The 18 Best Montessori Toys For Early Learning (Arranged By Age)

What Are Considered Montessori Toys?

Common characteristics of Montessori toys:

Educational toys for child development
Made of natural materials, such as wooden toys
Usually plain and simple toys but beautifully made
Teaches one skill at a time
Based on the real world
Useful and practical
Designed for a certain age group
Independent, open-ended play

Why Are There No Plastic Toys In Montessori?

Founder Maria Montessori created the Montessori philosophy using materials from the real and natural world, such as wood. Plastics are synthetic materials that aren’t used in the traditional, purist Montessori method.

Montessori Classrooms & Home Playrooms

Montessori classrooms are designed for your child to learn through open-ended, independent play. You can do the same thing at home by creating intentional play spaces with different Montessori materials. Another option is to have a Montessori shelf with different toys that you change regularly.

Still, you don’t have to use 100% Montessori materials in your child’s playroom because many Montessori-inspired toys, such as those made of silicone, can still promote open-ended learning.

What Montessori Toys Are Good?

Examples Of Montessori Toys For Babies

High-contrast mobiles or flash cards
Peek-a-boo toys
Crinkle toys
Wooden rattles
Sensory toys (such as textured balls)
Egg with cup
Play gym
Baby-safe mirror
Pop-up toys
Push toys and walkers
Board books (some are made of wood)

Examples Of Montessori Toys For 1-Year-Olds

Object permanence box
Stackers (such as rings or cubes)
Lacing or bead-stringing toys
Shapes on pegs
Busy board
Cylinder blocks
Pikler triangle or other Montessori climbing toys
Wooden puzzles
Ball drops or race tracks
Nesting dolls
Realistic doll
Building block sets
Pull toys

Examples of Montessori Toys for 2-Year-Olds

Wooden rainbow stackers
Balance board
Realistic animal figurines
Tent
Toys for practical life skills, such as gardening tools or cleaning materials
Musical instruments

Examples Of Montessori Toys For 3-Year-Olds & Preschoolers

Counting boards
Learning tower
Other toys for practical life skills

When Should I Start Montessori Toys?

You can introduce Montessori toys to newborn babies.

Here’s a gift guide to some of the best Montessori toys you can pick for your little one.

The 18 Best Montessori Toys (By Age Group)

The Best Montessori Toys For Babies

Manhattan Toy Natural Classic Baby Beads (3+ months)

Pros & Best Features: Wood beads that can be manipulated into different configurations

Product Safety: Non-toxic, water-based finishes

Materials: Wood

Age Range: 3+ months

Educational Value: Sensory stimulation and fine motor skills

Extra Features: Elastic cord holds the wooden beads together

Certification: EN71 (European toy standard) and CPSIA (Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act) safety regulations

Made In: China, Vietnam, or Thailand

Product Recall: None

Cons: Requires adult supervision to avoid getting your baby’s fingers stuck or tangled with the strings

Customer Reviews:

“This is a great toy, for babies, kids, or adults. Really fascinating and intriguing.” – reviewer on Manhattan Toys

“After reading such positive reviews, I bought this for my baby for Christmas, now 8 months old and with teeth currently coming through, he still isn’t interested in this toy and neither is my 2-year-old.” – reviewer on Target

Plan Toys Roller (6+ months)

Pros & Best Features: Wooden roller toy

Product Safety: Organic pigments, formaldehyde-free glue, and water-based dyes

Materials: Chemical-free rubberwood

Age Range: 6+ months

Educational Value: Auditory and sight stimulation, tactile, and fine motor skills

Extra Features: Can also be used as a rattle

Certification: ASTM (American Society for Testing and Materials) and EN71

Made In: Thailand

Product Recall: None

Cons: Some complaints about the size

Customer Reviews:

“Easy take-along take along toy for tummy time.” – reviewer on Amazon

“This thing is tiiiiiny.” – reviewer on Amazon

Heirloom Kids US Montessori Collections (0-4 months)

Pros & Best Features: Montessori play set for babies

Product Safety: Non-toxic flaxseed oil or beeswax for staining

Materials: Wood and fabric

Age Range: 0-4 months

Educational Value: Reflexive grasp, focus, and early cognitive development

Extra Features: Includes teether

Certification: CPSC (U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission)

Made In: US

Product Recall: None

Cons: It can be pricey

Customer Reviews:

“These items are even nicer in person than in the pictures. My 2 month old loves the black and white cards.” – reviewer on ETSY

“Cute gift set, overpriced.” – reviewer on ETSY

Essential Montessori Egg With Cup (8-9 months)

Pros & Best Features: Egg and peg with cup set

Product Safety: Child-safe finish

Materials: Wood, olive oil, and beeswax

Age Range: 8-9 months

Educational Value: Logical thinking

Extra Features: Comes in a set

Certification: Not indicated

Made In: Worcester, MA

Product Recall: None

Cons: Some complaints about the design

Customer Reviews:

“Just as pictured! The egg and cup are perfect for my 8 month old to explore.” – reviewer on ETSY

“I wish the egg fit into the cup a bit better, it just rests on top, not really in.” – reviewer on ETSY

The Best Montessori Toys For Toddlers

The Best Montessori Toys For 1-Year-Olds

Montessori & Me Ball Tracker (1-2 years old)

Pros & Best Features: Open-rail, large ball tracker

Product Safety: 100% non-toxic and safe

Materials: Natural, sustainably sourced wood

Age Range: 1-2 years

Educational Value: Coordination, fine and gross motor planning, problem-solving, logical thinking, and concentration

Extra Features: Large, colorful balls

Certification: Not indicated

Made In: Not indicated

Product Recall: None

Cons: Can be pricey

Customer Reviews: None yet

HABA Rainbow Ring Wooden Baby Fidget Toy (6-18 months)

Pros & Best Features: Montessori-inspired rainbow ring clutching toy

Product Safety: Non-toxic water-based stain

Materials: Solid wood and elastic band

Age Range: 6-18 months

Educational Value: Fine motor skills

Extra Features: Changes to different configurations

Certification: PEFC (Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification)

Made In: Germany

Product Recall: None

Cons: Some complaints about quality

Customer Reviews:

“Colorful, well made, attractive to the infant, will last through year 5 I think.” – reviewer on HABA USA

“Pink Color loss after putting in mouth by a 6-month old baby.” – reviewer on HABA USA

Plan Toys Oval Xylophone (12+ months)

Pros & Best Features: Colorful xylophone with musical, oval-shaped wooden blocks

Product Safety: Free from formaldehyde and harmful chemicals

Materials: Rubberwood, formaldehyde-free glue, organic pigments, and water-based dyes

Age Range: 12+ months

Educational Value: Musical skills, hand-eye coordination, fine motor skills, and auditory perception

Extra Features: Includes a handle on the end of easy holding or grasping

Certification: ASTM and EN71

Made In: Thailand

Product Recall: None

Cons: Can be pricey

Customer Reviews:

“Solid and lovely little toy. Child loves it. Has been hit so many times and no issues at all.” – reviewer on Amazon

“Build quality and looks are great. But sound is awful. The notes are really our of tune. Baby doesn’t care but I do! I’ll probably buy another one.” – reviewer on Amazon

U+ME Kids Gardening Set (toddlers and older)

Pros & Best Features: Kid-sized gardening tools

Product Safety: Smooth, sturdy handles with safety edges on the metal parts

Materials: Wood and metal

Age Range: Toddlers and older

Educational Value: Practical life skills and motor skill development

Extra Features: Includes a fabric tote bag organizer

Certification: Rigorous third-party lab testing

Made In: China

Product Recall: None

Cons: Some complaints about the gardening tools being too small

Customer Reviews:

“Seriously amazing little STEM/Montessori set of gardening tools. It’s like LL Bean gardening tools for a toddler. My almost 2 year old used them to help plant our veggie garden and waters the plants wither the pitcher. The canvas bag is so sturdy and cute.” – reviewer on Amazon

“Purchased for my 4 year old grand child. I appreciated the green aspect of this purchase, and the set is very cute. But it was smaller than I hoped for, it needed something extra, I added a kids book about gardening.” – reviewer on Amazon

The Best Montessori Toys For 2-Year-Olds

Guidecraft Screw Block (2+ years old)

Pros & Best Features: Wooden screw block set

Product Safety: Lead-free and non-toxic

Materials: Rubberwood

Age Range: 2+ years old

Educational Value: Color matching and fine motor skills

Extra Features: Includes nylon interior rings to keep the screws in place

Certification: Passes rigorous tests

Made In: Thailand

Product Recall: None

Cons: Some complaints about the screws being too difficult to remove and the included screwdriver being awkward to use

Customer Reviews:

“My 2 year old loves playing with this and enjoys trying to turn the screws. She loves using the screwdriver (it came attached to the block already and pulls out with ease) it’s fun and gets her brain working. Sturdy and Montessori approved!” – reviewer on Amazon

“Not very impressed. I bought this for my 1.5 year old but it was too difficult for him to screw in. He’s very mechanically oriented but catched the threads proved difficult and he did not enjoy this.” – reviewer on Amazon

LOVEVERY The Enthusiast Play Kit (28-30 months)

Pros & Best Features: Montessori play kit for pattern recognition and spatial understanding

Product Safety: Free from heavy metals (lead) and phthalates

Materials: Wood, stainless steel, cardboard, and other child-safe materials

Age Range: 28-30 months

Educational Value: Early STEM learning, fine motor skills, learning basic shapes, peg-style shape sorter, and practical life skills

Extra Features: Includes a baby book and learning guide

Certification: Meets global regulatory safety standards

Made In: Asia

Product Recall: None

Cons: Can be pricey

Customer Reviews:

“I had been skeptical about spending the money on toys but it is completely worth it! Our little man loves it and is learning so much. We plan to homeschool and many of the items will be able to be used for that as well.” – reviewer on LOVEVERY

“I am extremely disappointed with the offering of the last kit that came our way. At 120usd for the kit plus courier it was almost 200$ yet what were inside the kit were neither creative nor different from what can easily be bought outside!! And if I were to buy each item individually it wld be way below the Kit’s price. In the past we got more wooden toys so I was okay becos wooden toys are expensive. But now we get MORE PLASTIC, even cardboard craft kits (less than 10$ for 1!) The quality of the last 2 kits are so disappointing and overcharged. I hope Lovevery will return to truly designing their toys and not be a copycats anymore.” – reviewer on LOVEVERY

Wonder & Wise Etched Blocks (18+ months)

Pros & Best Features: Montessori-inspired building blocks

Product Safety: Non-toxic; free from lead and other heavy metals, phthalates, PVC (polyvinyl chloride), BPA (bisphenol-A), BPS (bisphenol-S), and formaldehyde

Materials: Beechwood and non-toxic, water-based paint

Age Range: 18+ months

Educational Value: STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics), fine motor skills, and hand-eye coordination

Extra Features: Blocks include etchings of objects or animals from the real world

Certification: FSC certified (Forest Stewardship Council)

Made In: Not indicated

Product Recall: None

Cons: No reviews yet for potential customers to check others people’s experience with the product

Customer Reviews: None

The Best Montessori Preschool Toys

Q TOYS Natural Counting Board (3+ years old)

Pros & Best Features: Natural counting board for learning numbers

Product Safety: Non-toxic dyes and inks, no added formaldehyde, no known harmful phthalates, and lead-safe

Materials: Sustainably-sourced plantation timber

Age Range: 3+ years old

Educational Value: Counting and math skills

Extra Features: Tray in the middle of the board for storing the counting balls

Certification: Strictest global safety standards

Made In: Not indicated; Australian-based company (ships to the US and is available on Amazon)

Product Recall: None

Cons: Doesn’t include the wooden balls (but it can still be used without them)

Customer Reviews: None yet

Lewo Wooden Rainbow Stacker (3+ years old)

Pros & Best Features: Giant-sized rainbow stacker for little hands

Product Safety: Non-toxic wood with child-safe, water-based paint

Materials: Wood

Age Range: 3+ years old

Educational Value: Early engineering, problem-solving, gross motor skills, pretend play, creativity, size and shape recognition, and logical thinking

Extra Features: Includes six different stacking pieces

Certification: ASTM and CPSIA

Made In: China

Product Recall: None

Cons: Some complaints about quality

Customer Reviews:

“This quickly became a favorite toy for my toddler. The pieces are thicker and sturdier than I would have imagined and it has been fun watching my toddler find different ways to play with the pieces. Would definitely recommend.” – reviewer on Amazon

“Waste of money. I ordered this rainbow stacker in the hopes that it would be similar to the Grimm’s rainbow stacker. It sucked. The pieces of wood are not carved properly for stacking and the wood is painted not stained so they are slick and slide when you try to stack them. The pieces are too heavy. Spend the extra money on the Grimm’s rainbow. It’s well worth it. And yes this brand is made in China from who knows what. It looks cute but not fun to play with. You have been warned.” – reviewer on Amazon

Plan Toys 100 Counting Cubes – Unit Plus (3+ years)

Pros & Best Features: Counting cube and mosaic set

Product Safety: Free from formaldehyde and toxic chemicals

Materials: Chemical-free rubberwood and water-based dyes

Age Range: 3+ years

Educational Value: STEAM learning (science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics), hand-and-eye coordination, fine motor skills, and creativity

Extra Features: Includes colored play cards

Certification: ASTM and EN71

Made In: Thailand

Product Recall: None

Cons: Can be pricey; small pieces can be a choking risk to younger children

Customer Reviews: None yet

The Best Montessori Toys & Practical Equipment For Big Kids

Melissa & Doug Self-Correcting Alphabet Letter Puzzles (4+ years old)

Pros & Best Features: Self-correcting wood puzzles with realistic prints (animals and objects)

Product Safety: Child-safe, non-toxic paint; free from heavy metals (lead) and phthalates

Materials: Wood

Age Range: 4+ years old

Educational Value: Hands-on learning with realistic images

Extra Features: Includes wooden storage box

Certification: US (CPSIA), EU, and other safety standards

Made In: China (according to Amazon)

Product Recall: None

Cons: Can be bulky; some complaints about design issues (i.e., puzzles still fit with incorrectly matched pieces)

Customer Reviews:

“My 3 year is now able to identify all his letter and know what the beginning on each item/word begins with! So happy with this product.” – reviewer on Amazon

“Simple design but I was hoping they wouldn’t fit together for the wrong letters but a lot of them do.” – reviewer on Amazon

Piccalio Surfer Wooden Montessori Balance Board (12 months to 8 years)

Pros & Best Features: Versatile balance board and rocker

Product Safety: Free from toxic chemicals such as formaldehyde, lead, and VOCs (volatile organic compounds)

Materials: Wood

Age Range: 6 months to 6 years; up to 132 lbs

Educational Value: Gross motor skills, grip strength, imaginative play, independent play, and self-confidence

Extra Features: Folds up for easy storage

Certification: FSC certified, Prop65 (California Proposition 65 for cancer-causing chemicals), ASTM, and the FDA (Food and Drug Administration)

Made In: Designed in Venice Beach, California; built in small factories in Asia and Europe

Product Recall: None

Cons: Can be pricey

Customer Reviews:

“Such a fun toy, children love it! The board is very sturdy and adults can use it too which is great. Wood is beautiful and very high quality.” – reviewer on Piccalio

“This is well made, but is hardly protected during shipping and came damaged bc of it.” – reviewer on Piccalio

MerryHeartWoodenToy Wooden Rainbow Multiplication Board (older kids)

Pros & Best Features: Wooden multiplication board and block set

Product Safety: Water-based paint

Materials: Beechwood

Age Range: Older kids (grade school) learning multiplication

Educational Value: Math skills

Extra Features: Colorful and coordinated blocks

Certification: Not indicated

Made In: Not indicated

Product Recall: None

Cons: Some complaints about the size

Customer Reviews:

“Super clever and beautiful. Our 6 year old has been wanting a multiplication table and of course loves it!” – reviewer on ETSY

“The color are really nice but the size of the board is too small.” – reviewer on ETSY

CLiCQUES Rainbow Boys Wooden Figurines (5+ years)

Pros & Best Features: Handcrafted, Montessori-inspired wooden figurines for young children

Product Safety: Non-toxic; free from lead or other heavy metals, PVC, BPA, BPS, phthalates, and formaldehyde

Materials: European Hornbeam wood and non-toxic, water-based paint

Age Range: 5+ years old

Educational Value: Practical life skills (learning about cleaning), motor development, social learning skills, and imaginative role-play

Extra Features: Includes magnets to let your child switch up the outfits on the wooden dolls

Certification: EN71 and FSC

Made In: Austria

Product Recall: None

Cons: Can be pricey; contains small parts that can be choking risks to younger kids