Material Name: Thermic Tablets – Montessori Thermic Tablets
Curriculum Area: Sensorial (Thermic Sense)
Purpose & Developmental Benefits
The Thermic Tablets help children recognize and discriminate differences in temperature through fingertip touch. Made from different materials, the tablets retain heat differently, allowing children to perceive sensations of warm, cool, and cold without relying on vision. This material refines the tactile sense and supports the natural formation of abstract concepts of temperature through direct sensory experience.
Skills Developed
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Discriminating sensations of warm, cool, and cold across different materials
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Matching tablets with the same thermal sensation (matching by the thermic sense)
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Arranging tablets in gradation from coldest to warmest as proficiency develops
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Refining tactile sensitivity and controlling hand pressure during exploration
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Strengthening concentration, tactile memory, and self-correction
Recommended Age
Material & Construction
The standard Nienhuis set consists of a wooden box divided into six compartments, each containing one pair of tablets measuring approximately 8 × 4 cm, made from different materials: felt, wood, steel, cork, glass, and marble.
Each pair is identical in shape and size so that the child relies solely on thermal sensation when matching the tablets.
Classroom & Home Use
Used in the Sensorial area under Thermic Sense. Children bring the box to a table or mat, select one tablet from each pair, and gently explore the surfaces with their fingertips or wrist to find the tablet with the same thermal sensation. As familiarity increases, the work may be done with eyes closed or with a blindfold to isolate the thermic sense.
Language is often introduced alongside the activity, such as warmer, cooler, or identifying which material feels coldest.
