#boxandcube

[montessorishop]

Egg & Cup + Box & Cube

The Egg and Cup are know as the child’s first puzzle as it may be the first time the child puts two items together, matching two items that fit together.  The Egg and Cup with the Box and Cube can be presented to the child once they are sitting independently and unaided at or around eight to nine months.  At this age the child is often looking for work that requires both hands to work together.

I like to keep these materials in a low basket or on a small tray on the child’s work shelves.  I also like to present this work to a child while they are seated at their work table, I find this slightly easier than working seated on the floor.

These materials offer the child the opportunity to refine their hand and arm movements.  The child will begin to use two hands together, one as a dominant hand and the other as a supporting hand.

Fitting the two pieces together (fitting the Egg into the Cup or Cube into the Box) not only appeals to the child’s desire to ‘fit things together’ but also allows for increasing hand-eye coordination and will be repeated over and over.  The child will find it very satisfying to complete this work.

Present these to the child with a wordless demonstration, using very slow and deliberate movements so your child can watch your hands in action.  Present the Egg and Cup first as this is much easier for the child to master.

Once the child is able to complete the work you can offer the words “in” and “out” adding the dimension of language.

The Egg and Cup are in total 11cm high.  The Cup is very stable and unlike many other products I’ve seen, this Egg fits in the Cup, not just balances on top of the cup, which is so very important.

The Box and Cube are approximately 4.5cm x 4.5cm’s.  The Cube fits comfortably in the box, it slides easily in and out.  The Cube fits no matter which way it goes into the box, they are both perfectly square.  The Box and Cube is more challenging than the Egg and Cup and may take more time to master.

Both the Egg and Cup and the Box and Cube are entirely wooden and are incredibly smooth and nice to touch.  The Egg and Cup and the Box and Cube are available at Montessori Shop here.

- Words and images by Kylie D’Alton.