GAM Cylinder Block No. 1

It is the first of the knobbed cylinder blocks, introducing the child to the first stage of visual discrimination of size. In this block the cylinders progress in height and diameter from small to large, so the change runs one clear way across the set.

Each cylinder is lifted by a small knob held between the fingers and thumb, the same grip later used for a pencil. Repeating this pincer hold builds small muscle control and hand eye coordination, so the block indirectly prepares the child for writing.

Lifting and placing the knobbed cylinders promotes small muscle control and hand eye coordination. As the child fits each cylinder to its socket, the fingers grow steadier and more precise, which supports later fine motor work at the table.

Each cylinder decreases by half a centimetre in all three dimensions, so it progresses in diameter from thin to thick and in height from tall to short. The steady, measured change gives the eye a clear series to compare.

It is made of solid beech wood with a satin smooth lacquer finish, and each block has slightly rounded edges. Every cylinder is individually sanded and lacquered, so the pieces feel smooth in the hand and slide neatly in their sockets.

Yes. Because each cylinder fits only its own socket, a piece placed in the wrong hole leaves a cylinder that will not sit flush. The child sees this control of error and reworks the set without needing an adult to correct it.

It is often the first cylinder block a child meets, since its single direction of change is the simplest to read. From here the child can follow the same demonstration into the other blocks, comparing height and width in new combinations.

Wipe it with a dry or barely damp cloth and keep it away from standing water and strong sun so the beech and lacquer last. Kept on a low open shelf, the block stays ready for the child to carry to a work table.