21 Best Montessori Wooden Toys By Age

Updated On: August 11, 2023
Best Montessori wooden toys by age group

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This is your complete list of the best Montessori wooden toys to nurture your child’s physical and cognitive development from birth.

Montessori wooden toys will help your child develop one skill at a time by minimizing unnecessary distractions.

We introduced Montessori toys to our daughter right after birth because we wanted her to build a strong foundation for important real-life skills.

And because we were very intentional about the toys we provided, she developed slightly faster than other children her age. 

So here are the best Montessori wooden toys I recommend for different ages, starting with newborns.

As your child progresses to more complex toys, they will improve their critical thinking skills, concentration, motor skills, and problem-solving skills.

Best Montessori wooden toys by age

Below is a list of the best Montessori wooden toys. These toys are exciting, interactive, and encourage your child to explore their curiosity for the world.

Best Montessori toys for 0 to 3 months

These are not wooden toys but rather products I recommend for newborns that will help your child work on concentration and stimulate their senses.

Image: Latinx Montessori

1. Black and white cards

Black and white cards are used in infant development because they provide visual stimulation to develop your baby’s eyesight. 

During the first few months of life, your baby’s eyesight is not fully developed, and they can only see high-contrast images, such as black and white.

High-contrast black-and-white cards develop neural pathways in the brain. As your baby looks at the cards, they are processing and making sense of the shapes and patterns. 

Image: Amazon

2. Infant Mirror

A mirror was one of the first Montessori items we added to our baby’s room, and I suggest you add one too. 

When your infant looks in a mirror, they can see themselves and begin to develop an understanding of their own body and movements. 

They will also develop self-awareness and a sense of identity. They can see that their movements are reflected in the mirror and begin to understand that their actions have consequences.

Image: Lovevery

3. Play Gym by Lovevery

The Lovevery Play Gym is a must in every baby’s room. This play gym is designed to support your baby’s development through the first year of life. 

The play gym features a variety of toys and activities that are specifically designed to promote cognitive, sensory, and motor development.

It comes with an activity guide that will help you extract maximum value from this play gym.

See our full review of the Loververy Play Gym.

Image: Peeka & Co

4. Sensory high-contrast balls

This clutch ball has similar benefits to the black and white cards. The high contrast colors will grab your baby’s attention and they will naturally gravitate towards the balls.

It is designed to improve your baby’s senses. The texture of these balls will provide tactile stimulation as your child feels and plays with them. 

You can hang this clutch ball on your baby’s mobile so they can practice batting or kicking it. This is a crucial developmental milestone before they can move the ball with their hands.

Best Montessori wooden toys for 3 to 6 months

Image: Peeka & Co

5. Wooden rattle

This simple wooden rattle is designed to help your child improve grasping, shaking, and visual tracking.

Your baby will gain independence and self-sufficiency as they play with this wooden rattle. This can also give you a chance to observe your baby play and see how they are developing.

Image: Peeka & Co

6. Wooden Mobile

An excellent alternative to the Play Gym by Lovevery is a simple wooden mobile like the one from Lily and River.

The movement of this wooden mobile can help promote your baby’s cognitive development by encouraging them to make connections and associations between different objects. 

They can learn cause-and-effect relationships as they watch the mobile move and learn that their movements can cause the mobile to move.

Image: Ten Little

7. Sensory Tumbling Toy

This is another great wooden toy to enhance your child’s senses.

The set of three tumbling toys will stimulate your child’s tactile, visual, and auditory senses. Each toy has different materials that make different sounds and have different textures.

They are the right size so your child can practice grasping and holding these toys with both hands.

Best Montessori wooden toys for 6 to 12 months

Image: Lovevery

8. Lovevery Play Kits

The Lovevery Play Kits are designed to provide age-appropriate learning and play experiences for babies and toddlers.

Each Lovevery Play Kit is designed specifically for the developmental stages of your child. 

The activities and toys included in each kit are carefully curated to support and enhance your child’s learning and play experiences.

Image: Montessori and me

9. Object permanence box

An object permanence box is a Montessori wooden toy designed to help babies develop their understanding of object permanence.

Object permanence is the concept that objects continue to exist even when they cannot be seen or heard. 

And this will encourage your child to look for the ball after they drop it in the box.

Make sure to use code LATINXMONTESSORI to get 10% off your order.

Image: Montessori and Me

10. Single-shape puzzles

I love this Montessori toy because it is very simple to use and does not overwhelm your child. 

This single-shape puzzle helps your child develop their fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination, as well as introduce them to basic shapes and spatial concepts.

Make sure to use code LATINXMONTESSORI to get 10% off your order.

Image: Montessori and Me

11. Coin box

This is another Montessori toy that we added to our child’s Montessori shelf. 

This Montessori coin box is designed to develop your child’s sense of object permanence, fine and gross motor skills, hand-eye coordination, problem-solving, logical thinking, and concentration.

Make sure to use code LATINXMONTESSORI to get 10% off your order.

Image: Montessori and Me

12. Montessori Spinning Drum Infant Toy

The spinning drum is a classic Montessori wooden toy that is perfect for infant play during tummy time sessions. 

The sounds and colors of the spinning drum will encourage your little one to push up and bat the drum over and over. 

This repeated exercise develops core, arm, and wrist movements while also building strength in these areas.

Make sure to use code LATINXMONTESSORI to get 10% off your order.

Best Montessori wooden toys for 1 to 2 years

Image: GrowGo Kids

13. Pikler triangle

This is another product I highly recommend! We got this Pikler triangle for our daughter and it has been amazing watching her confidence grow!

The Pikler triangle provides children with an opportunity to engage in physical activity and develop their gross motor skills. 

Climbing and moving around the frame requires coordination, strength, and balance, which can help your child develop their muscles and improve their overall physical health.

Make sure to use code LATINXMONTESSORI to save 10% off your order and to qualify for free shipping.

Image: Guidecraft

14. Shape sorters

These Shape Sorter blocks allow your child to explore simple shapes and colors while encouraging cognitive development and kinesthetic learning. 

These shapes have oversized knobs with soft-touch plastic grips to increase fine motor skills and coordination. 

Your child will develop identification, color recognition, and sequencing skills while exploring simple shapes and colors.

Image: Peeka & Co

15. Balance board

This is another great Montessori wooden toy that will grow with your child.

The balance board will provide your child with hours of fun and physical activity and will help improve their balance and coordination.

Some of the benefits of the balance board include improving core strength, balance and coordination, gross motor skills, and a boost in their confidence.

Image: GrowGo Kids

16. Wooden balance beam

This is a versatile balance beam by GrowGo Kids and is the best one we have tried and that we will continue to use for many years.

With its perfectly dimensioned design, this balance beam provides a safe yet challenging rise in elevation to help your child develop their balance and gross motor skills. 

Use code LATINXMONTESSORI to save 10%.

Image: Hape

17. Rainbow pounder

The Hape Rainbow Pounder is an interactive toy designed to teach your child about colors and numbers. 

This toy features pegs that your child can hammer into a bench, providing exercise and motor skill development. 

Best Montessori wooden toys for 2+ years

Image: Guidecraft

18. Little pavers

This is such a great product that will encourage open-ended play. There is no right or wrong way to use this toy, which is something we like. 

Your child will incorporate these hexagonal miniature pavers into unique architectural builds while stacking, creating patterns, and using natural, loose parts.

Image: Peeka & Co

19. Wooden playbox set

Don’t you love products that grow with your child? We do, and this is another one we highly recommend. 

Your child is going to love balancing on this perfectly dimensioned wooden play beam designed just for them. 

It’s challenging enough to help develop their gross motor skills but safe in elevation as they learn to navigate the beam. 

Image: All Circles

20. Balance Surf Board

The PlaySurfer is a hybrid balance board and surfboard designed to promote gross motor skills and imaginative play in children. 

Made from FSC Certified Birch Wood with stainless steel fasteners and a locally sourced hardwood roller, this product is built to last. 

The easy-to-clean furniture grade finishing ensures that the board remains in top condition for years to come.

Image: Guidecrafts

21. Notch block set

This awesome and unique block set will provide your child with endless building opportunities indoors and outdoors.

These blocks feature smooth sanded edges and notches that lock together allowing for big structures and endless building possibilities. 

With blocks of varying shapes and sizes, there is plenty to share with friends to encourage group participation.

More about Montessori wooden toys

Wooden Montessori developmental toys

Why are Montessori toys wooden? 

Montessori philosophy emphasizes natural materials to encourage children to respect the world around them.

Montessori wooden toys promote spatial awareness, problem-solving skills, creativity, and fine motor skills.

 

Are wooden toys safe for babies? 

Yes, wooden toys are better for babies because they are natural, non-toxic, and free of harmful chemicals that may be present in plastic toys. 

Wooden toys are also sturdier and less likely to break or pose a choking hazard to young children. 

One of the most popular Montessori wooden toys are educational wooden toy blocks. 

These blocks come in various shapes, sizes, and colors and are designed to promote spatial awareness, problem-solving skills, and creativity.

 

Benefits of Montessori wooden toys

Montessori wooden toys are designed to be open-ended. This allows children to use their imaginations and come up with their own ideas for play. 

Open-ended toys also allow for multiple ways of play, which means that children can continue to find new and creative ways to play with them as they grow.

 

Next steps

These are the best Montessori wooden toys from newborn to childhood. These toys will nurture your child’s development and help them become more independent.

Check out my article to learn what activities you can do to encourage independent play in your child.

About Leslie - Latinx Montessori

Hello, I am Leslie. I am on a mission to help you support the growth and development of your child. With the right tools and proper guidance, you can navigate parenthood with confidence and assertion! My goal is to equip you with knowledge to help you construct a strong foundation for your child’s life.

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