Indirect preparation for the motor technique of writing begins when the child uses the Cylinder Blocks. These are four oblong blocks of a natural colored wood. Each block contains ten cylinder shaped insets which can be handled by a knob attached to the top. The cylinders vary in graduated differences of depth and diameter. Essentially this is a sensorial exercise in discrimination of size. However, it is also an important muscular activity because the child grasps the little knobs with the same three fingers which he or she will later use to hold a pencil. Each time the child does the exercise, he or she gains control of the small finger muscles which he or she will use eventually for writing.
The Cylinder Blocks
