Children begin working with the Knobbed Cylinders from the age of three years old. They are primarily used to teach children to visually discriminate between dimensions; however, as competency grows, child can begin to differentiate with touch.

This Montessori material also indirectly prepares students for writing, as they begin coordinating their fingers in a pincer grip, which is used later for holding pencils.

It also lays the foundation for future work in mathematics and language, as children learn words such as ‘height’ and ‘diameter’.