Anne Halsall
Anne Halsall is Chief Product & Technology Officer (CPTO) and co-founder of Winnie. Anne leads product and technology at Winnie, including AI, platform and data.
Montessori activities and learning materials are what make the Montessori method of early education unique. This unique learning approach is also integrated into some of the best Montessori toys for kids to help further their education.
Activities in the Montessori classroom teach particular concepts or skills that allow children to learn and correct mistakes on their own. There are specific Montessori toys and books for each age group that can help promote the Montessori principles of learning, play, and exploration in the Montessori classroom… but you can also bring them into your home.
Montessori toys for infants and toddlers
Montessori toys for preschoolers and kindergarteners
Montessori toys for school-aged children
What are Montessori toys?
Although there isn't technically a set definition of what makes a toy a Montessori toy, there are some agreed-upon characteristics to look for when shopping for Montessori-inspired toys. Montessori toys are usually very simple and made of natural materials, often wood or metal. They are designed to guide children toward a particular skill or milestone and typically don't have overstimulating colors or noises.
Popular Montessori toys for kids
Below is a list of some of the best Montessori toys and books kids, including toys for infants, toddlers, and school-age kids.
Montessori toys for infants and toddlers
Babies are interested in exploring their senses. Toys that stimulate their sense of touch, sight, and sound will encourage babies to explore and engage in the world around them. Here are a few fun Montessori toys for toddlers and infants:
Wooden Rocking Stacker
This vibrantly colored and beautifully constructed classic toy lets little hands stack wooden rings onto a rocking base. It can be used to practice size discrimination, color recognition, and hand-eye coordination.
Shakin Eggs
Each egg in this set of five wooden eggs makes a different intriguing sound. Little ones can develop their auditory learning, as well as sound, shape, and color recognition. As a bonus, one of the eggs requires twisting for the sound to occur, encouraging trial-and-error.
Textured Multi Ball Set
Babies will love feeling and playing with the different textures each of these toys has to offer. This set will introduce babies to new colors and textures, as well as help develop their tactile senses.
The Red Letter Alphabet Book by Ellen C. Gould
Introduce little ones to the alphabet and reading with The Red Letter Alphabet Book. It uses touch-sensitive letters covered in felt, inviting toddlers to touch and trace each shape.
Montessori toys for preschoolers and kindergarteners
As in the Montessori classroom, practicing real-life activities will help young children develop important foundational skills. For example, easy number toys will build kids’ confidence for more advanced activities, and books read aloud can nurture an interest in stories and discussion. When kids enter school-aged years, there are a few toys that can build on those foundations:
Wooden Lacing Apple Toy
Children can have fun practicing their threading skills with this large wooden apple toy. By threading a cute green caterpillar through the holes in the apple, they will improve concentration, patience, and hand-eye coordination. It can spark interests and conversations about food and nature, too.
Cutting Food Play Set
This beautifully painted wooden play food set allows kids to practice handling food. It can also be used for practicing counting, sorting, and grouping, as well as learning about the concepts of parts and the whole.
Number Tiles Mathematics Set
Alternating red and blue tiles numbered one to ten help kids practice their number recognition, counting, and math skills. The two sets of wooden tiles can be packed away neatly in the wooden case.
Stone Soup by Heather Forest
The classic story of teamwork and generosity is retold in Stone Soup. When read aloud, this book can spark discussions about sharing and what your child might put in their own recipe of stone soup.
Montessori toys for school-aged children
After basic skills have been introduced, elementary school-aged children are better able to reason and explore more abstract concepts through imagination. Here are a few toys that can help them hone those skills even more:
Water Blocks
This set of hardwood and acrylic blocks filled with red, yellow, or blue water can help older children explore their building and balance skills. Children can explore what new colors they can create when positioning the different colored blocks together.
Peg Loom
Kids can complete their own weaving projects from start to finish with their own peg loom. From deciding on a project to choosing the wool yarn and constructing their own project, kids learn determination and independence. It also enhances their crafting and creativity skills.
Fraction Tower Fraction Cubes
Fractions can be a tough mathematical concept to grasp at first. A set of colorful, stackable fraction cubes can help demonstrate fraction relationships in a visual, hands-on way.
How Do You Know What Time It Is? by Robert E. Wells
This book teaches kids about the history of time and time measurement through descriptive illustrations and descriptions. Author Robert E. Wells also has other engaging educational books about animals, numbers, weather, and more.
Interested in learning more about Montessori learning materials for your child? Locate a nearby Montessori preschool or daycare or teacher for more information or resources.
