With the festive season approaching soon, I thought I would share a Montessori-friendly gift guide for different ages.
This list is not exhaustive but I hope it gives you some ideas for your little ones. Many of these toys are classic Montessori, some are open ended and others are just classic toys that I have seen children have loved and used for a long time.
INFANTS
Willow Rattle- Anika’s absolute favourite rattle! This beautiful heirloom piece is hand made in NZ.
Cage Rattle- This is a classic Montessori rattle. It also rolls away slowly making it a great incentive to crawl for babies.
Bell Harmony- This amazing grasping mobile was Anika’s favourite for months and I highly recommend it.
Flip Fingers- This Montessori inspired toy is absolutely beautiful and so loved at our home.
Playsilks- There are 1001 ways a child can use a playsilk, all the way to their teenage years.
TODDLERS AND PRESCHOOLERS
GRIMMS WOODEN TOYS- I can’t recommend these toys enough! Some of my favourite picks are large rainbow, stacking bowls, bead grasper, coloured cars, coloured geo-blocks and 12 rainbow friends. Anika uses many of these as a baby and will continue to use them well into her toddler and preschool years. This is the beauty of quality open-ended toys.
MONTESSORI SKILLS- These are all my favourite Montessori inspired toys for toddlers and pre-schoolers that teach them real-life skills…
Beehive Lacing– I have used this at schools that I use to teach in and it was an absolute favourite for many children.
Brooms- More than anything else, children want to do and be just like the adults in their environment! I have an indoor broom and outdoor broom as Anika’s Christmas present and I know this will be well loved and used.
Pound the Ball- This is every toddler’s favourite toy! It’s great to hammer a ball and be able to see the cause and effect at the same time.
Peg Puzzles- This is a great selection of peg puzzles and perfect for exercising pincer grip along with matching skills for toddlers.
Sand and Water play toys- Dr. Montessori said that children are sensorial learners and this great collection of sand and water play toys are excellent for their sensorial exploration this summer.
OUTDOOR TOYS- Outdoor is a favourite place to be for most children. Here are some toys that will be used for years outside..
Metal Colander Set– Colanders are a favourite toy for sand and water table. I love that these colanders have holes in them and children love to see sand and water drip through these.
Hula Hoops- Every child’s favourite way to move! Hula Hoops are so great to learn coordination and rhythm for pre-schoolers. For the younger children, it makes a great open-ended toy to use it as a jumping game, rolling it around etc.
River Stones– are another classic outdoor toy that builds and promotes skills such as jumping, judging distances, coordinating and balancing.
Classic Ball Set– I love this classic ball set. Great investment for a long time to come..
ART AND MUSIC- Every child enjoys art and music. Here are some of our favourite picks…
Crystal Organza Rainbow Pack– If play silks are over budget, then these crystal organza rainbow pack are a great solution. Babies to Teenagers love fabrics and use them in multitude of ways over and over again. In my opinion, there is clearly no better open-ended toy than this!
Toddler Top 40 Fun Songs– I have been collecting Music CD’s since I was a teacher, so I do have heaps of them but this is a real favorite with Anika. Her face lights up as soon as I put it on. I absolutely love the song collection!
Julie Wylie CD’s– Another favourite is music CD’s by Julie Wylie. I have used these so much at preschool and children love them!
Xylophone– We love this xylophone and it’s surely one of those investments that children use for years.
Floor Drum– This drum is on our wish list and so much fun for children to play. No better way to keep your toddlers engaged.