Designed to encourage open-ended play and often without one-fixed purpose, Montessori toys are often praised for their limitless learning opportunities and for sparking your little ones’ imagination. But what exactly are Montessori toys and what should you look for when selecting one?
What is Montessori?
The Montessori Method was developed by Italian educator Dr. Maria Montessori, who believed in a child-led method of learning. “Play is the work of the child,” is one of her most well known quotes and she passionately believed that children learn better when they’re in charge of choosing what to learn.
What to look for when choosing Montessori toys
Obviously play forms a fundamental part of the Montessori method, but in actual fact there is no such thing as an official “Montessori Toy”, rather a few guiding principles that can help parents, carers and teachers select the best toys to support this learning approach.
Fundamentally, Montessori toys should act as a stimulus for unstructured imaginative play and should be simple in design, made from natural materials and also allow children to imitate real life scenarios. ”The best toys for your child will offer exploration, independence and engagement,” suggests Sarah Cummins, Chairperson of the Montessori Society in the UK. “Look out for ones which support the development of motor skills, focus and concentration, independence, and opportunities for repetition.”
“Often there is focus on Montessori toys having to be wooden. Whereas Montessori stated that as much as possible, offer your child natural materials – often you can find this within your home.” A metal pan and wooden spoon is actually an ideal (and inexpensive!) Montessori toy, but what if you want to treat them to something a little more special?
“Look for toys that offer what Montessori called ‘control of error’,” explains Cummins. This is so the child will be able to determine their success for themselves rather than relying on an adult.” A shape sorter, stacking toys and sequencing toys are all good examples.
Primarily, the Montessori method is about following your child’s own interests, so it is never a one-size-fits-all approach. Offer plenty of choice and let the toys encourage their own creativity and learning style and above all, follow their lead.
Shop our favourite Montessori toys below
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Moon Picnic A Dozen Bird Eggs
This is genuinely one of the most beautiful toys we’ve ever seen, with each egg shaped and sized differently from solid beech and handpainted in non toxic paint. Simply holding the eggs, enjoying the natural warmth from the wood and appreciating every tiny little speckle, is incredibly pleasing. The testers loved popping all the eggs in the rattan basket, building their own dinosaur nests with whatever they could find, and chatting about life cycles.
Buy now £54.00, Kidly
Wobbel Original Balance Board
What exactly is Wobbel Board? Is it a see-saw? A balance board? A bridge? Well, the beauty of this simple piece of curved beechwood is that it is all these things and many more. Upon spotting their new toy our little testers immediately wanted to balance and climb, but once they flipped it over and discovered the soft felt backing (also handy for protecting floors), it instantly became a shelter for all the cuddly toys. We loved the amount of possibility available with this unassuming-yet-gorgeous toy and the fact it also makes a great rocking chair for little ones, once they’ve tired themselves out from playtime.
Buy now £135.00, Kidly
Wooden Stacking Rings
Looking for a beautiful Montessori-friendly baby present? Mori is known for creating gorgeous toys that both kids and adults love, and this simple wooden stacker is no different. Made from beech wood and decorated with lovely pastel (non-toxic) paint, each piece is a different shape and size, with safe rounded edges for independent discovery and allows children from 12 months up to stack, tip and build.
Buy now £18.00, Baby Mori
Melissa & Doug, Dust, Sweep and Mop Kit
Does your child always want to “help” (using the term very loosely) when you do the cleaning? Well, mimicking daily activities is considered part of play in the Montessori method, so you can help your child to build on these practical life skills by providing them with some safe toy alternatives.
This wooden Melissa & Doug set is ideally sized for children from three years and up and has all the accessories your child needs to get involved in every part of the daily chores. We loved the upright stand which made this set easily accessible for youngsters, but also easy to store too.
Buy now £24.99, Very
Le Toy Van 60 building blocks and cotton bag
The possibilities are endless with this classic set of 60 wooden blocks in various shapes and colours. Made from sustainable rubberwood and with water-based chip-resistant paint, this plastic-free set is a complete crowd-pleaser that will be passed down throughout the generations. Suitable from 12 months, young children will enjoy exploring the shapes and knocking over towers, whereas older children can get busy sorting and sequencing – and there are plenty of blocks for even the most ambitious constructions.
Buy now £35.60, Amazon
Casdon Joseph Joseph Bake Set
We loved this baking set as it is almost an identical replica of the adult version – just slightly sized down – so it is ideal for reenacting those real-world scenarios. The set is excellent quality and includes all the best bits of kitchen equipment such as a whisk, rainbow measuring cups and working ergonomic rolling pin. You could use it for creating culinary masterpieces in the kitchen or simply for whipping up some imaginary bakes.
Buy now £13.00, John Lewis
Janod Wooden Shape Sorting Drum
Made to support motor skills, focus and with an obvious ‘control of error’ element, this lovely wooden shape sorter is the perfect Montessori toy. Made from FSC approved wood and painted with water-based colours. We loved the fact that you could see the shapes rattling around in the drum once they’d been posted and the magnetic lid which allows little ones to retrieve the shapes themselves.
Buy now £32.50, Kidly
Little Dutch Rainbow Stacker
No list of Montessori toys would be complete without a rainbow stacking arch – and we think this one from family-run brand Little Dutch is a great example. Available in a range of pretty pastel shades to suit any nursery, these wooden arches can be stacked to make a rainbow and used to test the ‘control of error’ or combined with other toys to make car ramps, train tunnels, bridges or well, anything! Our little testers turned them into phones, hats and a maze for their soft toys.
Buy now £22.50, Scandibørn
Tactile Shells
Made from rice stems and rice husks, these shells have six tactile surfaces and come in three different sizes. From the moment you open the cotton bag it’s impossible not to touch and feel these realistic looking shells. They can be used for counting, sorting, sequencing, scooping sand or pressing into play dough. (Be warned: pack away once you’ve finished playing with them as they rival LEGO in the pain stakes when stepped on).
Buy now £23.99, Edx Education
MinMin Copenhagen Balancing Stones
These multifaceted painted blocks could be dismissed as too simple to be engaging, but we found that children and adults alike were drawn to the irregular shapes and the challenge of stacking them as high as possible. Inspired by the ancient Japanese game Tumi-Ishi, these wooden “stones” help to develop hand-eye coordination, fine motor skills, logic and creativity. Each of the nine pieces are hand-painted with non-toxic, water-based paint too.
Buy now £28.00, Junior Edition
Leka Baby Gym
Looking for a Montessori-style toy for a very young child? This affordable birch baby gym from IKEA may be just the ticket. Lie your little one underneath the arch and watch as they reach out for the colourful wooden beads that jiggle, wobble and even slide on the strings overhead. We loved the simple, classic design, and the fact that it was really easy to pick up and move around the house too.
Buy now £29.00, IKEA
Triclimb Triangle – Natural
This simple, sturdy mini climbing triangle is the perfect toy for children to explore their physical capabilities. From as young as nine months old, little ones can start to pull themselves up onto the bars and you can watch them progress until they conquer the peak! At the top, there are two rungs, which gives children confidence to clamber over and descend safely. There are various add-ons you can purchase such as ladders and slides, but our testers loved tossing a blanket over the top and turning it into their own bear cave. Oh, and don’t worry about having such a large item in the house, it easily folds up for compact storage.
Buy now £220.00, The Modern Nursery
Verdict
There are so many amazing Montessori-style toys out there to choose from. We loved the charming beauty of the Dozen Bird Eggs and the fact they promoted so many interesting chats, with older children. The Wobbel Board has an endless amount of uses and we loved that it had so much play potential, across a wide range of ages too.
