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Montessori-Aligned Gift Guide 2023

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I'm asked often to share our favorites and with the holidays quickly approaching, I felt it was a good time to share! I want to state up front that I believe Montessori is more about the way we treat and interact with our children than it is about material items. That being said, I will be purchasing toys and materials for both of my own children. I know many of you are planning to purchase gifts for your children as you have asked me what types of things we use and love, that's why I've put together this guide. These things are in no way necessary or required for practicing Montessori at home.


I've divided this guide up into a handful of categories to hopefully make it easier for you to navigate:

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Montessori-Aligned Practical Life Gifts

Learning Tower - we have used a tower since our son was one year old! It is the perfect tool for kitchen involvement.

Children's Knife Set - I know knives seem like an odd gift for a child but hear me out - our son LOVES helping to prepare his snacks. He enjoys being hands-on and I've found it even helps to make him more interested in eating.

  • This set was a gift for his birthday and it's great because it includes the wooden knife for beginning, the crinkle knife that's slightly sharper, then the plastic serrated knives.

  • Another Favorite: Tovla Jr.

  • I'll add our egg slicer here! We used to use it more before our son could effectively use a knife.

Pouring Pitchers - Pouring has been something that our son has been practicing for a long time. He enjoys helping with pouring his cereal, milk, and water. Having pitchers that are the right size for his hands has been very helpful!

Real Working Vacuum - Having a vacuum that really works has been such a game-changer here. If we expect our children to actually clean up their messes, it helps to provide the right tools for them to do so!

Visual Recipes and Cooking Guide - My good friend Ayelet from @homeandontheway has created a wonderful guide full of child-friendly recipes, with photos of each step for the child to follow along! It's beautiful and creates opportunities for connection in the kitchen as well as practical life skill building.

Child-Sized Cooking Utensils - Providing children with their own set of cooking utensils, made specifically to fit their hands, encourages collaboration and makes everything more enjoyable!

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Gross Motor Gift Ideas

Balance Beam - A balance beam can serve as a great addition to your playroom. We often pretend my toddler is walking on a tightrope and he has so much fun.

  • Our balance beam: Lily and River

  • A new (really awesome) option from Sprout with various configuration and surface options: Sprout Balance Beam (Code: AUTUMN10) We just purchased this for our son as his big Christmas present this year!

Foam Climbing Blocks - These were Luca's Christmas present when he was about 7 months old. They were a great introduction to climbing and helped him as he mastered crawling. He still loves to use them for fort-building and rough & tumble play!

Play Couch - Our play couch is something we just added to our home a few months ago and it has been such a huge hit. We use it every day. Our son is 2.5 years old and he uses it for everything from fort-building to rough and tumble play. My husband even uses it to make floor transfers easier as a paraplegic. I often sit on the couch while I play with our son. It's just so versatile!

Pikler Triangle - We've used a Pikler climbing triangle since Luca was 8 or 9 months old and beginning to pull up to stand.

Play Tunnel - Play tunnels are a great option because they're fun for a variety of ages! My toddler loves it and has since he could crawl. I am looking forward to the day that my daughter starts to crawl so her and her brother can play in it together.

Climbing Wall - This one would be a large gift but it would last for years and years of fun. We've had our climbing wall for almost a year and it has been so fun to watch our toddler make progress. He needed a lot of help from us at the beginning but has been growing to be a strong climber with practice! I know our climbing wall will get loads of use from both of our children and their friends. It works as a bouldering wall for adults too!

Indoor Sliding Board - We've had an indoor slide since our son's first birthday. Not a day goes by that he doesn't play on it! I'm still so thankful to our friend who gifted it to him!

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Montessori-Aligned Gifts for Outdoors

Rainsuit - My son received a rainsuit as a Christmas gift last year and I can't believe how much use he's gotten out of it! It's perfect for puddle-jumping, creek-wading, and rainy day adventures.

Boots - You can never go wrong with good shoes to protect little feet during rainy and snowy weather!

Scooter - My son received a scooter as a Christmas gift last year and he loves to ride it indoors and out. He got really good at it over the summer!

Balance Bike - We started with a pedal-less tricycle, which was a gift for our son's first birthday. We've since graduated him to a balance bike and he's getting the hang of it now!

Sandbox - This was a new addition over the summer and I can't tell you the amount of hours spent digging, building, and playing enjoyed in it!

Gardening Tools - Our son got gardening tools for his first Easter when he was 11 months old. We've used them every year since. It's nice to have him helping to rake the leaves and dig up weeds!

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Our Favorite Children's Books

I'm going to just rapid-fire our favorite books! Many of these are ones we've read since our son was born 2.5 years ago.


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Gifts for 0-6 Months

Rolling Rattle - This one was especially awesome once our son was beginning to slither and crawl - he would push it and it encouraged him to move to retrieve it! It also makes a nice sound as it rolls.

High Contrast Objects - I can vividly remember our son sitting and intently observing his high contrast books and cards as he laid on his movement mat. Now our daughter is doing the same at 3 weeks old and it's so special!

Infant Play Gym - This has been one of our most used items for both our children. It's nice to have a soft safe spot to lay them down. I found my children were much happier during tummy time if they had something interesting to look at, which is why we love our Lovevery play gym!

Balls & Rattles - For this age group, you really don't need TOO many toys as babies are just beginning to grasp and manipulate with their hands. I've selected a few of our favorite options and included them below.

  • Skwish Rattle: This was our son's absolute favorite toy and I can't wait to use it with our baby girl! There are a few different color options:

  • Oball Rattle: This was another favorite for the 0-6 month age. It's great because it's easy to hold and the plastic is flexible and soft.

  • Sensory Ball Set: We often had a treasure basket full of balls with different textures for sensory exploration and practice holding items! They are still fun at 2 years old for throwing and catching.

  • Mirror Balls: We've heard so many great things about these. They will be a Christmas gift for our baby this year.

Montessori Mobiles Set - This is not something we had with our first child and I'm sad because it's been so great for our second. She will lay and marvel at these beautiful mobiles so calmly. They are truly beautiful!

Mirror - Babies love to look at themselves and including a mirror in their movement area can be a great option.

Play Kit Subscription - We've enjoyed having a play kit subscription because it takes the work and research out of finding developmentally-appropriate and stimulating toys for the child. The work is done for you and the toys show up at your door when your child is ready for them!

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Gifts for 6-12 Months

Ring Stackers - We introduced the ring stacker somewhere in this age range! There are so many options out there and some are more challenging than others.

Object Permanence Box - We introduced the object permanence box at 7 months old and it took consistent work for him to master it! It was fun for him for months.

Play Scarves - Our son received a set of play scarves for Christmas when he was 7 months old and they were a hit! So much fun for peek-a-boo and texture exploration. These are extremely versatile and truly grow with the child. Once they hit toddlerhood and beyond, play scarves are amazing for pretend play too!

Single-Piece Puzzle - We introduced a single piece puzzle around 7 months old. It took a while of consistent practice for our son to begin putting the piece back! It's amazing to witness once they begin to grasp it.

Musical Instruments - We've had a set of musical instruments for our son since his first Christmas (he was 7 months old) and we still use them all the time. They are so versatile!

Table & Chairs Set- This would be a big gift but it's so long-lasting. We bought one secondhand for our son when he was 6 months old and he used it as a weaning table until he was around 18 months old. Now we use it as a desk in his homeschool room!

Play Kit Subscription - We've enjoyed having a play kit subscription because it takes the work and research out of finding developmentally-appropriate and stimulating toys for the child. The work is done for you and the toys show up at your door when your child is ready for them!


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Gifts for 12-18 Months

Multi-Piece Puzzle - We loved puzzles with large knobs at this age! Basic shapes are best to introduce first.

Learning Tower - we have used a tower since our son was one year old! It is the perfect tool for kitchen involvement.

Car or Ball Tracker - We have a car tracker as well as a ball drop from the Lovevery play kits and our son has loved both! These are great for hand-eye coordination and visual tracking.

Cars and Road Rug - My son's love of cars started around this age and it hasn't slowed since!

Kinetic Sand - This will largely depend on the child but my son started to really enjoy kinetic sand around 14-15 months old.


Hammer Toys - These are so great because the interest in hammering lasts, at least that's been our experience! Our son loved hammering around 17 months of age and still does now at 2.5 years old.

Play Kit Subscription - We've enjoyed having a play kit subscription because it takes the work and research out of finding developmentally-appropriate and stimulating toys for the child. The work is done for you and the toys show up at your door when your child is ready for them!

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Gifts for 18-24 Months

Yoto Player: We have the Yoto Mini and it's been a great way for our son to pick his own music and turn it on independently. We use it every single day and have since he got it for his birthday! At 2.5, I think this will be the year that he starts showing interest in the story cards. Up until now he has listened to the music cards and radio.


Play Kitchen - Pretend play has exploded since around 22 months of age! A play kitchen was our toddler's big present last Christmas.

Nesting Dolls - Something about matching the pieces and finding new surprises inside each layer is so fun for a toddler this age. Our son still has so much fun with his a year later. He loves it so much, I'm thinking of getting him a second set this year!

Realistic Animal Figurines - We have several sets of these and they are so versatile. They really are the perfect gift. We use them for matching with cards, play with different sensory bins, small world play, language activities.

Barn - A good barn can make learning about animals a more fun experience! They're also great for small world play.

Sticker Books - I can't tell you how much time we've spent using sticker books lately! They are perfect for on-the-go and at home.

Pull-Along Animal - My son loves pretend play based on reality. We had a pull-along rental toy and it was a favorite! He loved to pull it along with us on walks.

Color Sorting - These lived on our toy shelf for a very long time. It didn't go out of rotation because he didn't lose interest for months!

Tool Box - When I tell you this item gets used every single day, I mean it! This was a gift for my son last Christmas and he has used it every day since.

Play Kit Subscription - We've enjoyed having a play kit subscription because it takes the work and research out of finding developmentally-appropriate and stimulating toys for the child. The work is done for you and the toys show up at your door when your child is ready for them!


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Gifts for 2 Year Olds

Play Tent - Playing "house" is beginning to be of interest to our toddler. He's loving having his own little space to explore and play in! These also make great reading nooks or could work in a calm corner.

Art Items - Our toddler's interest in art has skyrocketed since he turned 2. The items below are some that we use daily!

Easel - Easels are a great option for vertical work. It's a whole new ballpark! We've had ours for a year and it's been a great addition to our living room.

Trains - Trains are a new interest over here and it's taking over! We have a new set of tracks and trains ready for Christmas morning.

Puzzles - Our son has been starting to enjoy more advanced puzzles lately! It's been fun to see his confidence grow as he further explores them.

Blocks - We have several different sets of blocks and there's usually one out always. We just rotate which type we have out.

Dolls - Our son's baby doll has been a favorite lately, partially because we just had his baby sister. He loves to care for his baby doll as we take care of his sister.

Big Trucks - Big trucks and cars have taken over! These are by far his favorite open-ended toy at the moment.

Play Kit Subscription - We've enjoyed having a play kit subscription because it takes the work and research out of finding developmentally-appropriate and stimulating toys for the child. The work is done for you and the toys show up at your door when your child is ready for them!

I hope you all have a wonderful holiday season! Thank you for supporting me and happy shopping!

 
 
 

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