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Montessori Toys For 1 Year Olds
This is the ultimate list for a well-rounded day of intentional play for your baby! As the owner of a Montessori-inspired Playschool, who’s been working with babies and toddlers for almost a decade, I can tell you that the simple, functional Montessori toys for 1 year olds I am going to share with you today, will engage your toddler, grow with them, and become daily favorites!
Not all of these are traditional Montessori toys however, I will break down how we use them so that you see how they fit into the function and purpose of the Montessori approach.
It’s important to nurture your child’s physical, emotional, and educational needs, and this well-rounded list will have many items to suit your developing child’s interests, daily life, and developmental needs!
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1. Wooden Shape Sorter Box
WaysTThis is an absolute favorite for all the babies and toddlers I have worked with.
They go back to it multiple times a day!
As your baby is really exploring how things work, this sorter box gives them just enough of a challenge with matching the shapes and sliding the top open to do it over again and again.
Wonderful for gross motor skill development, problem solving, memory and focus.
I love how this toy is a daily go to for the young toddlers, but it can also grow with the older toddlers, too. We continue to use this sorter with my 2-4 year olds for color matching, counting, Spanish words practice, and more!
2. Foldable Climber With Slide Board
Aw, the quintessential montessori toy for 1 year olds and beyond (or younger too!) This climber is a wonderful and beautiful addition to the playroom, offering movement, balance practice, coordination practice, and more! (Did you know movement is a great way for toddlers to regulate their emotions?)
All the babies and toddlers love this one, from crawlers to 5 year olds! The children here at my Playschool use the climber daily – sometimes they throw a blanket over it to make it a fort, sometimes they climb up and jump down onto bean bags, and other times they play ‘rescue team’, where some climb to the top and pull the others up.
Lots of years can be spent playing with this climber!
3. Instrument Set
This instrument bundle is a wonderful Montessori toy for 1 year olds! Your child will be able to use and love this for many, many years.
Montessori activities typically focus on one skill at a time, and are placed in wooden trays for easy transportation for the child, to and from the shelf where they belong. Rotating toys on that shelf is common practice. This keeps things organized and fresh for your child.
For this musical instrument set, you have lots of opportunity to set out a single instrument or an instrument set for your child to bang on, blow into, dance around with and build their skills with.
All the babies and toddlers LOVE LOVE LOVE music time here!
Unlike traditional Montessori setup, I have the music items placed up on a shelf only I can reach and we have designated times when everyone is free to use and choose what they’d like. I do this because I have a mix of ages in one setting, which means sometimes a baby is sleeping. So, I do need to monitor noise a few times throughout the day to make sure everyone can sleep.
If you have a baby and a toddler at home, this is a great way to allow for music time they love, while also accommodating baby’s needs. Maybe you have music time at 11am or 3pm, when everyone is awake.
4. Mini Easy Grip Dustpan Set
This affirmation coloring book for kids will empower, uplift, and motivate your toddler to dwell in and celebrate all of their greatness!
Building self-esteem and a solid sense of self are key factors to having a child who grows to be confident, determined, proud of themselves, think good things about themselves, love themselves – SO many of the important things for a thriving life!
Filled with a collection of doodles and beloved images, your toddler is sure to love spotting what’s on each page, reading the empowering words together, and coloring this book!
Cheers to creativity, self-love, and positive affirmations!
(Do I seem a little excited about this one? It’s because I created it! Haha, it’s truly a wonderful dream come true to put something like this out in the world!) Check out my toddler potty book and mom stress relief coloring book, too.
5. Knob Puzzles
Knob puzzles like this make excellent Montessori toys for 1 year olds because they help with gripping the pieces, so the toddler can focus on matching the shapes and colors.
In Montessori, we aim to curate activities that meet children where they are – not too easy and not too hard – avoiding unnecessary frustrations, and allowing for focus so they can complete and master.
Too tiny of puzzle pieces can be a choking hazard and too difficult to handle, depending on their pinching and gripping skills, so a puzzle like this is perfect.
Likewise, it can grow with them! After they learn how to place them, they can begin to learn the names of them and so forth. I still use ours with our 3 and 4 year olds for spelling and reading practice, practicing colors in Spanish, and more!
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6. Sit & Spin
Movement is so important whether a child is in or outdoors, being read to or taking a break from playing with others! Movement is medicine.
This is Montessori toy is another toddler favorite! It’s so cute to see them check it out, see how it works, and slowly build up the coordination to spin on it.
My older toddlers who are the busier bodies, love to use this during story time, music time, dance parties, and free play.
Such a great toy to get those wiggles out and have some fun!
7. stacking & Sorting Train Set
Many families have stacking rings in their home. This uses those same skills your child has mastered, and takes it to the next level!
This sorting and stacking train is a wonderful Montessori toy for 1 year olds, that offers hand-eye coordination, problem solving, creativity and movement!
And in case you didn’t already know – with girls and boys, trains are always a favorite toy!
8. Coin & Ball Drop
So simple and such a favorite! Most of the babies, from as early as when they start to sit and control their arms and hands, until up to 4+ years old, really love this toy. Not a day goes by that someone isn’t using it multiple times a day.
A wonderful Montessori toy for hand-eye coordination, motor skill development, and learning about object permanence!
Sometimes, with the older toddlers, we use the coins to count or match colors, in addition to dropping them in. A few of the kids like to line them all up, or place them in a little purse like real money, or put them on the eyes of teddy bears, haha! Never without imagination these little humans, that’s for sure!
9. Emotions Card Set With Real Faces
Helping toddlers become mindful and aware of their feelings and actions, is a big focus here at my Playschool, as it helps them so much in the now and forever in the future. This is my favorite book for teaching emotions to toddlers.
I learned early on, how describing what feelings were, and how those feelings drove behaviors, really helped in shaping more positive behaviors from toddlers, and created a calmer, more connected adult-child dynamic.
In my list of Montessori toys for 3 year olds, I included a ‘see my feelings mirror’, where they can see their own face and mimic the emotions on the cards.
We keep these in our peace corner and read our emotions book daily.
If you haven’t heard of a peace corner, I cannot recommend enough that you read more about what it is and it’s intended use. I highly recommend it for every household, especially with toddlers. You’ll find it’s such a beautiful addition to your home that is teaching your child how to understand and manage their natural feelings in a healthy way.
The Montessori Toddler is a great book to pick up to learn more about all things Montessori, if you’re looking to dive deeper and create a calmer, more connected home.
10. Large Figurine Set with Book
These realistic animal figurines with corresponding book of descriptions, is a great Montessori toy for 1 year olds!
In today’s mainstream toy selection, it can be hard to find things that are realistic and life-like, like these.
This figurine set will be loved, are easy to include in all sorts of learning, and will hold up for years!
11. Baby’s First Balance Bike
This ‘my first balance bike’ is an exciting and practical Montessori gift for 1 year olds!
Encouraging movement and balance, they will be well on their way to riding a bike independently with less tears and fears!
The toddlers here love to use this in and outside, even on walks. Using a balance bike is the most natural way for a toddler to learn and practice balance on their own and they really enjoy having the control as they learn.
It’s really fun and cute to watch them just begin exploring how to use it. Soon, their skills are sharpened and they have mastered it, and are zooming around the house or neighborhood!
12. Pound & Roll Ball Drop
A wonderful, intentional Montessori toy for 1 year olds! This toy encourages movement, hand-eye coordination, and teaches cause and effect.
I’ve found that this can easily grow with a toddler as well because you can expand with it and practice counting, sorting, color recognition, and more with the materials!
I notice that many of the toddlers really enjoy watching the balls go down the track, visually soothing!
13. Rainbow Ribbon Sensory Rings
This simple toy is magic for toddlers! They love to run with them, feel the soft ribbons, they’re beautiful to look at and are completely open-ended.
We use ours inside and outside, during dancing time, music time, when they are building forts (at the front door of the fort), when they are playing chase, and more!
A wonderful Montessori toy for 1 year olds that will grow with them and encourage movement and creativity along the way.
14. Alphabet & Number Felt Board
One of my absolute favorites! And the toddlers love it, too!
This is a fantastic language development toy that is hands on, sensory, and engaging.
1 year olds love sorting the letters, placing them on the felt, pulling them off – over and over!
This Montessori toy for 1 year olds easily grows with your toddler as they begin to recognize more letters, match letters, practice letter sounds, and form words.
I love that this has upper and lowercase letters, as many toddlers entering school aren’t familiar with lowercase, since many mainstream toys only have uppercase letters.
15. Suction Cup Balls
Definitely not on your traditional Montessori toys for 1 year old lists BUT, they function so well as a sensory toy that captures a toddler’s attention and has them building the strength in their hands by pulling and placing this on a surface.
Some toddlers think it is so funny when they hear that pop from the suction releasing! Very cute. It takes focus and keeps their attention, which is key in a Montessori setting.
Soon, they master how to get the suction, how to pull it off the first time, and how to throw it so it sticks as they get older and stronger. Lots of movement!
These make for fun, engaging toys in the house, outside, and in the bath too!
16. Baby Safe Paint
Can’t forget some art stuff, even for the young ones!
Arts and crafts are a pillar in Montessori play and workflow. It is so important for self expression, emotional regulation, and creativity.
With time to practice, your little one could become quite the artist and really love it!
This paint bundle is organic, made of veggies, and super safe for your little one.
17. Baby Safe Full Body Mirror
Surprised? Haha! Adding a mirror into your toddler’s play space is a wonderful way to let them see themselves, recognize features, practice self care, self awareness, self acceptance, understand expressions and so much more!
I used gaffer tape for the edges, making a clean white frame in minutes.
Add a tray with a hairbrush and a spray bottle of water, and you’ve got a wonderful Montessori practical life corner for your toddler!
All the children here LOVE to look at themselves in the mirror, play in front of it, dance in front of it, play dress up and see themselves, check their outfit before leaving the house, and more!
We also love to do positive affirmations in front of the mirror – about ourselves and in pairs with our friends, to build that sense of self and friendship bond.
What Are Montessori approved Toys?
Traditionally, a Montessori toy is made of natural materials. Their purpose is to stimulate learning, typically honing one skill at a time. Montessori toys allow for focus and concentration, rather than distraction and multi-stimulation.
This is why Montessori toys are often wooden and very simple.
The Montessori methodology supports child development through natural exploration of the world around them, focusing on simplicity and the child’s pace for discovering and problem solving.
Babies and toddlers are programmed, ready to engage in and curious for, the world around them. A simple toy allows them to think about – “how does this work?” “What more can I do with this? “How can I get better at this?”
Montessori toys support the built-in creativity children have, rather than overstimulate them with automatic sounds and functions. Not much is learned from toys like this. In fact, babies and toddlers can get overstimulated and agitated with toys like this.
Most Montessori toys are beautifully-made too, so that children are attracted to use them.
Being functional, practical and useful in real life is key. In Montessori, realistic is key, while fantasy is not.
What toys should my 1 year old be playing with?
These are the 5 key focal points of Montessori activities for toddlers:
- language development
- arts and crafts
- practical life
- music and movement
- hand-eye coordination
Benefits of Montessori toys
Montessori toys can be incredibly beneficial for children of all ages because they encourage experimentation. They not only help develop fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination, but can also help children learn new concepts, such as counting, sorting, and problem-solving, and build a growth mindset.
Montessori toys are typically designed to be self-correcting and calming, so they help foster independence and allow children to learn at their own pace, with minimal frustrations.
Overall, Montessori toys provide children with a safe, stimulating, and engaging environment to learn and explore with minimal distractions or hinderance.
what to consider when buying toys for your 1 year old
Less and intentional, is far better than more and flashy.
Longevity is also important to me personally, and it may be for you as well. I like knowing that something I buy has function and purpose for years to come.
Having toys that will grow with your child will help keep your home less cluttered, will allow your toddler to cherish more of their toys, and will have you spending less on random, poor-quality stuff.
The list of Montessori toys for 1 year olds I shared with you above will give you a great, balanced day!
Montessori-inpsired toy organizing tips
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Designate a space for the toys and store the rest. When it comes to Montessori toys, having an area that’s dedicated solely to them is key. You don’t want piles or too many in one spot.
- Use a safe, toddler-accessible shelf or woven bins on the floor to keep sets separate from other toys and all together, and ready to use. Not only does it help keep the toys organized, but it adds an inviting atmosphere for your child to explore and learn.
- Sort stored toys into categories. This helps keep the toys organized and makes it easier to find things quickly and easily.
- Label containers of stored toys. Labeling containers is a great way to keep Montessori toys organized. This will help keep the toys sorted and make it easier for your child to know what goes where.
- Utilize vertical space. Don’t forget to make use of vertical space when organizing Montessori toys. This can help keep things tidy and make the space feel more organized.
- Make cleaning up fun and part of the rules of your family and home. “we play and we put away.” “We all help in this family.” “It’s quicker when we all work as a team.” Cleaning up doesn’t have to feel like a horrible chore! Make it natural, normal or even fun by turning it into a team effort with a playful song or some favorite music playing, or even a game or challenge for your child. This can help make the process more enjoyable and keep your Montessori toys organized, regularly.
- Sit toys/sets on wooden trays with handles so your toddler can grab the tray with all the toys pieces easily, transport it to the table or floor, then put everything back on the tray when putting the toy away.
If you need trays to do your Montessori-inspired activities, here they are.
Want to see all the play items (and toddler or parenting books, and baby led weaning and potty training supplies) that I recommend in my amazon shop? You can see them here.
And there you have it! Let me know in the comments below what your favorite Montessori toy for1 year olds is and which you are most excited about from this list!
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