Montessori Outdoor Toys
Encouraging children for outdoor play has incredible benefits for their physical well-being, and helps them improve their emotional and intellectual health, too.
There are endless activities that children can engage in outdoors.
The Montessori method of education endorses outdoor play for children. Dr. Maria Montessori advocated the importance of prepared environments, which also include outdoor spaces that can be equally educational and child-driven.
Incorporating open-ended Montessori toys into the outdoor play of children has its advantages. However, choosing age-appropriate Montessori outdoor toys is usually the main hurdle for parents.
Contents
Why are Montessori outdoor toys required?
Develops independence and self-confidence in children
Outdoor toys can boost confidence in children. They support activities like climbing and crawling for children.
Outdoor activities like gardening, washing, digging, and weeding can help children become independent.
Helps children to become active and develop gross motor skills
As children are involved in outdoor activities, they need to be energetic and active. It is essential for the physical development of children, and they develop physical skills from a young age.
Activities like running and walking help in developing gross motor skills and hand-eye coordination
Helps in social and cognitive skills development
As children learn to play outdoors with other children, they learn to interact with them. It develops their social skills.
The Montessori outdoor toys encourage creativity and imaginative play. They help in the cognitive growth of children.
Helps in stimulating the senses
Toddlers enjoy doing activities that stimulate their senses, like playing in the water, digging, and playing with sand and mud. Many outdoor toys support these activities and help children develop resilience.
Montessori Outdoor Play Activities also promote sensory development in children by promoting them to perform tasks that engage all their senses.
Learn to appreciate the environment
By spending time outside, children learn to appreciate the environment because they get to watch plants and animals closely.
Are you looking out for ideas for Montessori outdoor toys for your children?
Here is a list of outdoor toys that align with Montessori philosophy
1) Child-sized Gardening tools
This Kids Gardening toolset includes gardening tools like a trowel, a shovel, a watering can, a pair of gloves, and a rake that come in the size of kids. Kids enjoy getting messy and love to emulate their parents.
This kit is perfect for them to join their parents in gardening. They can dig or rake and get excited to find worms when they see worms during this activity.
The handles are made of wood, and the handles’ tops are coated in rubber providing a solid grip. They are durable and encourage imaginative play. They help to foster independence in children while helping with gardening tasks.
2) Mud Kitchen
Children can enjoy this activity indoors as well as outdoors. They can be creative with nature and play with mud, water, sticks, and leaves. It acts as a science lab and art studio.
Children can pretend to prepare and cook food using mud, sand, and water. The Mud Kitchen has a surface to work, shelves or cupboard space, and a hob to cook on or an oven to bake in.
It provides opportunities to have fun, learn and experiment with different things. The children learn practical life skills using their imaginations to learn about the world around them.
3) Dome Climber Play Center
It requires good space due to its large structure and is lightweight. Toddlers can have fun climbing up, swinging, and sliding down. They can also use the deck as a playhouse. The children can play with it in multiple ways.
This Geometric Dome Climber Play Center improves spatial awareness, sense of balance, and motor skills. It is ideal for the physical and mental development of children.
4) Sand and Water Table
It has two lightweight tubs with sturdy tables that can be a great addition to your backyard when you have space constraints.
Sand and Water Play Activity enables kids to learn about the physical properties of materials through play. It gives kids a place to enjoy the sensory experience of playing with water by mixing in dirt or sand.
Children can develop early math, science, and problem-solving skills by playing with sand and water. They learn about shapes, color recognition, counting, sorting, etc.
5) Balance Stepping Stones
This set of 6 Balance Stepping Stones is fun to play. It can be customized in countless ways for imaginative play. These stones can be small, large, and extra-large, with two of each color.
Children can arrange these stones according to activities of their interest.
The children can play obstacle courses, hop from stone to stone, the floor is lava and other games with these stones.
They help develop spatial awareness of distance and height. Stepping stones also help children build their balance and coordination.
You can use plastic stones with a non-slip coating for the safety of children struggling with balance. These stones are portable.
6) Balance Bike
This bike can be used even by toddlers and is quite popular among parents. Initially, the toddlers can straddle the bike. When they learn to balance, they can start riding it.
Kids who have used the Balance Bike can straightaway ride regular bicycles without any difficulties in balancing.
This bike helps in building balance, coordination, and confidence. It is durable, and multiple kids can use it in the future.
7) Exploration Kit
An Exploration Set with various tools can aid in sensory play in children. The kit includes real and working binoculars, magnifying glass, a compass, a whistle, a bag, and a flashlight.
It is a good option for kids who love to explore the outdoors. They can enjoy the wildlife around them using this kit.
It also generates curiosity about nature in children. They watch, smell, and hear sounds as they step outside and spend time with nature. This kit supports these stimulating activities with fun and learning.
8) Balance Beam
This child-sized balance beam promotes physical and mental development in children. It is ideal for children from 18 months to 8 years and can be indoors or outdoors.
Balance Beam helps children improve their balance, spatial awareness, motor skills development, and self-confidence.
9) Sensory Table
It is ideal for both indoor and outdoor activities. This popular table works with its sensory bins and is the exact size for exploration. It engages the children in learning naturally.
Sensory Tables are great to help minimize mess and clean up. Dirt, sand, shells, pinecones, rocks, sticks, and leaves can go into a sensory bin.
10) Sandbox
A Sandbox is a classic Montessori outdoor toy to add to the backyard. It is open-ended and encourages imaginative and collaborative play in children.
The sandbox allows children to indulge in having fun playing with the natural resources around them, like sand and dirt.
The sandbox is big enough for multiple children to play inside, and it also has a cover to resist the weather.
Its easy-to-secure cover and amazingly familiar design make it a favorite among parents.
With the sandbox, children enjoy activities like feeling its texture, learning to pour and scoop, learning to build and measure, schematic play, and so on. This kind of sensory-motor play is essential for them.
It also allows parents to introduce plays that help teach colors, and numbers, or encourage fine motor development.
Final Thoughts
The safety aspects must be the priority when buying these Montessori outdoor toys for your children.
You can follow all the criteria mentioned.
These Montessori outdoor toys are safe for children, and they can play freely with limited supervision from parents.
So, which one do you think of the Montessori outdoor toys as the best?
There is no best toy, but the interest of your children matters when choosing one. Notice what interests them and their requirements as per age when you buy Montessori outdoor toys.
See Also: