Montessori Infilare - Discs on Horizontal Dowel

 The wooden Horizontal Stacker has been designed to help with the advancement of midline crossing, which is an important developmental skill needed for reading and writing. Midline crossing is when one hand unconsciously moves across to the other side of the body to work there. Before this ability is developed, a child will tend to use their right hand on the right side of their body and their left hand on the left.

As well as working on midline crossing, this excellent learning activity will also help with the development of hand/eye coordination and practice different finger grasps.

A great toy with even greater results!

The next step after Imbucare activity materials.

How to present the toy using the Montessori method:

1. Place the stacker on the floor or a table in front of your baby. It is helpful to name and describe the activity, for example 'we are stacking'
2. Engage your child's interest in the activity with a single word such as 'look' or 'watch'
3. Stabilize the activity with one hand and remove a disc slowly using your thumb and pointer finger. Rotate the disc slowly until it is hole up and place it on the table beside the base. Repeat for each disc
4. Once all the discs are removed, pick up a disc from the table in the same manner, rotate it to a horizontal position in front of the dowel and slowly thread the disc onto the dowel
5. Repeat for each disc and then offer your child a turn

Notes:

1. Initially your child may push the activity towards his left or right in order to be able to complete it. This indicates midline crossing is not yet developed so your infant should be given the freedom to do so
2. Further midline crossing development can be encouraged by changing the direction of the dowel stick from the right to the left, and vice verse