Take a piece of cardboard and cut it into many shapes, as suggested by the illustration below. Make two pieces of each figure exactly alike. Let the child match them and see that there are two of each kind. Then mix them, blindfold him and have him pick out the pairs by feeling. There should be at least 12 sets—more if desired.
Animal Cookies
A similar game to the one above can be played with a box of animal cookies. Pour the cookies out on a large plate. Blindfold the children and let them select pairs of animals or as many of a kind as possible. Let them name the animals by feeling.
Game of Insets
The expensive Insets used by the Montessori School can be satisfactorily made out of heavy cardboard and accomplish the desired result. Take a piece of cardboard of good thickness and draw on it some of the figures illustrated above. After they are cut out with a sharp knife, smooth the edges so that they will fit easily into the places from which they came. The cardboard from which they are cut may be fastened to another or tacked to a thin board. The game is to blindfold the child, give him the cutouts and by the sense of touch let him find the proper hole and fit the piece into it. As the pieces are fitted into their places they may be left there until the board is filled. This exercise is a little more difficult than most of the others. Encourage the child to keep at it.
The Game of the Rag Bag
Cut a number of pieces of different kinds of cloth. Show them to the child and have him feel of them and become acquainted with the pieces so as to know them by name. Blindfold him and give him one of the pieces of cloth and have him tell by feeling what kind it is. Put all the pieces in the rag bag (any large bag will do). Blindfold the child again and let him pick out the kind of cloth you name. See how many he can get correctly. Have him choose velvet, silk, satin, calico, muslin, broadcloth, etc., using all the common varieties of cloth. Children need not be blindfolded if the bag is held so they cannot see. Blindfolding increases the curiosity and thus the interest in the games.
The Game of Dry Goods Clerk
Cut from the scraps in your rag bag two pieces each of all the different kinds of cloth that can be found there. Make the pieces about two by four inches and have them all of one size and shape. Let the child examine them and match them in pairs. Have him feel of them and see that they all feel different. Do not have more than two pieces of any one kind of cloth. Pay no attention to color. Now mix the pieces in a pile on the table, blindfold the child and seat him in front of them. Have him match the pieces by feeling and lay each aside. When finished, have the child look at the pairs as matched, counting for himself the points won.