The Best Montessori Toys to Help Your 1-3 Year Old Toddler Thrive

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As a parent of a 1-3-year-old toddler, finding suitable toys to aid their development is crucial. Montessori toys are popular due to their educational and engaging nature, encouraging hands-on exploration and independent learning.

This review will look at the top Montessori toys for toddlers and their ability to support your child’s cognitive, motor, and social-emotional development. Whether you’re new to the Montessori approach or an experienced user, this guide will provide you with plenty of ideas for toys your little one will surely enjoy.

So let’s dive into our list of the best Montessori toys for your toddler and watch them thrive!

BEST MONTESSORI TOYS FOR 1-3 YEAR OLDS

1) deMoca Busy Board for Toddlers – Montessori Wooden Sensory Toys – Learning Activities for Fine Motor Skills 

The deMoca Wooden Toy is a versatile and engaging educational toy for toddlers and preschool-aged children. This sensory board is an excellent tool for Montessori-inspired learning, with various activities specifically crafted to promote fine motor skills.

3 Reasons To Buy deMoca Montessori Wooden Busy Board for Toddlers

  1. This toy features a variety of bright and colorful wooden pieces, including zipper snaps and a shoe-tying teaching kit, which allow children to practice their independent dressing skills. Whether in the car or on a plane, this travel toy for toddlers is perfect for keeping young children occupied during long journeys.
  2. The deMoca Wooden Toy also includes a lock. It latches a wooden activity board, allowing children to learn problem-solving skills as they spin gear wheels and “click” switch buttons. As a Waldorf toy daycare activity center, this toy is an ideal screen-free alternative for children.
  3. The locks and latches wooden activity board is carefully crafted for kids to play and learn how to solve the labyrinth, spin the gear wheels, or “click” the switch button.

Specifications

Product Dimensions

15 x 11 x 1 inches

Country of Origin

Romania

MaterialWood

Item Weight

1 pound

 

Pros

  • This toy features ten preschool activities that promote fine motor skills and sensory development.
  • It is a perfect travel toy for toddlers, weighing only 2 pounds. It includes fun challenges to keep children busy on long journeys.
  • It suits occupational therapy toys for Alzheimer's patients and dementia activities for seniors.

Cons

  • The staples used for the laces on the shoe may be dangerous for toddlers.
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2) Toddler Busy Board – Montessori Sensory Toy for Autism and Fine Motor Skills – Educational Activity Board

The busy board is a Montessori education toy designed with little hands in mind. It features 14 fun activities that are always with you. It is lightweight, foldable, and easy to store, making it a great smartphone and tablet alternative for appointments, car rides, and flights. The board is US CPSIA certified, made with approved materials safe for toddler mouthing, and designed to promote stress-free independent learning while minimizing messy cleanups.

7 Reasons To Buy Brain Playtime Montessori Toddler Activity Board

  1. The product is designed with little hands in mind, with each part having the right size for easy maneuverability by little fingers and no stiff or hard parts.
  2. Soft buckles and easy-to-open buttons make it easy for kids to play and learn independently at their own pace.
  3. The busy board features 14 fun activities that are always with you. The lightweight and foldable design makes storing it in any diaper bag easy.
  4. The busy board is a great smartphone and tablet alternative, always ready for all your appointments, car rides, and flights, and eliminates the need for noisy toys.
  5. The busy board is US CPSIA certified and made with approved materials safe for toddler mouthing. The soft fabric and securely attached parts make it the perfect toy for children from an early age to preschoolers.
  6. Each Montessori activity is firmly attached to the board, eliminating worries about lost or strewn toy pieces around the floor. The board can be folded to save space and prevent dust from collecting inside.
  7. The busy board is a perfect gift for happy parents who want to encourage their child’s learning and development while minimizing messy cleanups.

Specifications

Product Dimensions

12.17 x 9.61 x 1.93 inches

Brand

Brain Playtime

MaterialFabric

Item Weight

12 ounces

Pros

  • US CPSIA-approved and lead-free
  • Genuine zipper + easy buttons + soft laces
  • Easily fit in your purse or diaper bag

Cons

  • Montessori toys can be more tedious for toddlers than typical toys. That's why your toddler can get bored with this toy quickly.
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3) LALA LLAMA Montessori Toy Steering Wheel – Car Driving Toddler Busy Board – Wooden Sensory Activity Board

Created by and for parents, La-la-llama toys are designed to help kids explore their world, learn, and play fun and safely.

4 Reasons To Buy LALA LLAMA Montessori Toy Steering Wheel

  1. The smooth-sanded, solid-wood board is made with beautiful, natural materials, environment-friendly varnishes, and water-based paint that help children focus on their play. The toy also meets or exceeds ASTM and CPSIA standards.
  2. The toddler sensory board mimics a real car dashboard and encourages fine and gross motor skills and logical thinking.
  3. Shipped in presentation packaging, this toy steering wheel is the ideal gift for preschoolers who love cars, trucks, and things that go, and is powered by their imagination. It can turn a box into a truck, the couch into a rocket ship, or keep the kids quiet on a long drive.
  4. The toddler activity board has fun switches and details that children can play with, such as a horn to honk, a key to insert and twist, a steering wheel to turn, a gearshift to pull, a mirror to adjust, tiles to flip, buttons to push, knobs to hang, and a glove box to open and find a picture.

Specifications

Product Dimensions

11.81 x 8.66 x 2.76 inches

Theme

Car

BrandLA·LA · LLAMA

Item Weight

1.8 pounds

Pros

  • Natural wood smoothed for safety
  • Designed for little hands
  • A horn honks - no batteries.

Cons

  • It may contain some small parts that could pose a choking hazard.
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4) HELLOWOOD 17 in 1 Wooden Busy Board for Kids, Montessori Activity Sensory Board Educational Games Multifunctional Toys

The 17-in-1 wooden busy board is a fantastic activity board for children that features 14 preschool activities designed in varying difficulty levels to keep your child engaged and challenged.

3 Reasons To Buy HELLOWOOD 17 in 1 Wooden Busy Board

  1. It is double-sided and can be folded like a book, making it easy to carry in a bag. The board contains various objects, toys, and materials for children to see, touch, feel, operate, and explore with all their senses, helping them develop sensory play skills.
  2. This busy board is an excellent tool for early childhood development. Children can learn to tell time, count, and practice essential life skills like locking, buckling, buttoning, tying, snapping, switching, and zipping. They can also develop hand-eye coordination, fine motor skills, finger dexterity, logical thinking, and cognitive skills.
  3. Crafted from durable basswood and coated with non-toxic water paint, this sensory board is safe and sturdy for young children. It has smooth edges and is burr-free, making it a great Montessori and educational toy for toddlers and children aged three and above.

Specifications

Product Dimensions

3.15 x 11.02 x 10.63 inches

Educational Objective

Hand Eye Coordination, Motor Skills

Brand HELLOWOOD

Item Weight

3.76 pounds

Pros

  • Burr-free + smooth edges + durable basswood + non-toxic water paint
  • Non-slip silicone strip
  • Double sided foldable
  • Encourage sensory play: see + touch + operate + feel + explore

Cons

  • This toy's keys and locking mechanisms may be considered small parts and pose a choking hazard.
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5) HELLOWOOD Montessori Toys, Wooden Sorter Cube with 8pcs Colorful Multisensory Shapes, Learning Toy

5 Reasons To Buy HELLOWOOD Montessori Wooden Sorter Cube with 8pcs Colorful Multisensory Shapes

  1. The wooden shape sorter cube toys contain eight diverse shapes in different colors and a sturdy box with colored rubber bands and shaped holes on both sides.
  2. Children can push the shapes in through the soft and elastic rubber bands or corresponding holes, improving hand-eye coordination, fine motor skills, and finger dexterity while also learning color and shape recognition, problem-solving skills, and spatial reasoning.
  3. The sturdy wooden box is a multipurpose storage box for easy storage and carrying, making it an excellent toy for kids when traveling.
  4. The activity cube toys are made of durable wood and coated with non-toxic water paint, ensuring safety for little hands. The surfaces are smooth, the corners are round, and the rubber bands are soft, protecting the baby’s delicate skin.
  5. The wooden shape sorter cube makes a great first gift for your little one on a birthday, Christmas, etc., with best-in-class packaging for gifting and 24-hour warm and timely customer service.

 

Multiple ways to play: 

  1. Push the Shapes into the Box
  2. Sorting/matching
  3. Stack the Blocks
  4. Built-in jingle bell blocks to make sounds

Specifications

Product Dimensions

6 x 6 x 6 inches

Educational Objective

Shape, color, & sound recognition, motor fine skills

MaterialWood

Item Weight

1.81 pounds

Pros

  • Smooth surfaces + round corners + soft elastic bands + non-toxic paint
  • Durable solid wood

Cons

  • The wood could have been sanded more smoothly.
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6) TOP BRIGHT Wooden Shape Sorter Toys for Toddlers Learning Sort and Match for 1 2 Year Old

This toy is a combination of a shape sorter and a truck, which is great for kids who are learning shape matching. The wooden shape sorter helps with their mind and coordination skills and teaches classification, color, and shape recognition. The toy also has a simulation mixing operation that is easy for toddlers to operate and learn. The truck can be pushed or pulled to reach different play areas, keeping kids exploring and learning for hours.

3 Reasons To Buy TOP BRIGHT Montessori Wooden Shape Sorter

  1. The shape sorter car has been thoroughly tested to meet the highest US ASTM and European EN71 toy safety standards, ensuring safety for 2-year-old boys and girls. The car is made with non-toxic, formaldehyde-free, and environmentally friendly materials that have been carefully polished to provide a comfortable grip for children. The high-quality plastic and wood combination provides a unique texture that enhances the overall quality of the product.
  2. The shape sorter car simulates the operation of a blender with a rotating and removable barrel. It helps children understand the concept of space above and below. At the same time, the driver and the opening doors add to the car’s charming appearance. Pushing and pulling the vehicle also helps exercise hand movements and develop fine motor skills.
  3. The mixing bucket allows children to put different shapes into it, each making a “crunch” sound. This promotes color and shape recognition, hand-eye coordination, and imaginative play, making learning fun and engaging for boys and girls.

Specifications

Product Dimensions

9.8 x 5.3 x 7.8 inches

Brand

TOP BRIGHT

Toy vehicle formTruck

Item Weight

2.2 pounds

Pros

  • BPA and Formaldehyde free
  • 360 rotatable bucket to exercise fine motor skills
  • Promotes cognitive enlightenment and allows toddlers to learn different colors and shapes during play
  • Includes seven colorful shapes for learning and play
  • The dump truck design allows children to push the truck around and unload wooden blocks from the bucket.

Cons

  • The length of the rope in the front of the truck is approximately 6 inches, making it unsuitable for your toddler's use as a push-and-pull toy.
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7) TOP BRIGHT Montessori Busy Board Plus Busy Cube for Toddlers 1-3, Sensory Toys, Preschool Fidget Activity Cube

The Toddler Busy Board & Busy Cube offers a variety of activities on each side, making it an entertaining and educational toy for 12-24-month-old children. The board has a lightweight and unique design that makes it easy to carry and is available in bright, attractive colors that appeal to little ones. This is a great toy option for parents who want to engage their children in exploratory play.

5 Reasons To Buy TOP BRIGHT Montessori Busy Board Plus Busy Cube

  1. The Toddler Busy Board Set includes a compact and cute busy block body, a classic baseplate, and 15 busy pieces in 3 colors.
  2. The Montessori Busy Board is 15″x10.6″ in size and comes with a busy cube that weighs about 3 pounds in total. It is lightweight and has a unique design that makes it perfect for travel.
  3. The busy board activity cube for toddlers can help kids develop their problem-solving and logical thinking skills. It teaches kids how to snap, lock, twist, plug in, and switch, developing their fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination, finger dexterity, and cognitive skills.
  4. This creative sensory board is a perfect gift for kids’ growth as it features a range of 15 Montessori-inspired fun, sensory, challenging, and colorful activities. It can help children quickly figure out various real-life projects and start immediately.
  5. Highly recommended as a great gift for 1-2-year-old boys and girls.

Specifications

Product Dimensions

19.37 x 14.45 x 3.98 inches

Theme

Lego Style

ColorRed Blue Yellow

Item Weight

3.45 pounds

Pros

  • Adorable and funny robot expression
  • Smooth and sturdy passed the drop test
  • Eco-friendly + smooth edges + bright color + perfect size + no glue

Cons

  • Some parts of the toy are large and heavy. Therefore, you may have some difficulty carrying it while traveling.
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How can you tell if a toy is Montessori?

Montessori toys are designed to promote learning and development in young children, based on the Montessori method of education. Here are a few things to look for to help you identify if a toy is Montessori:

  • Simple and Realistic: Montessori toys are typically simple in design and made from natural materials such as wood, metal, or cloth. They are often realistic and resemble objects in the child’s everyday life.
  • Open-Ended Play: Montessori toys are designed to promote open-ended play, allowing the child to use their imagination and creativity to develop different ways to play with the toy.
  • Safe and non-toxic: Montessori toys are made from safe, non-toxic materials free from harmful chemicals or substances. They are designed to be safe for children to play with and explore.
  • Promote Development: Montessori toys are designed to promote specific areas of development, such as fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination, and problem-solving.
  • Focus on Learning: Montessori toys are designed to promote learning through play and exploration rather than entertainment or distraction.
  • Some examples of Montessori toys include stacking blocks, sorting and matching games, puzzles, sensory toys, and practical life toys such as child-sized brooms, tongs, and pitchers. However, it’s important to note that not all toys labeled as “Montessori” are necessarily authentic or high quality, so it’s always a good idea to research and read reviews before purchasing.

What is the difference between Montessori toys and regular toys?

Montessori ToysRegular Toys
Made from natural materials such as wood, metal, and fabricOften made from plastic or synthetic materials
Open-ended design that allows for multiple uses and encourages creativity and imaginationOften have a specific function or purpose
Promotes skill development such as problem-solving, fine motor skills, and hand-eye coordinationMay not have a specific focus on skill development
Often designed to be durable and long-lastingMay be designed with planned obsolescence
Emphasizes independent play and self-motivationOften designed with adult direction or entertainment in mind
Safe and non-toxic materials are prioritizedMay not prioritize safety or non-toxic materials

What age is appropriate for Montessori toys?

According to Montessori principles, children can begin playing with Montessori toys from birth. These toys are designed to be developmentally appropriate for each child’s growth and development stage. Montessori toys are designed to encourage exploration, independence, and hands-on learning while promoting the development of important skills such as problem-solving, fine motor skills, and hand-eye coordination.

For infants, Montessori toys may include simple items such as rattles, soft fabric balls with different textures, or wooden teethers. As children grow and develop, they can play with more complex Montessori toys such as puzzles, shape sorters, or building blocks, which help develop cognitive, motor, and social skills.

It’s important to note that while Montessori toys can be a great addition to a child’s playtime, they are not the only type of toy that can promote learning and development. Other toys, such as imaginative play items, musical instruments, and outdoor play equipment, can also be necessary for a child’s growth and development. Parents should choose developmentally appropriate, safe, and appropriate toys that match their child’s interests and needs.

Montessori’s approach to rotating toys is not based on a specific time frame or schedule. Instead, the focus is on offering a carefully curated selection of toys and materials that are developmentally appropriate for the child’s current interests and needs.

The idea is to offer a “prepared environment” that is carefully tailored to the child’s stage of development. This means observing the child’s interests and abilities and selecting appropriate toys and materials for their current stage of development. When the child has mastered a particular toy or material, it can be replaced with something new that is still within their range of interests and abilities.

Montessori has gained popularity in recent years for some reasons:

  • First, parents are becoming more interested in alternative forms of education that focus on the whole child rather than just academic achievement. Montessori’s focus on child-centered learning, hands-on activities, and self-directed exploration resonates with these parents looking for a more holistic approach to education.
  • Second, Montessori’s approach is backed by research that supports the effectiveness of its methods in promoting academic and social-emotional development. This research has helped increase Montessori’s credibility and legitimacy as an educational approach.
  • Third, Montessori’s emphasis on creating a prepared environment that is carefully tailored to the child’s needs and interests aligns with current education trends that emphasize individualized instruction and personalized learning.
  • Fourth, Montessori’s approach is adaptable and flexible, which has made it appealing to a wide range of families and educators. The method can be applied to children of all ages and abilities, from infancy through adolescence. It can be used in various settings, from schools to homes.

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