Montessori Toys for 1 year old
Toddlers between the ages of 1 to 3 years are beginning to expand their horizons by exploring new possibilities in their surrounding environment.
According to Dr. Maria Montessori during the initial stages of the First Plane of Development, the child is an unconscious learner, a spiritual embryo who gathers integral and vital information from their surrounding environment.
The Montessori Method of education provides these developing minds an opportunity to grow by providing them with age-appropriate stimuli.
Montessori Toys are a unique, fun, and exciting technique to promote cognitive, sensorial, as well as physical development in children.
These toys are easily distinguished when one has an insight into the characteristics of said Montessori Toys.
While every toy that rattles, moves, and creates noise seems to satisfy the need for stimuli, Montessori toys have more benefits packed than one can think of.
There is a diverse range of Montessori Toys available in the market and it can become highly bewildering for parents to select age-appropriate toys for their toddlers.
Here is a list of wonderful and unique Montessori Toys that will keep your one-year-old entertained for hours on end.
Contents
What are Montessori Toys Exactly?
Ideally, Montessori Toys are common toys that align with the Montessori Principles and Montessori Philosophy.
Toys that are integrated into the Montessori Prepared Environment often encourage the child to learn through experimenting.
Contrary to traditional toys, Montessori toys are minimalist in terms of appeal and are neither flashy nor noisy which might overwhelm the child.
Montessori toys should be accessible, easy to manipulate, maneuver, handle, touch, and child-friendly.
Montessori Toys should also facilitate the development of fine motor skills in children from a young age.
Characteristics of Montessori Toys:
The Montessori toys are just like any other Montessori Materials that are based on key Montessori Principles.
Montessori Toys must help the child develop to their maximum potential by improving their skill one skill at a time.
The characteristics of Montessori toys parents should keep in mind before investing their money are:
1) Simple and Minimalistic:
Sometimes flashy, noisy, colorful, and complex toys can overwhelm the child. The main purpose of Montessori toys provides the child with just the right amount of sensory stimulation that can keep the child engaged and attentive.
These toys are developed to facilitate the child with organized information.
The Montessori toys should be of solid colors, should not comprise too many moving parts, and should not be too flashy as well as noisy.
2) Based on Reality:
During the first six years, the child is unable to differentiate between fantasy and reality. The child should be provided with toys based on real-life to develop the child’s imagination as well as secure the child’s relationship with the world.
Parents should choose toys for their children that teach the child about cause and effect.
3) Naturally sourced:
The Montessori Method of education prohibits the use of plastic and synthetic materials. Montessori toys should be made with paper, rubber, polished wood, metal, stainless steel, shatterproof glass, felt, or bamboo.
4) Functionality:
Montessori toys should act as concrete materials that require the child to actively participate. Montessori toys don’t have multiple and complex parts that might confuse or overstimulate the child.
The toys should be easy to manipulate, hold and interact with as well as help with the development of the child’s decision-making skills, will, and independence.
The child should be encouraged to willingly pick up the toys and interact with the toys on their own terms.
A list of Montessori Toys for your 1-year-old:
After becoming fully acquainted with the basic characteristics of Montessori Toys, one can easily distinguish between Common Toys and Toys that are based on Montessori Principles.
With a diverse range of Montessori Inspired Toys available it can become quite perplexing for parents to choose the right toy for their 1-year-old.
Here is a list of 15 age-appropriate Montessori Toys that will effectively facilitate holistic development in children who are 1 year old.
Wooden Stacker:
Learn about Montessori Stacking Activities: https://mymontessorimoments.com/montessori-stacking-activities-materials-and-toys/
Wooden Stackers are fun and exciting Montessori Toys that help children comprehend various dimensions as well as shapes.
This amazing toy comprises multiple wooden pieces composed of various dimensions and a wooden stacker.
The child is encouraged to stack the said wooden pieces in rotation to understand and discriminate between different dimensions, sizes, as well as shapes of the pieces.
This toy is perfect for children who are 1 year of age as help helps keep them engaged and develops their refined motor skills.
Bead Maze:
This Bead Maze Montessori Toy fashions several wires and beads that are intertwined or entangled to create a sensorial explosion for the child.
The beads of the wooden maze are of different colors and are composed of different shapes to enhance the child’s tactile sense.
This Montessori Toy is perfect for your 1-year-old as it promotes the child to explore new possibilities through play.
Wooden Rattles:
Toddlers always get excited when it comes to making or creating different sounds with objects!
Wooden rattles of different varieties can help enhance the child’s sense of hearing and excite their senses by creating unique sounds.
Balance Boards:
Balance boards synonymously known as Wobble Boards are curved wooden boards that are meant for young children or toddlers to play with.
Balance Boards are a versatile way of developing the child’s gross motor skills, developing balance, improving the child’s posture, and strengthening their core muscles.
Balance boards are great for young children and toddlers as they allow the child to strengthen and develop your child in a fun way.
Shape Puzzles:
Wooden Shape Puzzles are fun Montessori Toys that help children discriminate between different shapes as well as enhance their fine motor skills and sense of sight.
This interactive consists of a wooden board with different shape cutouts and their designated shapes that fashion a pincer grip handle.
The child is encouraged to hold the puzzle grip with a pincer grip and place the shapes in their designated slots. This Montessori Toy is perfect for your 1-year-old to help them learn about exciting shapes.
Montessori Push Toys:
Montessori Push Toys are wooden toys that fashion a long handle to grasp onto and wheels that help the child push the toy forward.
This toy is perfect for children who are just learning how to walk independently.
Not only does this innovative toy aid the child with walking, and developing gross motor skills, but also encourages the child to explore new possibilities.
Montessori Pull Toys:
Montessori Pull Toys just like Wooden Push Toys, have similar benefits and purposes.
These toys are situated lower toward the ground and often comprise components such as a string or a handle and wheels that aid in pulling the toy as well as making different sounds.
This toy is perfect for gross motor development and muscular coordination for your 1-year-old!
Wooden Grasping Toys:
Children for the first six years of their life have an Absorbent Mind, hence they require appropriate stimuli for optimum development.
Wooden Grasping Toys and Teethers are a great way to cater to their sensorial requirements.
Montessori Grasping helps enhance and develop fine motor skills in children that are integral for academic tasks like writing.
Infant Mirror:
Infant Mirrors may appear to be unconventional to most parents, but these standing aids pack more benefits than one can think of.
These Mirrors unlike common mirrors are shatterproof and totally baby safe. Perfect for muscular coordination and development of gross motor skills, and promotes children to independently stand as well as balance.
Animal Figurines:
Wooden Animal Figurines are a great way to introduce children to the diverse world of fauna and bring them closer to nature.
With the help of these fun figurines, the possibilities are endless, the child is encouraged to indulge in open-ended play and enhance their imagination.
Musical Instruments:
Who does not like creating beautiful sounds with musical instruments?
Musical instruments in accordance with the Montessori Philosophy are child-sized instruments that are manufactured from wood.
Along with entertaining the child for hours on end, Musical Instruments also help with the development of gross motor skills and help accelerate brain development in children.
Montessori Cleaning Toys:
Practical Life Curriculum, Activities, as well as Materials, are among the cornerstones of the Montessori Method of Education.
Montessori Cleaning Toys often comprise child-sized Mops, Dustpans, Dusters, Brushes, and rakes to help inculcate values of hygiene in the child.
These toys help children respect their surrounding environment, understand the importance of order and structure as well as promote gross motor skills.
Wooden Nesting Bowls:
Nesting Bowls are quite similar to Wooden Stacker Toys in terms of benefits as well as purpose.
Wooden Nesting Bowls are Montessori Toys that promote children to indulge in imaginative play.
This toy encourages children to stack the wooden blocks or bowls one upon another and discover new horizons.
Wooden Ball Tracker:
Learn about Montessori Ball Tracker: https://mymontessorimoments.com/montessori-ball-trackers/
The Montessori Method of education helps children become acquainted with Abstract and Complex concepts like Physics or Mathematics from a very young age.
Wooden Ball Tracker is one such toy that introduces complex topics of gravity, forces, as well as momentum to the child.
Montessori Ball Tracker is a Montessori Toy that is composed of a wooden frame, several tilted compartments, and balls.
This toy enhances Gross motor skills as well as promotes children to grasp the wooden frame, drop the balls into the frame, and bend while picking up the balls.
This Montessori Toy is perfect for your 1-year-old to play with as it allows the child to develop balance and stand upright all the while observing the movement of the ball in intrigue.
Larger Soft Blocks:
While building blocks are a fun way to excite the child’s senses, they can be quite frustrating for young toddlers to play with due to their size.
Large Soft Blocks are a fun way to enhance the child’s muscular coordination, enhance gross motor skills, as well as promote the development of hand and eye coordination in your 1-year-old!
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