Thermic Tablets | Montessori Sensorial Lesson

Q: How do you use thermic Montessori tablets?

Thermic tablets is a Montessori sensorial activity that is used to enhance the sense of touch by using different textured tablets. To watch the step-by-step process, watch the video here.

This sensorial lesson is designed for 3 to 6-year-old children to help isolate and refine their thermic sense, or sense of temperature.

The video lesson guides the child to feel the surface of the thermal tablets with their wrist and match the tablets with their pair. The tablets are made of different textures and materials, and the child is instructed to differentiate them based on their temperature.

What are Montessori Thermic Tablets?

The Thermic Tablets material comprises a wooden box containing six pairs of tablets made of different materials. The materials of the thermic tablets are typically made of:

cork (warmest)
glass
felt
wood
steel
slate (coolest)

The child learns to identify and match with the exact pair using their hands. They can also arrange the tablets from warmest to coolest by touching them with their hands.

Thermic tablets are a significant activity for children as there is no outside force causing the tablets to differ in temperature.

Aims and Objectives of Thermic Tablets Activity in Montessori

Refine a child’s thermic sense.
Aids in the development of visual discrimination
Develop order and hand-eye coordination.
Develops thinking skills as they learn how and why the temperature is different for each pair of thermic tablets.
Enhance logical thinking and decision-making.

Control of Error

The appearance of the tablets (color and pattern).
The weight of the tablets.
The texture of the tablets.
The temperature of the tablets.

Points of Interest

Is the child able to observe different temperatures?
Doel the child able to discriminate between the variety of textures by touching them?
Is the child able to see and describe how each tablet looks?
Is the child able to recognize the materials of each tablet?
Is the child interested in learning why the temperatures are different in each set of thermic tablets?

Prerequisites

Children must first be introduced to thermic bottles before introducing thermic tablets.

How are Montessori Thermic Tablets Introduced to the Child?

Invite the child to the table and carry the thermic tablets box to the table.
Open the lid of the box and tell the child that today, we will learn how different materials have different temperatures.
Now take out one of each tablet from the box and place them in a row.
Introduce the child to the material of each tablet.
Ask them to take one tablet in their hand starting from the right and tell the temperature of it by feeling it.
Repeat step 5 for all 6 different tablets.
Now, place the other 6 pieces of thermic tablets randomly.
Ask the child to close his eyes and pick one thermic tablet.
Let them guess the material of the tablet.
Now ask them to match the correct pair by using their touch.
Repeat steps 8-10 for all the other tablets.
Once the child matches all the pairs, tell them to open their eyes and see whether they have matched them correctly.
If they make an error, simply ask to have them to try again.

Watch the video to see how to categorize the thermic tablets based on their touch and let the child enhance their thermic sense.

Thermic Tablets Extension Activities

Stereognostic exercise (blindfolded): Put the thermic tablets in an opaque bag and let them guess the material and temperature of the tablets.
Have the child learn order by placing the tablets from the coolest to warmest or warmest to the coolest.

Ask the child to close their eyes and feel the temperature of the tablets with their wrists, as shown in the video. Further, guide the child to match the tablets with their pairs.

For more video lessons, visit: https://theglobalmontessorinetwork.org/resource/

Video Created by: Bronia Birkbeck (Building Futures Education)

Primary | Sensorial | Touch | Thermic Tablets (English)

This video has been added and used with the author’s permission. It is also available on the author’s YouTube, here.

FAQs

How do you use thermic Montessori tablets?

Thermic tablets box is a Montessori sensorial activity that is used to enhance the sense of touch by using different textured tablets. To watch the step-by-step process, watch the video here.

What is the thermic sense in Montessori?

In Montessori, children learn to distinguish between different temperatures using the Montessori Thermic Bottles and Thermic tablets. This helps in building the turmeric sense of the child as they learn what is hot and what is cold using their touch.