Make Learning Extra Fun With These Montessori Toys For Toddlers
Montessori toys or materials offer a unique type of learning and play that all young kids can benefit from. These toys are designed to pique the interest of toddlers and keep them engaged for hours of play – a healthy change from the digital apps kids like to play nowadays.
Montessori toys for toddlers always provide a challenge for the tots. This keeps the kids focused on the problem at hand while exploring their own abilities to complete their tasks. Whether it’s through balancing, counting, solving puzzles, or enhancing the memory, the Montessori toys benefits remain to be an important factor in a child’s learning experience as he/she grows up.
Parents should also know that Montessori toddler toys are focused on a single concept. These toys help the kids understand the core idea and put it to practice. The single concept also allows the kids to learn at a pace most comfortable to them, without feeling rushed to learn other things at the same time.
With all the Montessori educational toys out there, how do you pick the ones to start with? Here’s a list to help you and your child get started:
Balance toys – Moon Equilibrium & Learning Toy
The Moon Equilibrium game teaches children the concept of balancing. In this game, children have to put the different shaped cylinders on the moon and try to keep it as balanced as possible. This game will exercise hand-eye coordination skills in children as well as help enhance their patience, which can be a rare trait in young toddlers. Plus, the bright colors will surely keep any child’s attention. Make it more fun by joining in and helping your child achieve equilibrium!
Memory toys – Wooden Memory Match Toy
The Wooden Memory Match Toy might seem like the typical memory puzzles out there, but there’s so much more than meets the eye. This game is an excellent brain exercise and will improve a child’s concentration, cognitive skills, attention span, and visual memory.
What makes this Montessori toy genuinely unique is the challenge it provides. While the usual memory puzzles only provide a single challenge where kids can easily get bored with, this memory match toy comes with 12 different sets of pictures one can mix and match. Best of all, children can learn new vocabulary and concepts with the pictures, too!
Counting & Math Toys – The Numbers Game
The Numbers Game is the perfect toy to introduce Math to children. In the beginning, kids will start to familiarize themselves with the numbers and shapes. They will tap into their hand-eye coordination skills to put the wooden number blocks onto the respective puzzle holes. Soon enough, the kids will start to develop pattern recognition skills and also learn how to count with the help of the poles and the circular blocks. It’s truly a great toy to start with to discover the wonderful world of Math!
Spelling Toys – 3-in-1 Spell Learning Game
For toddlers who are ready to enter the world of spelling, this 3-in-1 spelling game is the perfect companion. The toy comes with photo cards and wooden letter cubes. At first, the child will use the photo cards as a guide to spell out the words.
When the child has already improved his/her word recognition skills, the next challenge is to show the picture but hide the word. The child will tap into his/her memory and find the right letter cubes. Another significant challenge is to arrange the word and let the child find the photo card. All challenges will improve a child’s hand-eye coordination and strategic thinking skills.
Spatial Awareness Toys- Puzzle Card & Learn to Read Tangram Puzzle
Tangrams are great puzzles for toddlers because these teach spatial awareness, problem-solving, and is also an excellent introduction to the world of geometry. This Puzzle Card Tangram Puzzle enables a child to become familiar with the seven tans, so they can later manipulate them when given a puzzle card to follow.
The puzzle cards also have written words, which helps the child practice word recognition as well. Furthermore, this tangram puzzle encourages creativity where children can simply do free-play and explore the puzzle pieces on their own to create whatever image they have in mind!
Anatomy Toys – 3D Wooden Body XL
The human body anatomy may not be the most interesting topic a toddler wants to sit through, but this 3D Wooden Body will change all that. This wooden puzzle comes with five layers — from a completely dressed human boy or girl to its body organs and skeleton. Each layer consists of seven puzzle pieces, so parents can teach the body structure and functions in detail. What better way to teach human anatomy than this!
Food Toys – Wooden Cutting Fruits & Vegetables Box
One of the core aspects of Montessori wooden toys is its ability to mimic real life. Take, for example, cutting fruits and vegetables. Parents may not notice, but kids are always fascinated with what adults do in the kitchen, especially meal prep and cooking.
Why not explore this curiosity more with the Wooden Cutting Fruits & Vegetables Box? With this toy, kids can safely slice through fruits and vegetables to recreate their own cooking experience. To add, it’s an excellent toy to teach children about the names of different fruits and vegetables, too!
Bonus:
The Montessori learning toys above are definite must-haves in your child’s toy collection. However, there are other toys you may want to have to expand on the skillset your child can develop. Here are the other educational toys you may need:
Writing Toys – Write & Wipe Learning Cards
Why worry about having an endless supply of writing paper when you can use the Write & Wipe Learning Cards? For toddlers who are ready to write, they can trace the broken lines to learn how to write the alphabet, numbers, and complete words. This educational material will help kids improve letter and word recognition as well as strengthen their fine motor skills when writing.
Animals Toys – Canvas Coloring Book
Dive into the world of animals with the Canvas Coloring Book. Not only will this introduce a child to different animals, but he/she will learn to add colors to an otherwise blank and dull canvas. This material will improve the fine motor skills of children, improve focus and attention, and inspire creativity. Best of all, it’s reusable and mess-free! It’s also waterproof and antifouling by the way.
Drawing Toys – Magic Water Drawing Mat
Nurture a child’s imagination and creativity with this Magic Water Drawing Mat, which also provides a very fun learning experience. Children have to fill up the pen with water. When they draw on the magic mat, the shapes and colors underneath will appear. But more than that, this encourages a child to practice drawing free-hand and to let his/her imagination run free. Additionally, this mat quickly dries up and is reusable.
Time & Dates Toys – Weather & Calendar Learning Game
For young children who are ready to learn about time, the Weather & Calendar Learning Game is all they need. This all-in-one toy touches upon the concepts of dates, days of the week, months, weather, and seasons. Parents need not introduce all the concepts right away, but this toy will come in handy once a toddler is ready to start exploring each area of the board with the help of grown-ups.
These days, when the convenience that digital games offer can be tempting for busy parents, one must still prioritize the learning needs of their children. Toddlerhood is the perfect time to teach a child as many concepts as possible. It’s also a great time to develop a child’s different skills to prepare them for school and eventually, life. Consider these Montessori toys for kids as investments. After all, you can’t put a price on education.