With an emphasis on practical imitation-based playthings, natural materials and avoidance of plastic, Montessori style toys and child appropriate furniture can make for a clean and simple nursery or playroom that’s easy to keep organized and beautiful to look at.
Stacking toys are ubiquitous in Montessori method schools and daycares, and this rainbow colored stacker is a great way to help teach children about colors while working to improve their motor skills.
Classic toys and games may have fallen out of common use, but many of them are wonderfully suited to teaching turn taking, counting, hand-eye coordination, and more. Jacks is a great game for school aged children to play at home after a long day at school, and parents can get in on the nostalgic fun too.
A basic introduction to concepts like bigger and smaller sets the stage for early math skills, and learning to order this red rod toy helps preschoolers begin to master these ideas.
Natural materials are essential to the Montessori educational system, and these naturally finished wooden blocks are non-toxic, with a beautifully smooth finish.
Kids will naturally imitate adult behaviors, so giving them child-sized tools makes it possible for them to be comfortable. It may be hard to imagine kids cleaning for fun, but it’s part of the magic of Montessori that chores can become play.
Creative play is a cornerstone of preschool and early elementary learning, and versatile, physical toys are a great way for kids to let out some energy while still mastering critical new skills. Whether they use this wobble toy as a balance board, a climbing tool, or in some other way that only they can imagine, it’s a fantastic item for strengthening core muscles and balance and encouraging them to think outside the box.
Color mastery and hand-eye coordination are the name of the game with this lacing bead toy. Important for developing practical life skills like tying shoes or fastening buttons, lacing toys also let children explore shapes, textures, and colors.
Just right for little hands, these basic phonics tools help kids with early learning-to-read skills, in a handy travel size that makes them great for car rides. Good for learning rhyming, sounding out, and letter recognition, they’ll help build confidence, which will increase your kiddos desire to read.
Older kids may have the dexterity to learn to make their own felt toys, but it’s beyond the skill level of preschoolers, who are still at the age when they’ll love to play with the pretend food. Pick up a couple of affordable patterns to DIY some of these gorgeous toys, or buy already made sets like this one.
If you have a toy kitchen, you’ll need toy pots and pans! Comfortably sized for children to practice cooking, washing up, or engage in other pretend play, this stainless steel set of toy cookware will give them hours of engaging fun.
Move and shake with this set of child-size instruments, including a tambourine and triangle. Whether your little ones have an ear for music and a sense of rhythm, or just enjoy starting their day with a bang, these simple instruments are an easy way to start introducing concepts like timing, volume control, and more.
Even infants can appreciate the simple beauty and texture of naturally made toys, like this retro rattle. A gorgeous gift for a baby shower, it’s safe and durable, with a gender neutral design all babies are sure to love.
Learning to work carefully and with precision is one of the earliest concepts covered in Montessori classrooms, and cleaning up messes is also stressed. This child-sized glass pitcher may make parents nervous, but it’s a fabulous way for children to learn care and consequences while under supervision.
An art project every day keeps little minds happy and healthy, along with developing those grasping and writing muscles. This child-sized standing easel is great for working with chalk, paints, and more.
Matching and sorting games are a daily activity in Montessori schools, and this beehive toy is a great way to bring those skills home for extra practice. Gripping the tongs, matching colors, and talking about the natural world are all important concepts to master.
This tow-along elephant is a wonderful friend for the learning to walk set, as it encourages children to re-think their walking paths and helps them learn about obstacles, all while playing with this charming little pachyderm.
Designing everything in the child’s environment to be sized down and appropriate for their needs is a core belief for Montessori teachers, and they make sure that the sinks, toilets, and other necessities are all sized right at school. At home, beds with low storage allow children access to their own clothes and toys without needing a parent to get into their dressers for them, and without tempting them to climb the furniture to get things for themselves.
On the assumption that you can’t renovate the bathrooms, kitchen, and other common spaces at home to be sized just for children, adding points of accessibility, like step stools, gives kids more autonomy to reach their own cups, plates, snacks, and the sink.
Outdoor play, and room to get messy, is important to helping little minds expand and explore. This child-sized picnic table is just right for science experiments, outdoor picnics, tea parties, and more.
Kids can sit and work together at this child sized table and chair set, which is just right for having a snack or doing a puzzle. The pair of chairs makes it a fantastic choice for home use for siblings, and the unfinished wood can be stained to match existing wood furniture in the home, or left as-is for a natural look.
Concepts like relation, the difference in weight, size, and volume, and other higher level math lessons will take children a while to fully grasp, but they can easily show basic levels of understanding with these toy grocery scales.
Imitate more of adult life with this pretend grocery store set, which can be filled with felt food, empty cereal boxes, and more. Perfect for play dates, it’s also great for siblings to learn to take turns shopping, buying, and making change at the cash register.
Beautiful and soft, these felt woodland creatures are delightful for quiet, pretend play, and are also a fantastic avenue for inventing stories, or talking about animals and nature. Perfect for children learning about the food web, or how animal behaviors change with the seasons.
This generously sized ark toy features 12 pairs of animals, along with figurines of Noah and his wife. The 4 piece ark opens up for toy storage and access, and is best suited for children 3 and up.
A well stocked dress-up trunk is essential for preschoolers and early grade school kiddos, whether they’re role-playing in career based garb like a firefighter, or indulging in more fantastical elements, like a Halloween costume. These versatile silks let kids rig up a pirate costume, a nativity scene, become fairy princesses, and anything else they can dream up.
