Montessori toys are toys that a kid can touch, hold, manipulate and experiment with. It inspires them to be independent thinkers and motivated learners as well.
A box of LEGO is considered a Montessori toy. Kids can build, experiment, and come up with different “masterpiece” each time. Using Montessori toys with kids 2+ years old has been proven to develop their fine motor skills.
Here are the best picks for Montessori toys that will challenge your kindergarten kids to be imaginative. These items can help set them up for a lifetime of learning.
1. Geometric Educational Wooden Puzzle Toy (year 2+)
Focus: Pincer grip development, shape and fraction recognition, eye-hand coordination
If you’re fond of “mechanical reasoning” tests, the Geometric Education Wooden Puzzle is their baby. This is your toddler’s early exposure to patterns and fractions. Helping your kids to appreciate this toy sets them up to enjoy more Montessori toys in the future.
2. Kid’s Wooden Puzzle Math Toy (year 2+)
Focus: Number and shape recognition, hand-eye coordination, understanding quantity/counting
Having parts for rings, numbers and shapes make this board a 3-in-1 set. The number of rings corresponds to the number with the same colour. For example, the first wooden peg only has one red ring. Correspondingly, the wooden figure “1” across it is also in red. This instils the quantity behind the wooden figure. Your toddler will enjoy sorting the rings, numbers and shapes.
3. Wooden Montessori Educational Toy (year 3+)
Focus: Letter, number and shape recognition, hand-eye coordination, understanding quantity/counting
Another Montessori teacher’s favourite is the Wooden Montessori Educational Toy. This board combines Kid’s Wooden Puzzle Math Toy with wooden letters. Remember, letter and number recognition is the first step towards reading and writing. Make sure that you incorporate this toy into your daily routine.
4. Educational Wooden Puzzles (year 3+)
Focus: Pincer grip development, logical thinking, imagination, colour recognition
Your baby eventually graduates from chunky inset puzzles. As a result, he will want something more challenging, much like a jigsaw puzzle. The Educational Wooden Puzzles have simple but bright and clearly outlined images. The pieces are large and easy to manipulate. They are perfect for your toddler.
In addition, these puzzles also lend a feeling of accomplishment to your toddler each time they finish a picture.
Buyer tip: At this age, you are not yet sure what interests your child. Could it be an image of an animal, a flower, or a cartoon character? Make sure you add variety to your choices.
5. Kid’s Locks Montessori Toy (year 3+)
Focus: Pincer grip development, colour recognition
The Montessori toy is a matching game where a toddler picks up a key and decides which lock to open. As a result, this game helps develop concentration and patience in children.
Buyer tip: Make sure that the size you choose will not be a choking hazard. To be safe, pick Montessori lock toys that are safe and sized according to your toddler’s age.
6. Kid’s Double Sided Wooden Montessori Toy (year 3+)
Focus: Colour and pattern recognition, eye-hand coordination, learn about fruits
The Kid’s Double Sided Wooden Montessori toy comes with a bracket so that it can be played upright. First, start the game by choosing a random card from a stack of 18 cards. After that, move the pins to position to follow the colour combination as indicated in the chosen card.
Play on the other side with “fruit pins” using the same mechanics.
The Double-Sided toy is one of the most popular Montessori toys that promote logical reasoning. It trains the eye to match colours and fruits. It is the perfect interactive toy for parents and children. Encourage your preschooler to work at their own pace. Let them experiment and do trial-and-error independently.
Buyer tip: Choose a board that is made from hand-polished, burr-free solid wood.
7. Wooden Arithmetic Table for Children (year 5+)
Focus: Advanced number recognition, multiplication knowledge
If you’re raising a Math wizard, the Wooden Arithmetic Table for Children is your best companion.
Each colourful block has the factors (multiplicand and multiplier) on one side and the product on the other side.
Applying the Montessori way of learning has been around for more than a hundred years. During this period, educators have used this method to let a child learn at his/her own pace while having fun. If you use the same techniques, you get to maximise your kid’s learning potential without increasing their use of electronic gadgets, as well.
