Best Montessori Toys 2024 - Forbes Vetted

If you want to foster your child’s independent learning and play, Montessori-inspired toys can help them confidently engage with the world on their own. Sami Krasny, a play-based education consultant, explains the Montessori Method is an educational philosophy that centers around a “prepared environment,” a thoughtfully organized play space that offers open-access and developmentally appropriate materials to promote independent play.

The best Montessori toys are simple, close-ended and help encourage independent play.

“There are tons of companies that use the word ‘Montessori’ to describe their toys, but there’s no such thing as a ‘Montessori toy,’” says Krasny. To create a Montessori-inspired play space, she recommends choosing simple, close-ended toys with clear goals or outcomes that encourage repetition and help children focus on specific developmental skills. You can also introduce open-ended toys, as long as they are presented in a Montessori-aligned manner—visually and physically organized and easily accessible to encourage independent play. Ahead, check out our top picks, that fit meet these criteria.

Amazon

These wooden blocks earn the top spot on our list because they provide so many possibilities for imaginative and creative play while helping children practice their fine motor skills. Your child can become a builder, constructing houses and castles, or making repairs on their imaginary rocket ship. Kids can stack, sort, knock down towers or build wooden beds for dolls and garages for toy cars. These blocks foster creative thinking, early math skills and provide many opportunities for independent play.

This 60-piece block is designed for toddlers and school-age children and features a variety of shapes and sizes (you’ll also find them on our list of best toys for 2-year-olds). They are made from solid hardwood with rounded edges to ensure safe play for little hands. When playtime is over, cleanup is simple—just stack the blocks into the included wooden crate and store it away until the next play session.

Amazon

While they might not be traditional toys, these stainless steel ramekins are an affordable and versatile option for play, especially for sensory activities. They can be used as tiny buckets for outdoor water play, holding bubbles during bath time, or for making mud pies or playing in the sand. They’re perfect for pretend play too—think teacups for tea parties or kitchenware in an imaginary café.

These ramekins are made from commercial-grade, food-quality stainless steel, so they are safe for both playtime and sipping juice or water to add that extra touch of realism to imaginative play.

Amazon

This tool belt allows your child to engage in pretend play while practicing fine motor skills. The adjustable fabric belt fits comfortably around their waist and comes with five wooden tools: a hammer, wrench, screwdriver, screw, nut and a level. They can play at fixing a broken chair, patching holes in the wall or lend a hand with some DIY home projects. Each time your child "fixes" something, it fosters a sense of accomplishment, boosts their confidence, and teaches them the importance of responsibility and caring for their belongings.

This Montessori-style toy teaches concepts about practical life skills such as repairing and strengthening objects. This play tool set is made from sustainable, chemical-free rubberwood, and uses formaldehyde-free glue, organic pigments and water-based dyes.

Lalo

If you’ve got a little foodie at home, this play kitchen turns them into a mini chef while helping them learn valuable life skills. It has simple functions, like doors that open and knobs that turn, that strengthens fine motor skills. Your child can help you host fancy dinner parties, whip up a quick bedtime snack, or prepare for a surprise birthday bash. Lalo also recently launched a matching play fridge.

Unlike other toy kitchens that are overly colorful and busy, this one features a minimalist design crafted from sustainably sourced birch plywood. It’s made with non-toxic, plant and water based finishes, and all Lalo products exceed ASTM safety standards and are compliant with Prop 65 for added safety.

Amazon

If your baby loves song and dance, these wooden musical blocks are sure to get them grooving. Unlike other noisy toys that can be overwhelming, each cube makes a softer sound like squeaking, clacking, rattling or tinkering. While they create music, your child can also stack the blocks, helping to strengthen their fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination. Each block is made from solid beech wood and finished with a non-toxic, water-based stain.

Montessori & Me

This spinning drum is a great way to keep your baby engaged during tummy time. It has rainbow-colored sides and a child-safe mirror to promote color recognition and visual stimulation. As it spins, it creates a gentle, rhythmic drum sound that encourages your baby to lift their head and strengthen their core. The toy is built to last, featuring colorful wooden sides, a sturdy hardwood base and an acrylic mirror.

Amazon

This indoor wooden jungle gym is a great addition to any Montessori-inspired space. It’s designed to support muscle development, hand-eye coordination and spatial awareness—all while keeping your child active and entertained. It includes monkey bars, a mini rock-climbing wall, ladders, a slide, swing rope, rope ladder and a swing. Children can strengthen their upper body while climbing the rock wall and ladders, and swinging improves their spatial awareness and gross motor skills. Plus, it's sturdy and durable, made from pine wood and coated with a non-toxic, BPA-free varnish for added safety.

Amazon

This wooden 3D puzzle is a fantastic addition to your toy collection. It’s a close-ended toy with clear goals, so it helps strengthen problem-solving skills. The puzzle has partially raised surfaces to make the pieces easier for little hands to grip. With ten colorful geometric shapes, this puzzle can keep your child engaged while you prepare dinner or tackle household chores.

Each puzzle insert has a photo of a child holding the corresponding shape. This provides a helpful reference if your child needs additional assistance. Solving puzzles also teaches patience and encourages focus and perseverance as your child learns through trial and error where each piece fits.

At Forbes Vetted, we leverage the experience of our parenting writers and editors who spend countless hours researching, testing and using baby and kid products in their homes. We provide readers with a wide range of toy guides, from the best baby toys to the best swing sets.

We chose Montessori-inspired toys with simple designs, made with durable materials, and ones that help kids build specific skills through play. Here’s what else we took into account when picking the best Montessori-inspired toys:

Montessori-inspired play spaces are designed as well-organized “prepared environments” to encourage independent play. To support this approach, it’s important to choose toys that align with these principles. Krasny recommends looking for toys that:

Montessori-inspired toys feature simple, minimalistic designs and features, encouraging children to use them independently while focusing on building specific skills. These toys are typically low-tech, with no electronic parts, and are straightforward with clear goals and outcomes. Rather than being overly colorful or busy, Montessori-inspired toys are often made from raw wood and feature natural tones. Simple toys are less overwhelming and distracting, so they encourage children to engage and focus more deeply during play.

“Skip the one that has lots of extra pieces, flashing lights and gadgets, or seems flimsy and choose the one that is just exactly what it’s meant to be,” Krasny advises, like “a track for a ball to follow that can stand up to the force a young child might use when playing with a ball.”

Close-ended toys, like puzzles, matching games and patterning activities, work towards a specific goal or outcome. When kids play with these toys, there’s a clear objective they need to accomplish or solve.

These toys align with Montessori principles because they help kids practice and refine specific skills, such as problem-solving and fine motor development. While open-ended toys aren’t traditionally found in Montessori environments, Krasny notes that they can still fit in if they are organized, easily accessible and support independent play.

Montessori toys should help children practice skills they’ll use in everyday life. Look for toys that promote fine motor skills, gross motor skills, hand-eye coordination and early math skills like counting, sorting and matching.