Looking for nice playthings, people usually pay attention to their functions and visual looks. Toys that are suitable especially for Montessori pedagogy are different. It’s because of their original characteristics, which allow families to follow Montessori methodology.
What is a Montessori toy?
There’re several features that every Montessori plaything has. They are as follows:
- For the right and active development of kids, there’s no need to have toys with dozens of bells or lights. The Montessori community is sure that when playthings are simple in their nature, they motivate children for more active exploration. For them, such toys don’t become passive entertainment. The thing is what a kid can do with this plaything, not what this toy can do. Besides, unlike numerous flashy toys, Montessori ones won’t over-stimulate a child.
- Such playthings are closer to real life; they are not based on fantasy. And still, you can easily develop imagination with these things, while modern bright and unreal objects tend to develop only fantasy. As a result, there’s nothing helpful or relevant kids can learn about our world.
- Despite all the described features, Montessori playthings are still nice and pleasant to the eye. At the same time, kids are not forced to be interested in them, they get naturally attracted.
- They look natural and beautiful. They don’t offer fleshy colors or lots of plastic. Such toys are made of natural materials, especially wood. The key aim of such a choice is to make children closer to nature. Thus, wooden objects give a sort of association with the outside world and make kids familiar with it. Thus, they can also understand how things can get broken in the real world because natural materials are more delicate than man-made ones. All playthings have pleasant and mild colors; they might have a natural wood color or different hints, which are not too bright and still very pleasant to look at.
- Multiple ways of usage. In comparison to many modern things, which have a limited number of functions, Montessori toys might be used for numerous aims. The possibilities with them are limitless, which allows developing imagination, creativity, and desire for exploration. Besides, such playthings are proven to help preschoolers and toddlers process their emotions and deal with various stresses. This fact in general has a positive impact on their development.
It’s also important to mention that it’s not recommended to give a kid access to a wide set of toys. A child should be able to concentrate and explore. It’s much better to limit the number of Montessori playthings and replace them from time to time, thus, organizing a natural educational environment.
Montessori playthings can be used for various purposes, including:
- The improvement of hand-eye coordination
- The development of high motor skills
- The encouragement of exploration
- The stimulation of learning
- The enhancement of spatial awareness
- The improvement of problem-solving skills
- The development of emotional and social intelligence
- The development of imagination and creativity.
According to the study by Frontiers in Education in 2021, Montessori education allows raising adults with better well-being in terms of social trust, self-confidence, and engagement.
Material Montessori playthings are made of
The majority of Montessori toys are made of wood. The specific type of it doesn’t actually matter. Many manufacturers use maple, rubber, pine, cedar, and birch because they are hard, heavy, and nice. There’re several reasons to choose wood:
- It’s durable and suitable for repetitive learning
- It demonstrates the beauty of a natural material
- It’s ecologically friendly and safe
- It’s more visually attractive due to its texture, scent, and other characteristics
- It provokes deeper sensory exploration and tactile stimulation
- It gives an opportunity to get different experiences and organize various lessons.
Such playthings are diverse. They come in different weights, densities, and sizes. Besides, there’re variations for different age groups.
Types of montessori toys
There exist numerous varieties of such toys. Let’s look at the most popular and effective ones for infants:
- They include sets of figures with different contours and sizes. Each one has its unique shape to allow a child to experiment. Thus, matching skills can be successfully developed. One of the examples is alphabet puzzles.
- It’s the most common and well-known plaything. It’s exciting due to the opportunity to learn and have fun at the same time. The toys are represented by sets of various blocks of different colors and shapes. It’s a nice choice for the motor skills development. Besides, a pyramid makes a kid develop coordination and a logical mind.
- Geometric figures. Here, various shapes and colors might be found in order to give kids a chance to explore the world and experiment. Children can make diverse constructions with such blocks while gaining knowledge about different figures, which they will see in the real world. Such games will improve recognition skills and teach kids to classify objects.
- For the smallest ones, various sorts of rattles are presented in the collection of Montessori playthings. There’re maracas, rings, bell rattles & rollers, and many other varieties of toys for toddlers to start the development of your little one from the first days of life.
How to choose?
There’re a few recommendations that will help select the best plaything for your children:
- Pay attention to the safety issues. The toys should be tested and proven to be safe. Choose only reliable distributors.
- Choose products suitable for the age of your kid. Pay attention to the development of a child because each of them is unique. Take interests and hobbies into consideration when choosing a toy.
- Pay attention to the purposes a toy might be used for. It’s nice when it might be used in different ways so that helping your child develop several skills.
- Prefer simple design. The more simple a toy is, the more desire for exploration your kid will have.
Observe the catalog of our Wooly Fox store to find the best toys for Montessori methodology and develop your child in a natural and effective way!