are the same size as the rectangles
