Article: Montessori Toys by Age: What to Choose from Birth to 3
Montessori Toys by Age: What to Choose from Birth to 3
Montessori toys are everywhere at the moment, and the word gets used for almost anything made of wood. Here's what actually makes a toy Montessori, how to set up a simple play shelf at home, and the toys we'd choose from birth to three.
The short version
- Look for: simple toys that do one thing well and let your child see for themselves if it worked.
- Babies: things to watch, hold and explore with their hands.
- 1 year olds: posting, stacking, first puzzles and busy boards.
- 2 and 3 year olds: sorting, counting, threading and real jobs.
Every child is different, so treat the ages here as a rough guide and follow what your child enjoys.
What makes a toy Montessori?
There's no official Montessori stamp for toys, so it's more about the idea behind them. The Association Montessori Internationale, the organisation Maria Montessori founded, describes materials that are hands-on, laid out for children to choose freely, and "self-correcting". In plain terms, a good Montessori style toy usually:
- Does one thing well, like posting, stacking or threading.
- Shows them if it worked. The shape fits or it doesn't, so they can try again without you stepping in.
- Is child powered. No flashing lights or buttons doing the work for them.
- Feels real. Natural materials, real life themes and child-sized versions of grown-up things.
Does Montessori make a difference? The best evidence is about Montessori schools rather than toys. In a national randomised trial across 24 public Montessori schools in the US, children offered a place at age three had higher reading, short-term memory and executive function scores by around age 5 to 6 (Lillard and colleagues, PNAS, 2025). Toys alone won't do that, but the same ideas, fewer and simpler things with plenty of time to explore, work beautifully at home.
How to set up a Montessori play shelf
Choose a low shelf they can reach, and put out just a few toys, each in its own spot. In a study of 36 toddlers, those given 4 toys played longer and more creatively with each one than when 16 toys were out (Dauch and colleagues, 2018). Keep the rest in a cupboard and swap a couple every week or two.
Montessori toys for babies (0 to 12 months)
For young babies, Montessori play is about the senses and the hands: something interesting to watch, and things to reach for, hold and bang together.
Petit Boum Sensory Bottle - Green Float
£12.50
Glitter, sequins and pompoms drift slowly through the bottle for a baby to watch. From 3 months. Good for tummy time or a calm moment before a nap.
Green Toys My First Stacking Cups
£19.49
Six cups to bang, nest, stack and pour. From 6 months. Made from recycled plastic, with numbers underneath for later.
Montessori toys for 1 year olds
Around their first birthday, many children love putting things in and taking them out again, and by about 15 months lots are starting to stack two small objects (CDC, 15 months). Posting boxes, first stackers, chunky puzzles and busy boards are a good match.
Bigjigs Toys Wooden Shape Sorter
£19.99
Nine wooden shapes to post through the lid, with a side door to get them back out. From 12 months. A shape either fits or it doesn't, so they can work it out for themselves.
Bigjigs Toys Wooden First Flower Stacker
£18.99
Match the coloured flowers to their pegs and stack them up. From 12 months. The dots by each peg show how many flowers fit.
Tidlo Touch and Feel Farm Puzzle
£15.99
Four chunky farm animals, each hiding a texture to feel underneath. From 12 months. The pieces stand up, so they double as farm animals for play.
Bigjigs Toys Wooden Jungle Busy Board
£49.99
Buttons, dials, wheels and cogs to push, spin and twist. From 12 months. Great for cause and effect.
Montessori toys for 2 year olds
Around two, many children are starting to use both hands together, like holding a pot while taking the lid off (CDC), and they often enjoy sorting, matching and comparing. This is when early maths toys come into their own.
Bigjigs Toys Wooden Balancing Scales
£20.99
A hands-on first look at heavier, lighter and the same. From 12 months. Seven numbered weights to compare now and count later.
Bigjigs Toys Wooden 1 to 10 Counting Board
£29.99
Lift-out numbers from one to ten, each with a peg for the right number of shapes. From 2 years. 78 pieces, so it moves from stacking to counting as they grow.
Bigjigs Toys Wooden Abacus - 10 Rows
£17.99
Ten rows of ten bright beads to slide from side to side. From 18 months. Needs adult assembly.
Bigjigs Toys Wooden Weather Board
£24.99
Season tiles, a sky wheel, a wind dial and a thermometer for a morning weather chat. From 2 years.
Montessori toys for 3 year olds
Many three year olds enjoy threading large beads (CDC) and love being given real jobs, like watering plants or helping to tidy. Montessori calls this practical life. It's also a lovely age for open-ended building and more detailed sorting.
Bigjigs Toys Wooden Lacing Beads Crate
£18.99
90 chunky beads and six laces for threading, copying patterns and sorting colours. From 3 years. A quiet, absorbing job for small hands.
Bigjigs Toys Kids Gardening Caddy and Tool Set
£30.99
Child-sized gloves, trowel, fork, rake and a ruler in a wooden caddy. From 3 years. Real tools for a real job, outside or in a window box.
Bavvic Starter Set - 32 Piece Wooden Building Blocks
£68.99
Beech wood blocks and soft silicone connectors that join at any angle, with no instructions and no wrong answers. From 3 years. Made in Poland, and works with every other Bavvic set.
Mushie Wooden Multi Shape Stacker
£27.49
Twenty wooden shapes and five pegs to sort by shape, colour or size. From 3 years. Soft, muted colours that look good on an open shelf.
Quick answers
What classifies a toy as Montessori?
There's no official label. A simple, child powered toy that lets your child check their own work, like a shape sorter, fits the idea.
How many toys does a toddler need out at once?
Only a few. A handful on a low shelf, with the rest put away and swapped now and then, tends to hold their attention better than a full toy box.
Are Montessori toys only wooden?
No. Wood is popular because it's natural and lasts, but recycled plastic cups or silicone pieces fit the idea just as well if they're simple and child powered.
Shop all our Montessori toys, stacking toys and shape sorters, or read the best counting toys for 2, 3 and 4 year olds.
