Montessori toys are the best way to learn.
But what are montessori toys anyway?
By definition they are toys that kids can play with hands on.
They can hold the toys, touch them and manipulate them which helps developing their fine motor skills.
They encourage your kid to learn by experimenting with it.
A classic montessori toy everyone probably has at home is lego.
When you buy montessori toys for your toddler you can give the gift of learning.
And after all we just want the best for our kids right?
This gift guide will show you the best Montessori toys for toddlers.
There are affiliate links in this post, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will be compensated if you click through and take action. For full disclosure click here.
Thinking back to my own childhood we had a lot of montessori toys and I absolutely loved playing with them.
The possibilities are literally endless.
Most of the toys are made with wood (which is definitely better for the environment than plastic) and usually last longer.
We had toys that we played with for years and even now that I am a mom my toddler can play with those exact same toys when we visit my parents overseas.
Simply because they are still in great shape.
So even if Montessori toys might be a bit more expensive they are well worth it.
This gift guide only includes made in the US products I found on Etsy to support small businesses.
1. Wooden Puzzles
Wooden puzzles are a classic and a great way to teach your toddler different things.
From a Name puzzle to a color puzzle to different animals and objects.
There is a ton of wooden puzzles available (we have a farm one that we absolutely love)
From completely custom name puzzle with your kids name to a Clock Puzzle.
Or objects like a Leaf puzzle and a fruit puzzle you can find pretty much everything.
And if your toddler is a bit older you can try out these more complex 3D wooden puzzles for a lot of fun.
Etsy has a bunch of different animals shapes like a dolphin, penguin or cricket and I think my favorite is the lemon.
The dolphin is a pretty advanced puzzle that includes balancing the different elements too.
They look like so much fun to solve and then pull apart again and also make a great decoration for your kid’s room.
2. Big Toys
Bigger toys like a so-called Pickler triangle help your toddler with their motor skills development.
A balance board is great for balance.
The rainbow rocker is great for balance and can also be used as a lounger with a pillow when turned upside down.
Combining different elements of those toys makes a great at home gym for toddlers.
While these bigger toys are pretty pricey they will last you for year and generations of kids so the higher price is well worth it instead of buying a bunch of cheaper toys that will break soon.
This may also be interesting:
– First birthday gift ideas
– Gift ideas for dads
– Baby shower gift ideas parents really want
– Magical Christmas traditions for kids
– Frog books for preschoolers
3. Busy book / Busy board
Busy books and busy boards are a great way to teach fine motor skills as well as keeping your kids entertained while you have to work from home or tend to other important chores.
There are tons of amazing and creative busy books or quiet books for toddlers ready to purchase on etsy.
If you want to give it a try yourself make sure to check out this post about a DIY busy book with free printables.
Like this absolutely adorable quiet book made with fabric.
Besides the regular books you can also get a busy board.
They are usually different things like a door lock or zipper attached to a wooden board that will keep your toddler busy for hours.
4. Stacking toys
Colorful and fun stacking toys are another great way to help your toddler with fine motor skills and will keep that little brain working making new connections.
With stacking toys your toddler needs to really use logical thinking to solve what parts go where.
5. Color sorting activities
Combine learning all the colors and hands on toys with these fun color sorting activitites.
We had the one with the hammer when we were kids and loved it so much.
6. Counting
This fun counting toy is shaped like a tiger and includes lots of colorful wooden balls to count.
The other side of the toy includes blocks with numbers from 1-10 painted on them and a few cute animals.
7. Useful everyday skills
These toys teach your kid important every day skills.
Like cutting and chopping with this safe for kids wooden knife.
The mushrooms with screwed in top parts will teach your toddler how to use srews or the basic understanding of screwing things together.
While the elephant resembles activities like sewing or stitching things together.
And this whole set of workshop toys lets your kid use a hammer, screws and screwdriver and more.
These wooden fruits come with a wooden knife and velcro on the inside your toddler can pretend play to cut fruit and vegetables apart.
This one is one my to buy list for Christmas for my daughter’s play kitchen.
8. Xylophone
Let your toddler make lots of fun song using their own colorful xylophone.
You can show them how to play their favorite song or just let them explore it on their own.
We have a similar one and she loves to just bang around on it.
Making music and listening to music helps toddler in pretty much every area of their development.
Which one is your favorite Montessori toy?
Do you need ways to keep your kid entertained while working from home? Get fun worksheets, coloring pages and more for free when you subscribe to my emails.
And find your tribe of like-minded parents in our Facebook group.
