Montessori is not a new way of thinking about how to raise a child, but it is becoming more and more popular among modern parents. Minimalist nurseries that are based on the Montessori method are popular, and parents are looking for small-class, child-focused preschools. In the late 1800s, an Italian teacher named Maria Montessori came up with a new way of teaching that is now widely accepted and loved all over the world. The real message, though, is that children should be free to explore and learn about their own surroundings, and that they should learn through play that is inspired by real life.
What are Montessori Toys?
As your toddler says goodbye to teethers and hello to big-kid toys, they are at a key point in their physical and mental growth. In a home full of Montessori-style toys, you can encourage their curiosity and help them learn, grow, and discover. From 1 to 4 years old, your child works mostly on developing their senses (touch, space), their fine and gross motor skills (from their pincer grasp to their whole-body balance), and their early language and numeracy skills. To fill out their days, they should also work on art, music, and simple science experiments.
What are the best toys to help my child’s development?
You know that your toddler is like a sponge, so give them a wide range of Montessori-inspired toys to help them soak up all the best things. Today, what makes a toy a Montessori toy is based on the learning philosophy, but it is open to different interpretations. Reach for natural materials like wood, metal, clay, and cotton as much as possible, and focus on toys that the child can control instead of ones that run on batteries. Include a mix of neutral and rainbow-coloured items. Toddlers in a Montessori playroom or nursery do best when they can get to all of their things easily from low shelves. You should also give them a simple table and chair so they can do crafts, practice writing, and play.
In addition to the best Montessori toys you can buy, you can also make them a treasure box out of things you find around the house. This will help them develop their senses and their fine motor skills. Here are some of our other favourite toddler toys that are based on the Montessori method.
Stacking Montessori Toys for Toddlers
Stacking, particularly with rainbow-coloured objects, is significant from infancy to toddlerhood. Colour and shape recognition and reasoning are improved with these toys, as are pincer grasp and other fine motor skills. Stacking rings, cups, and nesting dolls can provide hours of educational play.
Little Dutch – Rainbow Stacker – Vintage – £23.95
Sorting Montessori Toys for Toddlers
Sorting, like stacking, is essential to Montessori learning as your toddler grows. Sorting provides your young child with a sense of control and practise in generating order out of chaos, which is essential in their process of discovering their position in our huge world. This activity also promotes early mathematical thinking in your 1- to 4-year-old child.
Little Dutch – Wood Shape Sorter – Goose – £9.95
Balance Boards, Beams and Bikes for Toddlers
Another type of active toddler play that adheres to the Montessori system is working on their balance. Unlike triangles, slides, and barres, these easy-to-store wooden gross-motor toys take up little room and may be simply stored after use. With these toys, your toddler is not only having fun and learning about their physical talents, but they are also getting a head start on activities ranging from surfing and cycling to snowboarding and cheerleading with very early balance work.
Banwood – First Go Balance Bike – £149
Building Materials for Toddlers
To a toddler, building towers and towns and then demolishing them is the coolest thing ever. Support their curiosity and make building time enjoyable with a variety of gorgeous sets ranging from traditional blocks to textured geometric shapes made of wood, natural silicone, rock, and other natural materials. Magnetic tiles are also full of Montessori-inspired goodness, such as cause-and-effect and the beginnings of scientific reasoning.
Connetix Tiles – 120 Pastel Piece Creative Pack – £110
Adult-Inspired Play Kits for Toddlers
One of the Montessori method’s guiding ideas is that children should be given the tools they need to discover how adults interact in their worlds. Cooking, cleaning, and repairing home goods are simple ways that will inspire your child from the start. These toys and sets, such as pots and pans, a mop and broom, or a tool kit, also provide a natural activity for your child to engage in while you perform the actual work.
Little Dutch – Tea Set – Flowers & Butterflies – £20.95
Montessori Number Learning Kits for Toddlers
Maths is enjoyable in a Montessori classroom, and numbers should be similarly enjoyable at home. Numbers and early maths are represented by visuals in the Montessori method—shapes, colours, actual amounts of objects that can be added and subtracted from one another, and so on. Do not force your youngster to interact with their number learning set in any certain way. Instead, encourage them by learning numbers and basic maths alongside your child.
Le Toy Van – Stacking Blocks – Zoo – £16.95
Busy Boards and Cubes for Toddlers
These ingenious, all-in-one learning toys provide your toddler with the finest of Montessori fundamentals in one engaging place—while also making cleanup easier for you. There are so many dynamic and enjoyable ways to explore and play with busy boards, cubes, and books, from lacing to sorting, zipping, cranking, and beyond.
Little Dutch – Activity Table – Flowers & Butterflies – £69.95
Hammer Box Montessori Toys for Toddlers
You will already be aware that your child enjoys banging on objects! Instead of letting kids break your counters and floors, give them a hammering box with pegs, balls, or other things that disappear when hit with a mallet and are easy to replace. So many of these toys improve shape and colour recognition as well.
Little Dutch – Pounding Bench – Ocean – £11.95
Montessori Puzzle and Peg Sets for Toddlers
Peg sets and gripping puzzles are ideal for organising, moving, and interacting with active small minds. Making your own can also be a fun craft activity to do with your child.
Tender Leaf – Stacking Toys – Coral Reef – £40.95
Hand Puppets and Simple Dolls for Toddlers
Simple puppets and dolls are wonderful toys to have on hand for rainy days or whenever your toddler feels the need to engage in pretend play. A small wooden dollhouse with simple animals or peg dolls are equally suitable for children aged 12 months and up. Every day, kids learn and grow as they act out various fictitious situations.
Little Dutch – Little Doll – Anna – £18.95
Ramp Montessori Toys for Toddlers
Sending a little toy zooming down a play ramp is a great way for your child to practise fine motor skills, learn about cause and effect, and reinforce the permanence of objects. These are some of the most basic, yet crucial, Montessori toys for young children. 
Little Dutch – Wooden Car Ramp – Blue – £24.95
Toddler Musical Instrument Toys
Many montessori lessons routinely incorporate musical activities. Their music boxes can be filled with drums, cymbals, triangles, bells, and small wooden guitars to help kids play and inspire their imaginations at home. Practicing music at a young age has many benefits beyond just learning to appreciate music; it also helps children develop important abilities like problem solving and motor control, and it serves as a wonderful model for how to engage with the world around them.
Tender Leaf – Toy Musical Table – £99.95
Montessori-inspired toys are popular throughout the world with nurseries, schools and parents alike. Perhaps most importantly, these methods are popular with children themselves!
For more inspiration on Montessori toys, visit Tots Of Crown
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