I have fun researching and shopping for toys for toddlers … especially now that I have three grandchildren, including a toddler, to shop for.
Taking care of my now-5-year-old granddaughter, Zoey, a few afternoons a week gave me plenty of opportunities to observe her choice in toys as a toddler. And many of Zoey’s favorites were similar to the Montessori-friendly childhood favorites of my now-adult kids! Now I’m seeing many of the same favorites with Zoey’s 12-month-old sister, Sophia, and even my 9-month-old grandson, Caleb!
I have a post with Best Gifts for Kids: Montessori-Friendly Baby and Toddler Toys with lots of ideas for babies and toddlers. Today, I’m focusing mainly on Montessori-friendly toys that will still be appealing to toddlers who are 15 months to 36 months. You can still get many of these through Amazon if you’re needing toys for Christmas. And they’re perfect for birthdays as well!
As I said in my earlier gift guide, Montessori-friendly toys allow for natural, open-ended learning. They are typically made of wood and other natural materials. Of course, there really is no such thing as a Montessori toy. These are simply toys that work well for families using Montessori principles at home.
Montessori-friendly toys aren’t easily breakable, battery-operated toys. They’re most often beautiful, natural toys that encourage happy play and development of important skills. These types of toys never become outdated … they’re the types of toys you can hand down to your grandkids.
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Montessori-Friendly Toys for Toddlers
Grimm’s Large Wooden Conical Stacking Tower, 11-Piece Rainbow Colored Stacker, Made in Germany is a beautifully shaded stacking tower. It expands on the skills of the easier stacking towers. Grimm’s toys in general are beautiful and very Montessori friendly.
Wooden puzzles help toddlers with a variety of skills, including problem-solving skills. I recommend buying puzzles that fit your toddler’s interests.
The Melissa and Doug Deluxe Latches Board is a fun way for your toddler to work on important fine-motor skills. This wooden toy is a colorful and inexpensive alternative to traditional Montessori work with latches. 
Schleich animals are awesome for any age of toddler (even for babies). You’ll find a wide variety to choose from.
I also love Safari Ltd. TOOBs. They’re fabulous and come in an amazing variety of themes. I even have free TOOB keys available for many of the TOOBs. I don’t recommend TOOBs as gifts for toddlers, though, unless your toddler no longer mouths objects.
Melissa & Doug Let’s Play House! Dust, Sweep and Mop is still used a LOT by Zoey. Sophia and Caleb love it already! This set is a toy that isn’t a toy. The cleaning materials work well and are a wonderful way to introduce toddlers to practical life activities for care of the environment. If you’d like to get some traditional Montessori practical life activities for your child, I highly recommend For Small Hands or Montessori Services (partner companies).
Zoey loved this Melissa & Doug Deluxe Pound and Roll Tower. Now it’s a favorite of both Sophia and Caleb!
Hape – Pound & Tap Bench with Slide Out Xylophone was a Christmas gift for Zoey. Caleb has one at his home that he adores, too, so it’s great for babies and toddlers. I appreciate that the xylophone can be used for a number of years.
I love sharing music with young children, and rhythm instruments make many musical activities even more fun. The Melissa and Doug Band in a Box is an inexpensive introduction to rhythm instruments for toddlers. The quality won’t be as high as those from a company like Hohner, though, which is what my rhythm instruments were when I owned a Montessori school. I kept those, and they’re still in great condition after lots and lots of use. But it really depends on the type of use your rhythm instruments will get as to which is best for you.
If your toddler doesn’t already have a natural wood block set, now would be a good time to buy one. Wooden blocks can be used for years in a variety of ways. They’re also a toy dads often enjoy playing with. I know my son kept his wood block set and now has lots of fun using it with Zoey.
It’s fun to add some interesting pieces to the set. Here are two ideas of fun and educational additions:
Guidecraft Mirror Blocks Set (10 Piece) … what a great idea! This is another toy that’s on my Christmas list.
Guidecraft Rainbow Blocks – Shimmering Water, Educational Toy for Kids are a great price and have a lot of possibilities for sensory exploration. There are a number of different types of rainbow blocks available, so choose whichever one would work best for your toddler.
Montessori-Friendly Products That Will Make Your Life with a Toddler Easier
The Learning Tower Kids Adjustable Height Kitchen Step Stool with Safety Rail is my favorite step stool for its perfect safety … even for easily distracted toddlers. If you can afford the price, this is the best one to get. It’s super sturdy and stable (holds up to 500 pounds), so I wouldn’t worry if more than one child were working together on it. This will be perfect throughout the toddler and preschool years.
Zoey and I have used this so many times over the years, and she has one at her home that she still uses daily. Sophia is starting to join Zoey in using the Learning Tower. We’ve used the Learning Tower easel that attaches in so many ways! That’s my favorite way to have an easel at home.
Radio Flyer Kid’s Ultimate EZ The Best Folding Wagon Ride On is what we often used for Zoey as a toddler when we were someplace that required a LOT of walking. It can be used for more than one child, so it’s perfect for my grandkids! It’s especially great for toddlers who don’t want to be in a baby backpack or a stroller.
We used it in the 5K Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure when Zoey was 2 years old. Zoey rode about halfway in the wagon and then ran the rest of the way. The wagon was also a convenient place to store our purses, water bottles, and snacks during the event.
All My Gift Guides
You’ll find some of my favorite Montessori toys for babies and toddlers, featuring a number of toys from For Small Hands in my Best Gifts for Kids: Montessori-Friendly Baby and Toddler Toys.
You can find some of my favorite books for babies … available on Amazon here: Montessori-Friendly Books for Babies {Gift Guide}
You can find some of my favorite CDs for babies and toddlers here: Favorite CDs for Babies and Toddlers {Gift Guide}
If you’re looking for Montessori-friendly toys that will be appealing to toddlers 15-36 months old, they’re in my Best Gifts for Kids: Montessori-Friendly Toys for Toddlers.
If you have a preschooler, don’t miss this: Best Gifts for Kids: Montessori-Friendly Toys for Preschoolers.
Gift Guide: The Best Classic Children’s Books for Preschoolers has some of my favorite books.
You’ll find lots of ideas for Montessori homeschoolers here: Gift Guide for Montessori Homeschoolers
Favorite Shelves, Trays, Baskets and More for Montessori Homeschoolers {Gift Guide} has more ideas for Montessori homeschoolers.
Favorite Handmade Learning Materials for Preschoolers from Etsy {Gift Guide} has lots of absolutely gorgeous materials.
You’ll find lots of Montessori-friendly Advent calendars here: Favorite Montessori-Friendly Advent Calendars {Gift Guide}.
You’ll find lots of special gift ideas in The Best Gifts for Montessori Teachers.
PREPARING MONTESSORI SPACES IN YOUR HOME
See “How to Create a Montessori-Friendly Home” for ideas for a number of levels. Here are some of my main home environment posts here:
- How to Prepare a Montessori Baby Room at Home (roundup post)
- How to Prepare a Montessori Toddler Environment at Home (roundup post)
- Preparing a Montessori Newborn Baby Space at Home
- How to Use Montessori Mobiles to Encourage a Newborn Baby’s Development and Delight
- Preparing a Montessori Baby Space with Shelves at Home
- Preparing a Montessori Baby Space in Your Living Room
- Preparing a Montessori Baby-Toddler Space at Home
- Preparing Montessori Toddler Spaces at Home (includes my Montessori toilet learning setup)
- How to Prepare Montessori Shelves for a 2 Year Old
- How to Prepare Montessori Shelves for a 2½ Year Old
- How to Prepare Montessori Shelves for a 3 Year Old
- How to Prepare Montessori Shelves for a 3½ Year Old
- How to Prepare Montessori Shelves for a 4 Year Old
- How to Prepare Montessori Shelves for a 4½ Year Old
- How to Prepare Montessori Shelves for a 5 Year Old
- How to Prepare Themed Montessori Shelves
- How to Prepare a Montessori Home Environment for Afterschooling
- Create an Attractive Home Environment from Montessori at Home!
- How to Set Up a Montessori Homeschool Classroom
- How to Prepare Montessori Homeschool Spaces for Babies through First Graders
- How to Prepare a Montessori Space in Your Living Room for Toddlers Through Early Elementary
Learn more about my eBook Montessori at Home or School: How to. Teach Grace and Courtesy!
The Montessori at Home! eBook and Montessori at Home! eBook and Materials Bundle are AMAZING resources! You can learn more about them here. Buy them in the Living Montessori Now shop.
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These look great as both fun and educational toys!! They also seem very robust and could be passed on from child to child.
What a great gift idea list! We have many of the ideas for our kids when they were little and they were some of our all time favorites. Praying you have a wonderful weekend!
Love this gift guide! You can’t go wrong with wooden blocks or puzzles!
What a great gift guide. I really like the wooden puzzles.