Montessori Toys

 Our Owl & Fox range is made up of a huge range of Montessori wooden toys.

Designed in beautiful colours, with a simple aesthetic and made from lovely natural wood, they’re both lovely to look at and fun to play with. Our range of Montessori wooden toys includes everything from shape sorters to Xylophones, toaster sets, workbenches and baby walkers.

No matter what developmental stage your little one is in, Montessori teaching toys are a great way to entertain them.

What is Montessori?

Montessori is a learning principle that was developed by Italian physician, Maria Montessori. It’s now recognised as a great approach to early education. The Montessori method is based on the understanding that child development is best supported through self-guided play.

So, Montessori teaching toys are focused on encouraging open-ended, independent play. They are usually made of natural materials and often they relate to real-world activities, for example, cooking, drawing and DIY.

The Benefits of Montessori Teaching Toys

• Cognitive development: These toys help kids learn, explore and develop independently. They encourage kids to take charge of their own learning, helping with cognitive development skills like problem-solving and shape/colour identification.

• Motor skills: Kids develop both fine and gross skills. Toys like our baby walker can help your little one with balance and coordination, whilst our wooden toaster set or wooden workbench can help with fine skills like gripping and dexterity.

• Sustainability: These toys are created from natural materials, usually wood. The toys are designed to last so they can be passed from generation to generation. At the end of their life, they are perfectly recyclable and biodegradable.

• Adaptable: Montessori activity is suitable for kids of all ages. Extra young ones can enjoy shape sorters and topple towers whilst older toddlers can experiment with roleplay, cooking up a storm in their imaginary kitchen or doing DIY at their workbench.

FAQs

How are they different from normal toys?

There are a couple of key differences. Number one, more often than not Montessori play toys will be made of natural materials like wood, rubber and cotton (not plastic). Secondly, Montessori play equipment is designed to encourage open-ended play. This means there is no right or wrong way to play with them. The idea is that this stimulates your little ones’ imaginations, instead of limiting it.

Are they suitable for newborns?

Yes, you can find newborn-suitable Montessori toys. Usually, these will be observation-related (eg. a mobile that hangs over the cot). Newborns will not ‘play’ in the way that older kids do, so the Montessori wooden toys will be focused on catching attention.

How many Montessori toys should my little one have?

For little ones that are still immobile, the guidance is around 4 toys. This is to ensure babies do not suffer from sensory overload and toy boredom. Once your kid is moving around, this number increases to around 8 toys.