2023 Montessori-Aligned Gift Guide

Written By Home and on the Way
Montessori gift guide

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Before I begin this “Montessori-inspired” gift guide it is time for my regular reminder that Montessori is not about the stuff. Your child does not need fancy new toys to have a wonderful birthday or holiday. Your time is the most important thing.

Now moving on because while I believe this wholeheartedly I also know I will be buying some Chanukah gifts for my two childreh. The things I am buying him are things I think will be useful for them or useful for our home. My toddler will be excited. My baby won’t care, but I still find joy in gift-giving.

This gift guide is divided into sections: outdoors, kitchen, gross motor, and then age-based. This is a mix of things we love in our home and things we are buying this year for our children. If it isn’t something I would buy or own I do not have it on here. I have a few recommendations under each category. I note which ones we love in our home and also note the ones we don’t have but are trusted brands. A few recommendations come from products friends own when I have a different brand. I also note what we are getting my children this year for Chanukah and my daughter for her first birthday. My son is 2.5 and my daughter will turn a year in January.

Montessori-Inspired Gifts for the Outdoors

A Rain Suit: this is a fantastic tool for getting out in all weather. For winter the last two years we just layered underneath and skipped the snowsuit. It is great in the rain and great in the mud. My son still fits in his 6-12 month rainsuit he has been wearing since he started crawling at 7 months. I think I will size him up though this Chanukah instead of buying my daughter another of this size .

Rain Boots: We love our barefoot style rain boots. They are easy for my son to get on and off, have a wide-toe box, and don’t have a heavy sole as many rainboots do. They are also very affordable.

Snow Boots: we got rain covered with our rainboots but living in New England need good snow boots. Again I wanted as barefoot style as possible and these were the ones recommended.

Scooter: scooters are a fun outdoor activity for toddlers. We introduced ours around 17 months and now at 2.5 he loves his.

A wheelbarrow: a wheelbarrow is a perfect practical life outside activity and great for active toddlers. It is perfect for the transportation schema and maximum effort work.

Balance bike: a balance bike is perfect for toddlers who are not yet ready for a pedal bike. We are skipping training wheels and using the balance bike instead. We introduced this around 18 months but around 2 makes more sense. He likes it at 2.5 but is not as confident on it as he is on his scooter.

At-home playground fun:

  • If you have a toddler who loves construction, this is it. I would say 2.5 is about the age minimum: digger

  • A climbing dome

  • A swing that is fun from newborns through adults (our whole family is obsessed): our saucer swing

Montessori-Inspired Gifts for the Practical Life

Learning tower: This is definitely a big gift but a real favorite in our home. We use it multiple times every single day.

Toddler Knives: we use multiple toddler knives around here and they are great for involving our son in the kitchen.

Mini Pitchers: these are essential for including toddlers in pouring.

Cooking trays: reduce the mess by putting trays under where your child is working.

Child-sized tools: these make such a difference in including your child in the kitchen and I highly recommend.

Other favorite kitchen tools

  • Milk frother: my son’s favorite kitchen tool is our milk frother because we make babyccino with it (frothed milk with some cinnamon). Ours is dishwasher safe and heats the milk to a good temperature: babyccino machine

  • A great tool to introduce to your toddler (just make sure you use it safely): apple peeler and slicer

Visual Recipes: here is where I plug my guide. I really think my visual recipe packet can be so helpful though. It has made cooking with my son so much more fun! I also released a book and cook guide this year which is perfect if you want to pair it as a gift with some of the books!

Toddler Cleaning Supplies: an easy Montessori switch is to trade the fake cleaning supplies for some real ones that actually work! Your toddler will love to be involved and your house might even get a bit cleaner- win win!

  • Remove the middle pole from this vacuum and you have a working vacuum for your toddler- FAVORITE in our home: Bissel Featherweight Vacuum

  • This broom and dustpan set is our favorite because you don’t have to hold the dustpan in a complicated angle, perfect for toddlers: mini dustpan and broom set

  • A small vegetable scrubber is perfect for introducing vegetable washing: vegetable scrubber

Montessori-Inspired Gifts for Gross Motor

Pikler triangle: we LOVE our Pikler triangle. It folds up easily to store away and has gotten so much use since my son was 7 months old. It is a great gift starting around 6 months. Both my children have gotten so much practice pulling up on the Pikler and my son still loves climbing it every single day at 2.5. While I would have loved to link a more affordable Amazon option I do not feel comfortable linking them without knowing the brand on something like this. If you have a cheaper one you like, please let me know!

Bowling Pins: great for getting moving indoors

A play tunnel: crawling does so many great things for the brain. I love bringing out our play tunnel.

A balance board: we started using this at around 8 months but at it has gotten more use as he has gotten older. Such a fun and simple tool for balancing and climbing.

Rocker/climber: though I would generally recommend a Pikler triangle over an arch climber I do like that it doubles as a rocker.

Balance Beam: my son started to really enjoy the balance beam at around 19 months. If you are setting up an indoor gross motor area it is a fun addition.

  • Our balance beam we’ve used since around 19 months: Lily and River

  • This new balance beam from Sprout Kids is amazing and my son’s big gift this year. The way you can make an obstacle course is super unique. Plus, you can vary the size to fit your budget and add on more pieces later if you wish. The different surfaces make it seem far more interesting for an older toddler and give some awesome sensory feedback too: Sprout Kids Balance Beam (code OnTheWay10)

  • A bigger balance beam from a trusted brand: RAD Children’s Furniture (code HomeAway)

Montessori-Inspired Gifts for Bathtime

Bathtime subscription: if you want a gift that keeps coming for bathtime, a bathtime toy subscription is a great way to keep your toddler excited for bathtime. All the bath toys I am sharing here are mold-free meaning they don’t have holes that let in water and gather mold like classic rubber ducks…yuck.

  • Bubbles and Joy Company (code Homeandontheway for discount): a small company that sends mold-free toys every single month.

Cars for the bath: have a car lover? These car-inspired toys are perfect for the bath for your little one!

Toys to make your bath into a giant water table

  • Pipes, valves, and wheels toy: Nuby

  • Cups for pouring and stacking: Lovevery

  • Lights that come on when they enter the bath- MY SON’S FAVORITE: Glopals

Bath Books: books that can survive the water to bring reading to bathtime

Montessori-Inspired Gifts for 0-6 Month Olds

Black and White Cards: black and white cards are favorite first toy for newborns

A play kit subscription: this is a great way to get developmental toys that match your child’s interests without having to do all the research.

  • A great Montessori-inspired play kit: Lovevery Play Kit

  • A gorgeous new play subscription where you can also order one at a time: Lalo

The Skwish: a fun toy for little ones

Rattles: Rattles are a classic baby toy and a definite favorite.

Mirror balls: our absolute favorite newborn toy but even my toddler loves them

Teethers: another must for young infants

Montessori Mobiles: the classic set of Montessori mobiles is a great gift for a newborn, though our ultimate favorite mobile came in our Lovevery playkit.

Play Gym: this is a great place for floor time for a young infant

Montessori-Inspired Gifts for 6-12 Month Olds

A drum: we got a drum for my son for Chanukah when he was 9 months old and it was a fantastic gift.

A stacker: stackers are great to introduce at some point in this range, likely near the later end.

Single Piece Puzzles:

Object permanence box: object permanence boxes are a great material for older infants.

A Weaning Table: this is a great time to introduce a weaning table for food and activities. Babies can use it starting at 6 months and it maintains usefulness throughout toddlerhood

A play kit subscription: this is a great way to get developmental toys that match your child’s interests without having to do all the research.

  • A great Montessori-inspired play kit: Lovevery Play Kit

  • A gorgeous new play subscription where you can also order one at a time. We have the 11-12 month kit and it is GORGEOUS and so well prepared: Lalo

Montessori-Inspired Gifts for 12-18 Month Olds

A play kit subscription: this is a great way to get developmental toys that match your child’s interests without having to do all the research.

  • A great Montessori-inspired play kit: Lovevery Play Kit

  • A gorgeous new play subscription where you can also order one at a time: Lalo

Walker Wagon: Push walkers are different than a sit-in walker which is not recommended by pediatric PTs. I really recommend the Radio Flyer one we have because it holds things to carry so can be useful far past this stage and has slower wheels. This keeps it from flying in front of the child.

Puzzles: at some point in this age range you might be able to move to puzzles with a few different shapes. Peg puzzles continue to work on the pincer grasp and are a great option.

Crayons: art supplies are a great gift around this age but since babies in this age range are probably still mouthing, non-toxic and larger crayons would be my recommendation.

Hammer Toy: hammer toys have been a definite favorite for us.

First cars: babies this age are likely not doing much for pretend play with cars but may enjoy some simple cars to explore the motion of cars. While any cars that are not choking hazards are probably still okay for this age group, the ones below are a great intro for smaller hands and younger children.

Musical Instruments: we love introducing musical instruments in our home. We got him a set for his first birthday and he loved them.

Montessori Inspired Gifts for 18-24 Month Olds

Realistic animals: realistic animals are great for language work and picture matching. In Montessori, we look for animals that look realistic versus ones that are unrealistic and painted wood (even if that means they’re plastic!)

  • A quality, but pricey brand: Schleich animals

  • A more affordable option I have heard good things about: DOYIFUN

  • Another more affordable option recommended by friends: BOLZRA

  • A pricey but also popular brand (we also love their smaller toobs for good value- just make sure your child isn’t mouthing anymore): Safari Ltd

  • For magnet lovers: magnet animals

A play kit subscription: this is a great way to get developmental toys that match your child’s interests without having to do all the research.

  • A great Montessori-inspired play kit: Lovevery Play Kit

  • A gorgeous new play subscription where you can also order one at a time: Lalo

Color Sorting: toddlers around this age are often starting to explore colors though it might be a while before they are successfully matching them.

Baby dolls: Baby dolls are great at this age. Many in Montessori opt for more realistic dolls as realistic is prioritized, however, cloth dolls can be nice too.

Cars: cars are a popular favorite with toddlers

Screen Free Audio Player: this has been amazing for us. My son can use it totally independently and has been able to since his first birthday. Some also use CD players for their toddlers but a toddler-specific one feels easier to me.

  • Our favorite: Toniebox

  • Another popular one, we love the mini for travel: Yoto

Montessori Inspired Gifts for 2-Year-Olds

Now that you have a two-year-old you will likely find their interests are a bit more diverse than they were as a 1-year-old. Some, like my son, devour puzzles. Others are getting deep into pretend play or building. There are so many wonderful gifts in this age group.

You will likely find your child is getting more interested in pretend play sometime in their third year of life. While early pretend play is generally very reality-based (such as pretending a block is a phone or drinking from an empty cup) as they get older they often move into more representative pretend play using small objects. Every child’s interest here varies dramatically. My son loves his toy barn but struggles to play independently with it as well as he does with close-ended toys such as blocks. While pretend play toys are not Montessori (even if they are wooden), realistic pretend play is definitely Montessori-aligned and belongs in a Montessori home.

Doll Play: if you do not already have a baby doll for your toddler this is a great time to get one. If you happen to have a younger sibling on the way as well, this is so helpful in preparing them.

Small World Pretend Play: around 2-2.5 you might start to see your toddler gain interest in using small figurines for pretend play.

  • Toy barn: a toy barn is a great gift for toddlers. We have this one but I also love the look of this one from a brand we love.

  • Toy animals: Our favorites are Schleich but we also like Safari Ltd.

  • Dollhouse dolls: we are getting some of these dolls for Y this year. They are perfect for pretend play with a doll house.

Train set: My son asked for trains for his second birthday and we got him a set he loved. If you don’t already have trains this is a great time to start a small collection. We started with a small set but wanted ones that could be added to as he grows.

Cars: Similar to trains, cars are a popular favorite with toddlers. I included these in the 18-24 month set as well but if you don’t yet have cars I highly recommend them for your 2-year-old

Blocks and building materials: blocks are great around this age. We got unit blocks for my son at 21 months for Chanukah. While he did use them then his use has definitely increased as he has gotten older. He already had the Lovevery block set which we also love. Unit blocks are great for long-term building and math concepts. You can also introduce Duplo-style blocks or magnetic tiles, both of which are fun for building as well. My son has become far more interested in these around 2.5 years old.

Puzzles: many toddlers around this age are interested in puzzles. Depending on your child’s puzzle skills the recommendation would vary dramatically. At 2 my son’s interest exploded from simple jigsaws and inset puzzles to large puzzles. If you’re wondering how to introduce puzzles, check out this blog post. A name puzzle can also be a great personalized option that also provides some letter exposure.

Art supplies: At 2 art is probably a lot easier to introduce as your toddler is likely mouthing less and it is easier to communicate boundaries around art supplies. Here are some of our favorite art tools for 2-year-olds!

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