Colours, clear shapes, and natural materials: playing and learning with Montessori toys from small foot!
Over the past few decades, the Montessori educational method has
established itself as a successful method of promoting children's
development. Toys play an important role in this: they should encourage
children's imagination and creativity while also improving their motor
skills and cognitive skills. "Help me do it all by myself!" – This
famous didactic principle of Maria Montessori's method illustrates what
this special educational concept is all about. The Montessori philosophy
lays great importance on children's autonomy and encourages their
personal initiative. The recognition that they accomplished something
all by themselves is one of the greatest learning successes that
children can possibly have. Montessori toys and games from small foot
support these principles and make them ideally suited as gifts for kids
of all different age groups, since the gender-neutral toys inspired by
this educational method cover the entire time period of their growth.
Discovering their own skills: Montessori toys for newborns and children aged 1 year old and up
Most
Montessori learning materials and toys are geared towards children aged
3 years old and up; however, children in the young age of 0 – 12 months
can also benefit from the Montessori principle. The focus here is on
giving babies the opportunity to learn at their own pace as provided by
the learning and play options and perceive their environments with all
senses. Simple wooden baby toys such as play arches, grip toys,
shape-fitting games, stacking games, and wooden books with patterns,
contrasts, and shapes are great toys for the youngest kids in the sense
of the Montessori method. Some of the most popular Montessori games and
toys are colourful motor activity rainbows that can be integrated into
play in many ways such as sorting, inserting, stacking, and organising
while inspiring creativity in a very special way.
Promoting childhood development in toddlers: Montessori games and toys for kids aged 2 and 3 years old and up
The
toddler ages is the phase in which motor skills – particularly fine
motor skills – develop further. Children's interest in things like locks
and latches that have already started to develop in their first year of
life can now be even more intensely explored.
Classic motor activity boards and learning boards or houses of locks on
which kids can open and close various objects offer long-lasting
entertainment and help children to train their fine motor skills.
Threading games with string are also very popular in this age and allow
children to practise their pincer grip while doing something fun.
Organising or sorting skills can be improved with picture-sorting games
and toys in which kids have to sort the components according to size,
colour, or shape. Children aged 3 years old and up can also let their
creativity fun free with hammered image toys.
5 tips for integrating the Montessori method into the nursery:
The selection of Montessori toys from small foot is big, and is always growing! These five tips will help you successfully integrate the Montessori method into the nursery:
- Offer child-friendly toys and materials that speak to all senses and awaken the children's interests. Wooden toys are especially well-suited for this thanks to their natural look and wood's special haptics because it promotes the development of sensory perception.
- Montessori toys are made for specific, targeted activities and should be explored by children in a calm atmosphere and without distractions. If you'd like to offer your child a new Montessori toy, it's best to avoid distracting noises such as that from other playing children or other distracting toys.
- Children also learn when they make mistakes. When the learning atmosphere is calm, children often learn independently what the play purpose of a toy is without someone having to show them or explain it in detail. To that end, it's important to let the child discover and learn by themselves and to be patient.
- The Montessori method can also be easily integrated into everyday life. Children putting on their clothes at home all by themselves, helping clean up, or cooking and going shopping together promotes the development of children's independence.
- Be creative and make good use of your environment, or craft your own Montessori-inspired toy yourself! For example, you can fill various small containers with objects to make noises, or collect stones of various sizes to help teach kids about size differences. Another great idea for promoting the development of concentration and memory is a DIY Flower Memory Game.