Marcos Gonzales • updated: Nov 11 2024
Best Montessori Toys for 1 Year Old: A Complete Development Guide (2024)
If you're like me you've always wondering what are the absolute best toys for your growing little one. Well you've come to the right spot, lets get into it.
Understanding Montessori Principles for One-Year-Olds
Why Choose Montessori Toys for Your Toddler
The Importance of Independent Play in Montessori
I and many others believe that montessori teaching sets your little one up for success. It not only teaches them to be independence but it also show's them that they can gain confidence in themselves and feel empowered.
Essential Characteristics of Montessori Toys for 1-Year-Olds
Natural Materials and Safety Considerations
One of the core principles of Montessori is safety and as parents we want our loved ones to be safe
When purchasing toys always keep in mind the age range especially if there are small items, removal pieces, etc.
Simple vs. Complex Toys: The Montessori Approach
Montessori believes in simplicity. This means that toys are usually more primal and less flashy, this doesn't mean that they aren't as good or fun, think of it more like your child is in charge, more focused and less distracted by blinking lights.
Focus on Real-Life Objects and Functionality
Types of Montessori Toys for Different Developmental Areas
You'll want to get your child at least one toy in each of these sections listed below.
Fine Motor Skills Development Toys
These are toys that can be clicked, snapped, or put in place to help your little one develop the skills they will need for school and be independent. Always keep in mind, will this help my baby develop the skills they will need.
Gross Motor Movement Toys
This means any toys that will help your child: Stand, walk, run, and or sit. Think the entire body and not fine movement like grasping or grabbing.
Sensory Development Materials
These are rattles, shakers, slime, fuzzy, soft, different textures, and the like. We want our child to experience different textures for obvious reasons.
Language Development Tools
These are my favorite, I mean who doesn't want their kid to speak speak sooner?
Practical Life Skills Toys
These are future proofing your kid. Stuff like flash cards, books, knife sets, you name it.
Top Montessori Activities for 12-24 Month Olds
What the heck are montessoir activities? These are activites that are doing rather than being idle or taking orders. More like having the children explore there
Object Permanence Activities
One of the most popular toys that does this is the box with the 3 balls. You child puts the ball in the hole and its gone for a second and then it appears. This toy is multi functional: it works on fine motor control (grasping the ball) and also permanence (the ball disappears for a second or two then reappears).
Posting and Threading Exercises
At it simplest form posting and threading is having an object and putting smaller objects inside of it, this can be a water bottle, a bucket, and pipe, or any combination of things.
Stacking and Nesting Activities
We've all see the stacking and nesting toys, if you aren't familiar with nesting its just putting smaller objects of the same shape into one another. And Stacking is of similar fashion or they can be the same size. This is one of the more common activites.
Simple Puzzles and Shape Sorting
These are great for brain development and work on problem solving the logic
Every parent should have a few puzzle for their kids to work on and solve for continual brain developement and practice
Setting Up a Montessori Play Space at Home
Creating Accessible Play Areas
When you create a area for a kid you have got to think of the height of the area you want to develop. Try to keep in mind the height of your toddler and built the area with this in mind. So place a mirror at their height, try and have chairs, furniture, desks, shelves, with all their toys at a reachable height. Tip:(If its not possible get one of those stepping stools)
Toy Rotation System
This not only keeps things fresh and fun, your house wont be so messy (because there are less toys around = less toys to pick up.
Storage and Organization Tips
I like to rotate toys every 2-3 weeks. I have bins for storage and bins that are active. Keeping the bins see through makes a world of a difference so you know what's inside. You can either color coordinate the binds or just label them so you don't have to open it to see what's inside.Common Mistakes to Avoid When Choosing Montessori Toys
Overstimulating Toys to Avoid
Too many loud noises, to many flashing lights, Toys with lots of movement, or toys that have small magnetic batteries, these are what to look out for when purchasing toys.
Think of classic toys like wooden puzzles, actions figures, paint/coloring books, and block building games.
Age-Appropriate Selection Guidelines
You want to keep this in mind when selecting toys for your 1 year old because you want them to be engaged during play time. If the toys is to old for your little one or to young for them they might not play or feel satisfied.
Quality vs. Quantity Considerations
Would you rather have a bunch of low quality toys or a few high quality toys? If you're like me you'll choose the latter. When choosing a gift you want to choose one that is appropriate and of quality.
Budget-Friendly Montessori Toy Alternatives
