This learning center has 3 main play focused goals. 1. Encouraging hand-eye coordination. 2. Teaches problem solving. 3. Develops a sense of satisfaction. Also, it's #fun
We all know Puzzles, but what Are Manipulatives?
Manipulatives are materials that are used to teach various concepts in a concrete form. Each material teaches one concept, and they are great tools to use when teaching children abstract ideas. They are materials that are designed to teach.
The manipulatives look like toys so that the children are drawn to them and want to use them. Manipulatives are typically used to teach fine motor, sorting, matching, and other skills.
Manipulative Examples
Hex Bolt Board
The Hex Bolt Board is a wooden board with holes that fit four hexagonal-headed bolts and a hex nut driver. This toy allows a child to screw the bolts into the board. The bolts screw into a metal sleeve rather than the wood of the board to make the board last longer and prevent the wood from becoming stripped by repeated screwing and unscrewing.
Slotted Bolt Board
The Slotted Bolt Board is very similar to the Hex Bolt Board but is slightly harder to use and is made to be used by a slightly older child. It is a wooden board that has 4 slots for bolts and comes with a stubby screwdriver meant to fit into a child’s hand.
Graded Bolt Board
The Graded Bolt Board is considered to be the hardest of the three boards to use because of the small bolt sizes. It is a wooden board with 4 metal sleeves for screws to be screwed into. It is slightly smaller than the Slotted Bolt Board.
Opening & Closing Activity
The Opening and Closing Activity is a set of eight containers that provide a variety of different challenges that are meant to improve a child’s fine motor skills and teach them how to open and close containers with different ways to close them. The containers have a hinge, zipper, snap, string, or a different method of closure.
This manipulative is meant to teach children how to problem solve and how to open different containers. You can even put small items into the containers for them to find.
Contact Us
Contact The Preschool at Discovery today to learn more about our High-Quality program delivered to your family in a Christian environment where we incorporate throughout our curriculum the concepts of God, Jesus and the Bible.