29 Best Montessori Toys for Toddlers!
Uncover the 29 best Montessori toys for toddlers. Boost their motor skills and cognitive development with our top picks for playful learning.
Finding the right toys to support your toddler's physical and cognitive development can be overwhelming and time-consuming.
You don't want to settle for generic toys that just keep your child entertained but don't actually stimulate their growth and curiosity.
And let's be honest, no parent wants to waste money on toys that end up collecting dust.
With the experience that I have with Montessori toys and the hours of research that went into buying those toys, I've put together a selection that will ignite your toddler's senses, strengthen their motor skills, and ignite their passion for learning.
From age 1 through 4, we've got everything your little one needs to explore, create, and discover their world.
So, why settle for ordinary toys when you can give your child an extraordinary foundation using the Montessori method for future success?
Why We Chose
Montessori-style toys are designed to focus on the development of practical life skills like concentration, coordination, and refinement of motor skills.
To help stimulate their sensory learning experiences, these toys have bright colors, bold wooden shapes, and textured materials such as wool or felt.
Montessori-inspired toys create an active learning environment that makes it easy for children to explore topics in a fun way.
Let us take care of keeping your child's playroom filled with educational, engaging activities they can use over and over again!
With our selection of classic Montessori-inspired playthings, you can be sure you’re giving them some ideal activity material to develop their cognitive abilities while having fun at the same time.
What Makes a Toy Montessori?
Montessori toys have a dual purpose: entertaining and promoting development.
They support a child's natural growth, enhancing motor skills, problem-solving, and concentration.
Maria Montessori preferred realistic designs over cartoonish ones, valuing toys that reflected reality. Though she didn't have any particular instructions when it came to toys, we can simply apply the Montessori principles in selecting toys for our little ones.
- Montessori toys engage children and facilitate learning without batteries.
- They provide dynamic and interactive experiences, often referred to as activities.
- Despite their educational focus, Montessori toys captivate children for hours.
- They encompass a wide range of options, from stackers to musical instruments and practical life activities.
- Montessori toys focus on one skill or concept at a time, promoting mastery.
Now that we've got a good grasp on what a Montessori toy is, get ready to explore our carefully curated selection!
Watch in awe as your little learner unleashes their creativity and imagination!
Let the fun begin!
1) Learning Resources Helping Hands Fine Motor Tool Set
These tools enhance sensory bins, promoting fine motor skill development and strengthening hand muscles for future writing.
Sensory fidget toys and activities encourage exploration, aid motor skill development, and establish neural connections in the brain.
2) BESTAMTOY 36 PCS Wooden Sorting Stacking Rocks
The stacking game with polyhedral blocks offers a unique twist compared to traditional building blocks.
Each block varies in size, color, and weight, adding an extra challenge for kids. It encourages them to approach the building process in a whole new way.
By engaging with this game, your child can develop hands-on skills, and foster creativity, resilience, and persistence.
It also helps strengthen fine motor skills, visual-spatial skills, and color recognition. Ultimately, it aids in training logical thinking abilities.
3) Montessori Screwdriver Board Set & Hammer Peg Toy Game
Perfect for all ages! Enhance fine motor skills with this fantastic learning tool.
These authentic and enjoyable tools will captivate children while promoting learning. Your child will be engaged for hours, skillfully hammering little wooden pegs into clay.
Crafted with exceptional quality, this activity is a superb way to develop fine motor skills.
4) ibwaae Wooden Peg Board Beads Game
This toy facilitates color recognition in young children by engaging them in counting and sorting colorful beads.
It is an excellent tool for fostering early STEM development, as it promotes logical thinking skills and enhances color recognition abilities.
Additionally, it provides an opportunity for preschoolers to practice counting and sorting while encouraging interaction among parents, children, and playmates.
Surprise your child with this educational preschool toy and watch their learning and enjoyment soar!
5) FNJO Magnetic Tiles
These magnets are loved by everyone.
They are colorful and the perfect size for all ages, designed to foster learning, curiosity, and education.
It's definitely a remarkable toy that sparks imagination, creativity, and critical thinking.
Prepare to be amazed by how these tiles can captivate your child's attention for hours on end.
6) RAINBOW TOYFROG Lacing Beads
These vibrant plastic beads can be found in many Montessori classrooms.
They come in seven different shapes, including circle, hexagon, triangle, cylinder, oval, square, and disk.
They are available in five colors: red, blue, green, yellow, and orange.
They are perfect for learning patterns which is essential to learning math, reading, and writing.
This set of beads has a larger hole, making it easier for kids to string them and create necklaces and arts & crafts.
They are perfect for rainbow color sorting and counting activities.
These beads enhance color recognition, hand-eye coordination, fine motor skills, and cognitive abilities.
7) Montessori Lock and Key Toy Set
Enhance your child's fine motor skills, visual discrimination, coordination, and concentration with this Montessori lock and key set.
Designed with five unique locks, it serves as a valuable practical life material, fostering independence through purposeful play.
By engaging in this activity, your child will not only develop essential motor skills but also gain real-world experience.
8) HOONEW Montessori Preschool Learning Toys Slide Puzzle
This toy is designed to help toddlers recognize colors and geometric shapes, while boosting their observation, logic ability, and hand-eye coordination.
It serves as an engaging logic game for young children, capturing their attention while parents attend to other tasks.
The variety of shapes and colors prevents it from becoming monotonous, making it an excellent choice for those seeking unique learning activities. Give it a try!
9) Bravokids LCD Writing Tablet
This kids' drawing tablet is radiation-free, glare-free, safe, and comfortable, even for extended use by children.
It eliminates the need for thousands of sheets of paper and ink by providing a single drawing board.
The writing tablet doodle board allows you to create lines just like writing and drawing on paper, with line thickness varying based on the pressure applied by the stylus, nails, or any hard object.
Clearing the screen content takes just one second with the press of the erase button, offering a time-saving and convenient experience.
The doodle board also features a lock key to save your content.
This multi-functional writing board is designed for use both indoors and outdoors, making it perfect for travel.
10) Kidzlane Art Easel
Spark your child's imagination with our kid's easel, designed to inspire creativity and exploration.
This versatile easel features a blackboard and a dry-erase board, along with art accessories like an eraser-tipped marker, 3 chalk sticks, and a chalkboard eraser. With endless possibilities, it's sure to take your child on exciting art-ventures!
Parents and educators value a hands-on approach for fostering learning and growth in young children.
This engaging and educational art easel equips your child with the tools to practice alphabet, numbers, counting, and math skills. Watch as they develop their artistic abilities while having fun along the way.
11) Waytoplay's Expressway - Flexible Toy Road Set
This versatile toy consists of 16 durable and flexible road parts, offering endless possibilities for imaginative play.
With a total length of 101 inches, it includes 8 curves, 6 straights, 1 intersection, and 1 roundabout.
Suitable for both indoor and outdoor use, it can be enjoyed on almost any surface.
Let your child's creativity run wild with this portable open-ended toy that promotes interactive and engaging play.
12) Xylolin Wooden Dinosaur Blocks Stacking and Balancing Toys
This toy promotes early learning through play by fostering cognitive skills, hand-eye coordination, and fine motor skills.
It sparks children's imagination and creativity while introducing them to various dinosaurs and shapes through stacking.
The set is perfect for building and toppling, as well as for use in manipulative activities and imaginative play.
13) Learning Resources Farmer’s Market Color Sorting Set
Boost your toddler's color recognition and sorting skills with this delightful collection of realistic play food!
They'll love engaging in imaginative play, naming familiar favorites, and discovering new foods.
The set includes 25 pieces of play food in 5 vibrant colors, 5 color-coordinated baskets, an activity guide, and labeling stickers.
With color-coordinated play food and easy-to-visualize baskets, children will develop essential sorting skills and a solid foundation for school readiness.
Ignite your child's love for learning through play with the Farmer's Market Color Sorting Set!
14) Montessori Peg Board Toys
Educational toys enhance children's ability to learn numbers, recognize written numerical symbols, develop visual perception skills, understand 1 to 1 correspondence, manipulate place value, and refine fine motor skills.
By using these wooden toys with your children, they will easily grasp concepts such as counting, basic math skills like addition and subtraction, number matching, and much more.
15) Wooden Alphabet Tracing Boards
The Montessori approach recognizes that children learn best with tactile, multisensory tools.
Letter tracing tiles help develop visual memory and train hand muscles for proper shape formation.
These natural wooden letter tiles allow children to practice letter formation and enhance their reading and writing skills.
Younger children can start by using their finger to trace the shapes, while older children can use the included wooden stylus to strengthen their hands and fingers for a proper pencil grip.
16) Old Wooden Reading Blocks Flash Cards
This educational toy features 5 rotating rods with short vowels, designed to help children learn three-letter words by turning the blocks.
It's not just an alphabet game; it also encourages kids to associate letters with corresponding objects.
The learning cards have two sides: one with a pattern and text, and the other with just a pattern.
With rounded corners and no sharp edges, these alphabet cards are safe for children.
This toy is beneficial for developing memory skills, spelling, and word recognition in kids.
17) Elite Montessori Wooden Movable Alphabet with Box
Once children have mastered the letter sounds using the Sandpaper Letters, they transition to using the Movable Alphabet.
This versatile tool serves multiple purposes: not only does it facilitate word writing, but it also helps children become acquainted with the letters and their corresponding sounds.
This familiarity with letter-sound relationships sets the foundation for future exercises in word composition.
18) Montessori Animal Match Game Cards
Engage children with a delightful Montessori activity - matching animal toys with corresponding cards.
This interactive game fosters focus, memory, and fine-tunes matching skills.
Enhance children's hand-eye coordination and learning abilities through this captivating Montessori learning experience.
The activity centers around pairing miniature animals with realistic photo cards, providing a valuable educational and sensory toy that promotes early learning in children.
19) Creative Kids Wooden Reading Blocks
Ignite imagination, foster learning - nurture your preschooler's creativity, ignite their curiosity, and enhance their confidence as they develop vocabulary and grasp the meanings of diverse words.
Enjoy valuable family moments while embracing the joy of learning together.
20) Melissa & Doug Let's Play House Dust! Sweep! Mop!
This vibrant children's cleaning set is a true replica of the real deal.
It features a wooden pretend play broom, mop, duster, dustpan and brush, all neatly organized on a stand. The red dustpan conveniently attaches to all handles.
Not only does this skill-building and confidence-boosting toy set strengthen and empower your child, but it also nurtures their sense of purpose and supports their overall development.
Each pretend play tool aids in the development of coordination and fine motor skills. By mimicking everyday chores, it instills a sense of responsibility and enhances self-esteem.
21) Little Gardener Tool Set with Garden Tools Bag
Encourage your child to explore the outdoors and learn about gardening and planting.
The lightweight tote bag makes it easy for children to carry while they garden.
The tools are designed with rounded edges to prioritize safety for kids.
These colorful and practical tools are specially made for smaller hands and curious minds.
22) Melissa & Doug Cutting Fruit Set
This food set showcases self-stick tabs that securely hold the pieces together, while providing a satisfying crunch when they are "sliced" apart.
It effectively introduces children to the concepts of part and whole, fostering early math development skills. And let's not forget, it offers screen-free entertainment for endless enjoyment.
23) LOOIKOOS Toddler Musical Instruments
This wooden musical toy set is made of non-toxic and 100% high-quality natural materials and includes a variety of instruments for shaking, tapping, beating, and blowing.
It's an inspiring collection that not only brings fun to your family, but also aids in the development of your child's musical sensitivity, creativity, and hand-eye coordination.
Spending time playing music with these toys together helps children cultivate collaborative and problem-solving skills, building confidence and a sense of teamwork along the way.
24) Yoto Mini
This portable screen-free Bluetooth travel speaker player allows your child to indulge in up to 20 hours of entertainment on a single charge.
All content is carefully curated and designed with children in mind, ensuring safety and enjoyment. No cameras, no microphones, and definitely no ads.
With a high-resolution display, this device brings audio to life and doubles as a sleep sound player, bedtime storyteller, OK-to-wake sleep trainer clock, portable Bluetooth speaker, or can be used with headphones!
Explore a collection of 1000+ Yoto cards featuring bestselling novels, music, engaging activities, free podcasts, radio, immersive soundscapes, and handy timers, or even unleash your creativity with a Make Your Own card!
25) 14 Pieces Wooden Kitchen Knife Set
Toddlers love to help in the kitchen, and providing them with appropriate tools can enhance their play experience and development.
These tools promote heuristic play, pretend play, and open-ended play, while also improving children's motor skills and autonomy.
With these kid-friendly knives, children can safely learn to cut fruits, vegetables, and cheese.
Designed for ages 2-5, these wooden knives are easy to use and pose no risk of cutting the skin.
By involving kids in cooking with the family, these kitchen knife tools foster cognitive development and strengthen parent-child interaction in a joyful and engaging way.
26) TOETOL Bamboo Toddler Kitchen Step Stool
The toddler standing tower is incredibly useful for fostering toddlers' independence skills. It empowers them to prepare food in the kitchen, wash and brush their teeth in the bathroom, and have meals in the dining room, among other activities.
This toddler kitchen stool is suitable for children over 18 months old. With its 3-level adjustable platform and 2-stage adjustable foot pedal, you can easily achieve the perfect height for children of any age, allowing you to witness their growth.
Additionally, the 2-level adjustable crossbar with rings caters to the needs of children whether they are sitting or standing.
27) Belleur Wooden Balance Board
The wooden balance board offers a dynamic learning experience for both you and your child.
It effectively stimulates the vestibular system, engages core muscles, promotes balance, enhances physical fitness, and boosts self-confidence.
It creates an environment conducive to your child's growth, promoting both their physical and mental well-being.
28) Strider 12” Sport Bike - No Pedal Balance Bicycle
Introducing the bike that has transformed the process of learning to ride for kids. Even toddlers as young as one are confidently riding without training wheels.
Balance bikes have consistently proven to teach boys and girls how to ride faster than traditional training wheels. By mastering balance and steering, transitioning to a regular bicycle becomes a breeze.
29) 4 In 1 Pikler Triangle Gym
You may see this gym or one like it in a Montessori classroom and that's because this is one of the best Montessori toys for toddlers.
Toys that adapt to kids' interests and needs are the best. As your child grows, climbing over and under the arch will provide hours of play while promoting balance, and coordination.
As time passes, you'll notice improvements in their physical strength, and imagination.
This climbing structure can transform into a castle, a car garage, a teepee, or anything else their imagination desires.
Children will independently enhance their gross motor skills while exploring their body's limits in a safe environment, all while fostering their creativity.
Final Thoughts
Instead of relying on flashy battery-powered toys or a simple pull toy, Montessori toys for toddlers offer a wonderful opportunity for children to develop physical and mental skills in a fun and stimulating environment.
These toys go beyond amusement and truly support the growth of children.
From balance boards that promote vestibular system stimulation to musical instruments that nurture creativity, there is a wide range of Montessori toys available that can bring joy and learning to your little ones' lives.
By providing your toddlers with these toys, you will witness remarkable growth in their development and happiness.