10 Best Montessori Toys Reviewed in 2024
Stacey Joseph
Borncute
You may have heard of Montessori toys but never knew exactly what they have to offer kids for mental or physical stimulation. As a group of playthings, Montessori items are typically appealing to the mind and the hands in almost equal proportions. The materials each one is made of feels good in the hands and can develop the physical attributes of the fingers and motor functions.
Mentally, these toys work the mind in ways that other playthings may not. These typically are brightly colored and might contain numbers and letters. Sorting, organizing, and matching are 3 of the usual activities that kids will pick up on instantly when they see a Montessori toy. We have ranked the best Montessori toys for you according to the important criteria of design, materials, educational value, and physical development. Learning can be exceptionally fun with these outstanding toys!
In a Hurry? The test winner after 40 hrs of research
Comes with an eBook
Pegs are oversized
Drawstring bag for storage
Free of phthalates, lead, and BPA
10 Best Montessori Toys Reviewed
1. Skoolzy Peg Board Set
Comes with an eBook
Pegs are oversized
Drawstring bag for storage
Free of phthalates, lead, and BPA
Foam base is not heavy enough to stay in place
The Skoolzy Peg Board Set has more than 1,200 reviews online from mostly excited customers that speak positively about these incredible colorful pegs and pegboards. It is the #17 Stacking & Sorting Toy on Amazon listing out of all the similar toys that are offered there. So many activities and games can be played with these simple Montessori toys. Small children can handle them well since they are oversized.
Read moreDesign
There are 30 colorful pegs for lacing and a soft foam pegboard for the activities performed. The dice has differently colored sides for the games. It is best for those aged 18 months old to 4 years old.
Materials
The pegboard is made of durable foam material, and the pegs are oversized to fit in tiny hands well. It comes with a drawstring bag to put all the pieces in to keep them together and neat. The entire set is free of phthalates, lead, and BPA to be non-toxic and safe.
Educational Value
Ideal for toddlers, this Montessori item comes with an eBook full of games and ideas. It increases and develops visual coordination, visual perception, and hand-eye coordination for anyone who handles the pegs. This beautiful toy makes a wonderful toy for autism, down syndrome, special needs, OT, and even adults with Alzheimer’s, stroke, and Parkinson’s.
Physical Development
Practice with stacking and sorting includes 6 colors with the 30 pegs. The various colors can be matched and nested together, and building towers is easy with the large pegs. Besides fine motor abilities, users will gain talents in patterning, color sorting, and basic math abilities such as graphing, subtraction, adding, and counting.
2. Melissa & Doug Pattern Blocks & Boards
120 different shapes and 5 picture boards
Problem-solving, coordination, and spatial awareness
For counting, color patterns, and linear designs
Boards are double-sided
The box could use a lid for storing
This Pattern Blocks and Board from Melissa & Doug has 6 different colors on the 120 pieces and the 5 picture boards for building. Kids will build some vital abilities as they play with Montessori toys. Just looking at the photos online, you cannot see the huge value in this building set. Just put the correct colored piece in the right shape on the board in the precise place.
Read moreDesign
This is an exciting set of shaped blocks in wood that could keep small children so busy each day. Once they have worked all of the available puzzles, then working them, again and again, is still just as fun. There are 120 different shapes and 5 picture boards.
Materials
The boards are double-sided to give twice as many pictures for the child or adult to duplicate. This puzzle-like toy is ideal for boys aged 3 to 6 and it is also for girls. Once kids get the hang of this smart game, they will want to play with it all the time.
Educational Value
Building problem solving, hand-eye coordination, and spatial awareness abilities in users of these blocks and boards, this excellent toy is designed in such a way that you cannot help but enjoy it and learn at least something each day.
Physical Development
The point of the toy is to assemble the colored pieces on the boards to duplicate the pictures depicted Use it for counting, color patterns, and linear designs to enhance the child’s or adult’s learning.
3. Skoolzy Lacing Beads
Comes with an eBook
Made of a BPA non-toxic material
Pieces are chunky and large
Colorful and eye-catching toy
End of lacing string could be stronger
The Skoolzy Lacing Beads are big colorful plastic Montessori toys that can be sorted, counted, and laced on the included strings for all sorts of projects and activities. Both babies and toddlers will be attracted to these incredibly colorful beads and want to handle them. Learning colors and shapes with these chunky pieces is fun and exciting. Lessons in sorting and organizing can be advanced activities along with stringing them up.
Read moreDesign
Included in this playset are 36 beads for stringing, 4 strings, and a handy travel bag. It is best for girls aged 2-years-old as for the boys and older as a toy for anywhere. It makes a superior travel toy since it is highly portable.
Materials
Made of a BPA non-toxic hard plastic material that is durable and safe, the pieces are chunky and large. That makes them simple for tiny hands to grab and hold. They are also quite colorful and eye-appealing for this age set.
Educational Value
This exciting set comes with an eBook for preschool activities. Kids can make necklaces with the lacing pieces once they realize what the holes in each part is for. Besides lacing, the beads can be sorted by their color or their shape.
Physical Development
Little ones can develop their fine motor talents, coordination, and dexterity. It is colorful and eye-catching to hold a child’s attention for long periods. With such an intriguing toy, kids will be eager to play longer and learn more.
4. Skoolzy Nuts and Bolts
Includes 24 pieces
Activity download and a backpack
6 various colors and 4 shapes
Cleanup is easy and quick
Some buyers received a few non-matching pieces
Most toddlers and infants love to put things in order either by shape or color which is the whole idea of this Montessori toy called Nuts and Bolts from Skoolzy. This matching game will have your child so involved in putting the bolts and nuts together by the different shapes or rainbow of colors for hours. You can help them practice their skills by interacting with them in their decision-making.
Read moreDesign
Ideal for trips to the doctor or relatives’ homes, this wonderful matching game contains 6 various colors and shapes that are very different. It is perfect for 3-year-olds and up with the bolt and nuts pieces that can be screwed together once they are paired by either color or shape or none at all.
Materials
Included are 24 pieces that are washable for the best cleanliness. They are also free of phthalates, BPA, and lead, so as a group of toy pieces, this assortment is great for sets of kids or even nurseries with many kids.
Educational Value
Toddlers and babies will learn spatial and math reasoning by simply interacting with this exceptional toy. It has a nature of self-correction that is perfect as Montessori learning material. Good for shape sorting, pairing, color recognition, coordination, and dexterity, these Montessori toys should have a place in your child’s life.
Physical Development
It comes with an activity download and a backpack to make the learning fun even better. Cleanup is easy and quick because the pieces are large and plastic. This terrific set comes with a backpack with a drawstring is for storing and carrying pieces around.
5. Animals Jigsaw Puzzle
Iron box with 60 cards and 36 pieces
Made of wood
Well-crafted and non-toxic
Spatial awareness and problem-solving
Could use more pieces for more kids to play together
Using this Wooden Jigsaw Puzzle of Patterns, Blocks, and Animals is a fabulous way for toddlers and little kids to make colorful and exciting designs with oddly shaped pieces. Kids can either use the prompt cards for ideas of what to create or makeup assortments of their own. They will learn to experiment on their own with the given possible pieces. The sky and their imagination are the limits for how far the fun can be taken.
Read moreDesign
Perfect for the activities or stacking and sorting, this plaything contains interesting pieces that form a fun and comical vehicles, animals, and other designs. It is #10 in Amazon’s Stacking & Sorting Toy category. Included is an iron box with 60 cards for designs and 36 various shaped pieces.
Materials
The odd pieces are made of wood for a texturing exercise as well to be a well-crafted and non-toxic Montessori toy. Accidental swallowing of large parts is prevented by the size and strange shapes. The pieces can be picked up, rearranged, slid, and placed easily because of their huge size.
Educational Value
Those 3 and older will love this Montessori toy as a spatial awareness plaything good for focusing on fun learning. The cards show ideas of what to create and can also be used as flashcards for discovering valuable sight words.
Physical Development
It develops problem-solving, coordination, motor skills, recognition of shapes and colors, and coordination of hands and eyes in little kids and toddlers at a very early age. They will love the hours of fun and learning that this hands-on item can provide.
6. Jumbo Counting Bears Stacking Cups
eBook for activities
Large zippered case for storage
Cups can be baking cups for cupcakes
Washable and free of BPA and latex
Can be disappointing in size
Enjoyable exercise with grasping, picking up, and releasing is given with this Jumbo Counting Bears with Stacking Cups toy. It is interactive fun that is hands-on and so colorful. This exploded rainbow of stunning bears will be hard for anyone to put down. The size and colors of the many bears are perfect for kids to grab and begin organizing immediately.
Read moreDesign
Promoting sorting, matching, and counting, this adorable set of rainbow bears and cups is the perfect sensory toy and memory game for toddlers. Each color of the bear fits nicely into the corresponding color of the stacking cup. It comes with a large zippered case that holds all the pieces and cups well for ages 3 and up.
Materials
The fun cups are made of silicone and can be used as baking cups for cupcakes. The recipe for rainbow cupcakes is given in the activities section of the eBook. The adorable bears are washable and free of BPA and latex since they are made of durable plastic.
Educational Value
Great for visual perception with 54 manipulatives of math, this model stimulates essential learning. Since the little bears are so bright and interesting, this Montessori toys set is as beneficial to gaining knowledge as it is colorful and vivid.
Physical Development
The placement and movement of the cute bears make the child focus on gravity, coordination, and balance. It develops motor abilities and comes with an eBook for activities. The fun does not stop with just counting and sorting with this Montessori plaything.
7. Phonetic Reading Blocks
Wooden material is eco-friendly
Builds reading self-confidence
Words rhyme and are phonetic
D’nealian print in red and blue
Can be smaller than expected
As many as 80 words can be discovered with the durable and sturdy blocks of wood that are the Original Phonetic Reading Blocks. Discoveries in letter combination can be explored easily with these incredible blocks linked together on spindles. Challenge your little one to create words, read them, and use them in sentences for the best practice.
Read moreDesign
Great for the child reader just beginning and those kids in the age range of 3 to 6, these reading blocks are unique and marvelous. Plenty of essential words can be discovered by simply twisting the blocks of letters.
Materials
The wooden material of these Montessori toys is eco-friendly since it comes from maple wood that is sustainably harvested. Each piece is handmade in a home-based business and features D’nealian print in red and blue. The vowels are in blue and the consonants are colored red for distinguishing them easily.
Educational Value
Ideal for toddlers and kindergarteners, this hands-on plaything builds self-confidence. It shows how to blend sounds and make them into real words. The words created actually rhyme and are phonetic. Kids can read the matching words in succession to participate in an entertaining exercise.
Physical Development
This incredible toy makes reading much easier for beginners with the fun and challenging twisting blocks. Terrific for small hands to manipulate, just the pleasing movement of the squares will encourage toddlers to read the combined letters.
8. Wooden Tetris Puzzle
A wooden puzzle in Tetris form
40 pieces and the wooden frame
Natural basswood with smooth surfaces
Contains no lead, plastic, or toxins
Some people did not like the quality of the toy
The Coogam Wooden Tetris Puzzle is an intelligent game for kids and a fidget item for adults that are vividly colored and hard to put down. Having just simple pieces in different shapes, it is quite a challenge to fit all the pieces into the frame perfectly as well as to make up cute and exciting patterns with them separately. Both adults and children love this game for its fascinating aspects.
Read moreDesign
As a Tangram toy or jigsaw, this wooden puzzle in Tetris form is a fantastic relaxing toy for calming kids. Best for 3-year-olds and older, it contains 40 pieces and the wooden frame in a simple yet mind-blowing toy.
Materials
Constructed of healthy and natural basswood with smooth surfaces, this fabulous child’s toy contains no lead, plastic, or harmful toxins. The wood is high quality and safe and so are the non-toxic paints used.
Educational Value
This colorful Russian game of blocks comes with some suggestions for patterns, but it is more fun to make up your own. It promotes creativity and focus of mental capabilities, plus develops shape and color recognition along with coordination of hands and eyes.
Physical Development
The board is a good size for small hands. The colorful pieces give practice for artistic sensibility, analysis and counting, and fine motor talents. Place all the pieces in the frame for a challenging puzzle or use the parts to create objects, animals, and fun designs without it.
9. Wooden Hundred Board
Easy to grab pieces
All numbers in consecutive order from 1 to 100
Safe, lightweight. Smooth, and polished pieces
Digital card and cloth bag for the 100 numbers
Pieces may be on the thin side
Children can distinguish between even and odd numbers with this Wooden Hundred Board that is amazing for learning addition, subtraction, division, and multiplication also. Kids will be busy with this exceptional plaything for hours as they organize and sort through the 100 wood pieces. Placing these Montessori toys in the frame in numerical order is a fun puzzle that will build their counting talents.
Read moreDesign
Containing the numbers of 1 to 100 and a sturdy frame, this Montessori toy is used to teach the numbers in consecutive order from 1 to 100. It can be used for home school, nurseries, or schools and is portable to permit bringing it almost anywhere for fun.
Materials
The board and pieces are comprised of a top-quality wood that is safe, lightweight, smooth, and polished. The wood material provides hands-on experience with a genuine feel of the individual pieces for an enhanced learning experience.
Educational Value
You get a small cloth bag for storing the numbered pieces to keep them all in one place and from being scattered all over the place. Infants need to be monitored when playing with this item since the parts are on the small size. It comes with a digital card to help kids with the order of the 100 numbers.
Physical Development
Good for toddlers with the easy to grab pieces, this unique game is perfect for those 3 and older. Besides counting in succession, it can be used for exciting domino games and fill-in-the-blank numbers in the frame.
10. Wooden Lacing Apple
Perfect travel toy with no loose pieces
Teaches sewing and lacing skills
Durable, safe, and wear-resistant
Healthy and natural wood material
Paint can chip off if dropped repeatedly
As a travel toy for toddlers and infants, the Wooden Lacing Apple Threading Toy is safe and simple since it has no loose pieces and is small for hand-holding. Even small babies can grab this lovely apple and the little green worm that is the threading tool. The threading fun will never end as the child can wind the thread in and out of the spaces and then unwind it again.
Read moreDesign
In the shape and design of a wooden apple with a green worm for the threader of the thick cord, this amazing apple toy is good for families, nurseries, and schools as a happy activity. It also makes a perfect travel toy since it is void of any loose pieces that could become lost.
Materials
Small enough to be comfortably held by even a baby, it is made of healthy and natural wood material. there are no worries of the child being able to swallow any of the parts. This plaything is durable, safe, and wear-resistant.
Educational Value
It is an inviting and challenging activity that can be played over and over with winding and unwinding of the sturdy cord. This cute apple and worm advance the coordination of the hands and eyes and the imagination when it is put into play.
Physical Development
Enhancing sewing and lacing skills, children will exercise their fine motor abilities easily in just manipulating the two pieces and the string. It is best started at the young age of 18 months old to be the most effective and useful.
Criteria Used for Evaluation
Design
Made to be beneficial to the child on several levels, these best Montessori toys are perfect for toddlers, little kids, and even infants. The large pieces that are usually a rainbow of colors appeal to children, so they can begin learning the ideals that the objects have to offer them. Important at these ages are colors, shapes, patterns, letters, and numbers.
Since the pieces of the toys are pleasing to the eye, kids will immediately pick them up and begin exploring the purpose of the items. Counting, sorting, and organizing based on some sort of system incorporated into the toy or one the child uses on their own occurs almost automatically without instruction. Parents can watch this amazing transformation by simply giving the child the toy and stepping back. They will take it from there often with just minimal instruction periodically.
Materials
The best Montessori toys must be appealing to the hands too. They are usually constructed of wood or hard plastic that feels good in the hands as the object is being used. This gives a complete feeling for the toy in that it connects the mind and body in experiencing its features. Since the toys are made of these sturdier materials, they generally tend to last a lot longer too than regular playthings of cheaper materials.
Most of the products in this guide are made of wood to be strong and vital for hands-on learning. Though it is not a requirement of a Montessori item, the majority of these toys we spotlight make terrific travel playthings that can be taken almost anywhere. Never let a child sit idle without some sort of educational toy to keep their mind active.
Educational Value
Learning does not have to be boring and dull which is quite apparent looking at this wonderful assortment of toys. As the child discovers the many pieces of these items, they will be learning and developing their brains and physical aspects. The simplest movements will take calculated thought on the part of the child to organize, sort, and categorize the parts of the toy.
For example, the counting bears and stacking cups item featured seems like a plaything that would not take much mental work for the kid to do. On the contrary, to sort the bears into the cups according to color and possibly count them at the same time takes great mental capacity. We do so many things on a daily basis that may appear to be simple, but they indeed take much brain activity to execute. Such toys as these start those thinking processes early.
Physical Development
Hands-on items give the child plenty of chances for achieving physical skills. All of them promote motor abilities both gross and fine with the smaller and more intricate pieces. Larger parts are best for younger ages to grab and hold to get practice with their hand development. Dexterity of fingers and hand-eye coordination are important talents that are learned in the infant and toddler stages with such toys.
The simple act of moving items from one place to another may seem simple and non-challenging, but for such youngsters, it is a process of mental and physical advancement with huge benefits. You will notice that each one of these incredible playthings is eye-appealing with bright colors, fascinating shapes, and pleasing textures to be attractive to kids.
Design Materials Educational Value Physical Development 
The aspects of a Montessori toy are ones that entice them to experiment and stimulate the learning process. These items develop the motor skills and are physical toys that have the hands-on appeal of the materials used. They promote independent discovery and learning and enhance creativity and imagination.
The best age to begin infants with Montessori-type playthings is as early as 18-months-old. Especially if the pieces of the toy do not pose a swallowing hazard, it is advised to begin early for the best educational results.
Other Factors to Consider
Creativity
Since these playthings offer plenty of opportunities for learning and discovery, the child playing with them will get to exercise their own creativity most of the time. Montessori items give kids the tools to use for their vivid imaginations and ideas along with some hints to get them started.
After children get the hang of the toy’s focus, they will branch off on their own and begin creating more elaborate or completely different objects and designs. A person’s imagination must be worked early in life to progress and expand for mental development. You will notice that each one of these playthings leaves the door open for this creative process to occur naturally.
Age Range
Montessori toys are best for the smallest of kids to develop the necessary skills and experiences needed for proper mental and physical abilities. You can begin your child with any of these items as early as you wish, but the most beneficial years are going to be at the age of 3 and older. This age is interested in putting items into categories and stacks according to a feature that they are aware of.
This can be color, shape, size, or pattern. You will be surprised at how aware toddlers are of these particular aspects. A good idea is to simply present the toy to your little one and watch what they do on their own. Right away kids will pick up pieces randomly at first but then there will be some sort of order or method they will use to play with the pieces.
Frequently Asked Questions
q: How long into the child’s life should these toys be used?
Kids will typically become disinterested in toys as they advance beyond the principles they can teach. So, basically, when they become bored with it, they will stop using the item on their own. Until that point, it does not hurt to keep the playthings around that they can still reap some benefit or enjoyment from. This will most likely happen around the age of 6 or 7 but is not a set rule.
q: Should kids play with these toys on their own or with others?
Since most of the items listed are geared towards individual learning, it is advisable for the child to use them alone. Parents can start children off in the right direction of discovering how to play with the pieces, but the kid will gain more knowledge by themselves in play.
q: What is the point of the toys being made of wood or similar textures mostly?
The more durable materials give these special toys the sturdiness they have and the distinction of being Montessori items. It is important that the child receives positive physical contact with the items they play with as well as mental skills too.
q: What activities can be accomplished with this kind of plaything?
While the many types of Montessori playthings are widely different, they all tend to be heavily concentrated with the possibilities of organizing, sorting, and matching. Some just involve one simple action such as the threading apple for infants featured here.
q: Can mentally challenged adults use these toys also to help them mentally focus?
Yes, most certainly. These excellent toys are positive items that can benefit a wide range of ages and mental states. Older adults love the colors, shapes, and sizes of the pieces to hold and manipulate.
q: What do most online customers complain about when reviewing these toys?
Since the size of the pieces or complete items might not be emphasized in the product descriptions, the size of the product is often a disappointment for buyers. They usually think that the item will be much larger than it really is. Keep in mind that these toys are for very small children, so they must be on the small side to be useful.
Sources
- , Five Tips For The Montessori Beginner, Online Article
- , 12 Montessori Toys to Help Your Child Learn Through Play, Online Article
