Best Montessori Toys for 1-Year-Olds and 2-Year-Olds

Which Montessori toys are best for your 1-year-old or 2-year-old?

The Montessori system of education values learning through play in early childhood development. That’s because Italian physician and educator Maria Montessori believed that children are innately curious and driven to learn from their environment. She observed that successful learning happens when children work things out for themselves by playing with objects, toys and games that stimulate innate abilities and build skills.

The Montessori system recommends sensory play in the first year and toys that help balance, coordination and curiosity in the second year. Themed playsets are especially crucial from 1 year to 18 months to help develop recognition skills. By the age of 2, the Montessori system starts to introduce toys that promote physical play and cognitive development as well as early reading and counting skills.

But which Montessori toys are best for your 1-year-old or 2-year-old? From block sets and shape puzzles to play kits, we highlight five of our favorite Montessori toys that we recommend for new parents to enjoy with their kiddos.

Melissa & Doug Match & Roll Shape Sorter

Melissa & Doug

Age: 1+ years

Year released: 2016

Made of: Wood

Best for: Manual dexterity, problem-solving, color and shape recognition, sorting skills, spatial skills

What makes it a quality Montessori toy: To use the Melissa & Doug Match & Roll Shape Sorter, toddlers push brightly colored shapes through matching holes into a hollow drum. When all the shapes have been matched and pushed through, the child can open the drum, take out the shapes and start over. The game helps improve manual dexterity and coordination and helps young children begin to recognize key shapes. Toddlers will also learn sorting skills and problem-solving, as they work to match a shape with the right-sized hole.

Melissa & Doug Rainbow Stacker

Melissa & Doug

Age: 18 months to 4 years

Year released: 2013

Made of: Wood, Non-toxic paint

Best for: Sorting, fine motor skills, thinking, teamwork

What makes it a quality Montessori toy: The Melissa & Doug Rainbow Stacker features seven brightly colored rings, a red ball for the top and a wooden post for stacking the rings. The Montessori toy helps young children start to learn about different sizes, shapes and colors. Kids can play on their own or with other children to place the rings on the post by size. Parents or teachers can help young children by playing different games, such as asking a child to name all the colors of the rings.

JoJo Woodpecker Catching Bug Game

JoJo / Amazon

Age: 2 to 4 years

Year released: Unknown

Made of: Wood, magnet

Best for: Logical thinking, sensory skills, fine motor skills, imagination

What makes it a quality Montessori toy: Young children play the JoJo Woodpecker Catching Bug Game by picking up worms and hiding them in holes in the carved wooden tree. They can then use the magnetic wooden bird to pull the worms out again. This Montessori toy encourages thinking and logic skills, as children figure out how to insert and remove the worms. Toddlers playing the game will also develop fine motor skills by grasping and inserting the worms, and they can use their imagination to pretend to be a bird that’s hunting worms in the tree.

Gonge River Stones Set

Gonge / Amazon

Age: 2+ years

Year released: 2012

Made of: Polypropylene (PP), Thermoplastic Elastomer (TPE)

Best for: Coordination, motor skills, active play, exercise

What makes it a quality Montessori toy: The Gonge River Stones are a set of five plastic “stones” that kids can use for active indoor play. The shapes encourage hopping and stepping, which helps young children develop coordination, motor skills and a sense of imagination. The “stones” come in different shapes and colors. Each one has a rubber bottom for stability, and the graduated shapes won’t tip over. The set of five “stones” is made from durable materials and is designed for vigorous use. The set also includes game suggestions.

The Nugget Play Couch

Nugget

Age: 2+ years

Year released: Unknown

Made of: Foam, microsuede

Best for: Play, imagination, creativity, gross motor skills

What makes it a quality Montessori toy: The Nugget Play Couch is a soft, foam playset that allows kids hours of open-ended play. The set consists of four foam building blocks: a sturdy base, a thin long cushion and two triangular support pillows. All pieces are covered in soft, machine-washable microsuede covers. Kids can use their imagination to build a fort, a castle, a reading nook, a sailing ship or anything else they can dream up. The units are especially helpful in developing imagination, creativity and gross motor skills.