If you are looking to buy a gift for your 1-year-old, whether a birthday gift, a Christmas present, or for any special occasion, you should definitely consider getting them a Montessori inspired gift. We are listing Best Montessori Gifts for 1 Year Old for the parents looking for Educational Gifts Ideas.
At this stage of their life, there are many skills that they need to learn and develop, with a Montessori toy they will be having fun while developing these skills.
A Montessori toy is one that encourages your kid to learn by promoting direct engagement. Unlike ordinary toys it does just serve as a source of entertainment and distraction, it encourages them to develop a particular skill. It’s designed to support the Montessori method of education that emphasizes hands-on learning, self-directed activity, and the development of independence in children. Montessori toys are often designed to be open-ended, allowing children to explore and discover for themselves, rather than being highly prescriptive in the way that they can be played with.
One thing to consider when you want to buy a Montessori inspired gift for your little one is the Material from which the toy is made. It does not have to be wooden.
The reason wood is used for Montessori toys is because it is natural, sturdy, and attractive; qualities that every Montessori toy should have.
Also, Montessori toys do not use batteries, this is to prevent distraction and encourage your toddler to be open-minded and creative. They are often made from natural materials and are meant to be aesthetically pleasing, as the Montessori approach places a strong emphasis on the physical environment in which learning takes place.
Below are our 8 best Montessori gifts for 1 year old (in no particular order) that you can give a toddler on this special occasion.
8 Best Montessori Gifts for 1 Year Old
WOOD CITY STACKING AND SORTING TOY – Amazon’s Choice
This wooden stacking and sorting toy will be a perfect gift for a 1-year-old. It will help develop the baby’s hand-eye coordination, they will learn how to pick up and let go of objects.
The wooden puzzle has 5 different brightly colored geometrically shaped blocks that will fit uniquely to a particular hole and peg in the board.
There are so many things your 1-year-old can learn with this shape puzzle; shape and color identification. They can also learn how to count with it when they grow a little bit older.
PROS
- Small size that a 1-year-old hand can easily grasp.
- It is made from toxic free wood.
- The paint does not peel off.
- The shapes have smooth edges that won’t hurt the baby.
- It is portable and can be taken along to outings conveniently.
CONS
- The puzzle pieces are quite small, about 1.5 inches so the baby needs to be monitored to prevent them from putting it in their mouth.
- The wooden pegs are not very sturdy.
EHOMA TODDLER MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS
Studies have shown that musical instruments help boost a baby’s brain development. It will also help to develop your baby’s gross and fine motor skills.
That is why number 2 in our best Montessori toys for 1 year old is Ehoma musical instrument. It has different blowing, beating, tapping, and shaking instruments.
It will help promote your baby’s sense of music and voices. They will be able to explore the different sounds that each instrument makes.
You and your baby can play with it together to promote parent-child relationships or you can pair your baby with another baby which will promote teamwork.
PROS
- It is made from natural wood with no coating or paint.
- It comes with a portable bag for storage and for conveniently carrying around.
CONS
- Adult supervision is needed as there are some small instruments in the set.
- The wood is not painted so it might not look attractive to your baby.
SKYFIELD CARROT HARVEST GAME
This carrot harvest game comes in a farmland pattern with 7 differently sized carrots and holes. The colorful carrots have felt leaves on them which makes them look realistic.
This fun game will help develop your baby’s fine motor skills, help them recognize sizes, and develop hand-eye coordination.
The game is quite challenging, your baby needs to identify the carrot that fits in a particular hole.
As the baby grows the game can be used for farmer market imaginative play.
PROS
- The colorful carrots look attractive and realistic.
- Both the carrot and the base is made from natural wood
- It is a challenging game that will improve your baby’s intelligence.
- It helps the baby to focus on a single task without distraction.
CONS
- Adult supervision is needed as some of the carrots are small.
- Your baby might become uninterested after they figure out the puzzle.
MELISSA ANDDOUG ALLIGATOR PUSH TOY
A push toy is a great way to develop your toddler’s agility and balance by encouraging them to walk more. They also help develop your baby’s gross motor skills.
Melissa and Doug alligator push toy features three alligators that open and close their mouth and make clacking sounds the toy is pushed. It is brightly colored and well designed with fishes on the wheel, spinning butterfly, and ladybug beads on it, all of which make it attractive.
The push toy is quite interesting and the clack and clomp sound it makes when pushed encourages the toddler.
PROS
- It is made from natural wood.
- Attractively painted and designed to catch your toddler’s attention.
- It is easy to handle and move.
CONS
- Adult supervision needed.
- It might be hard to assemble.
AYEBOOVI WOODEN TODDLER JIGSAW PUZZLE
Your baby will definitely love this brightly colored jigsaw puzzle. Each of the 6 jigsaw puzzles can be fitted together to take the form of a honey bee, ladybug, owl, butterfly, turtle, and bear.
Although your 1 year old might not be able to assemble the puzzle properly on their own, you can help them assemble it and teach them the name of the animals. This will improve your relationship with your child.
Puzzles are a really great way to develop your baby’s problem-solving skills. It will also improve their fine motor skill.
PROS
- It is made from wood and decorated with non-toxic paint.
- Comes with a nice storage bag.
- The puzzle pieces are perfectly sized for a 1-year-old hand.
- Brightly colored to attract your baby.
CONS
- Adult supervision is required to prevent your baby from putting the pieces in their mouth.
HAPE WALK-A-LONG PUPPY PULL TOY
After your baby learns to push, the next thing is to learn to pull. Pulling will help develop and improve your toddler’s cognitive skills and coordination.
Hape walk-a-long puppy pull toy is brightly colored and quite realistic. It can be
made to sit, stand, rollover. The puppy wags its tail when it is rolling or walking. Apart from being fun for your toddler, It will also help develop their intelligence.
The puppy has a natural woody color with orange spots and red ears, wheels, and tail.
PROS
- It is made from natural wood.
- It is brightly colored and attractive.
- The puppy is realistic and behaves so much like a real-life puppy.
- It is sturdy and the watercolor paint does not peel off.
CONS
- It might topple over when the direction of movement is changed.
MELISSA AND DOUG POP BLOC FARM ANIMALS BLOC FARM ANIMALS
Melissa and Doug’s plastic pop bloc consists of 10 pieces (heads and tails) that can be popped together to form 5 different animals; hen, pig, sheep, horse, and cow. You can use it to teach your toddler how to identify the animals by their name.
It will help develop your baby’s hand-eye coordination. They will be thinking about which head and tail matches and this will improve their problem-solving skills and develop their intelligence.
It is soft and a 1-year-old can easily pop it together and pull it apart. They can also get creative and mix the head and tail of different farm animals.
PROS
- It is made from soft but firm plastic.
- Perfect size for a 1-year-old hand to grasp.
- Brightly colored and attractive.
CONS
- It has a kind of powdery scent which might be a problem if your baby is sensitive to smell.
MANHATTAN TOY RATTLE AND TEETHER GRASPING TOY
Finally on our 8 best Montessori gifts for a 1 year old is the Manhattan toy rattle and teether grasping toy.
This rattle toy is artful and different from other rattle toys. It has a geometrical shape that will intrigue not just your toddler but also other adults. Your baby will be eager to touch and explore it.
It consists of beads that rattle and slide along smooth wooden dowels when shaken. It also has elastic ties that your baby can easily hold.
It will help your baby learn cause and effect, they will love to see how the toy stretches and return to its original size when the elastic tie is held. It is also a great way to develop their sense of sound.
PROS
- It is made from wood and painted with water-based paint.
- It can be used as a teether.
- The shape of the toy will interest your baby
- It is portable and durable.
CONS
- Baby should be monitored especially when using it as a teether
We all know that kids love toys. Montessori toys will help your baby learn while playing and having fun.
Our 8 best Montessori toys for a 1 year old include stacking toys, puzzles, musical instruments, push toy, pull toy, baby rattle. Every child is different and your baby might not be interested in some of these Montessori toys yet.
Observation is important in knowing what your toddler is interested in, for example, if your baby shows interest in dragging things around, then you should get them a pull toy or if they just started walking, you can give them a push toy to make walking more interesting for them.
If you are not sure of what they are interested in, give them more than one of the toys and include them in their Montessori toy rotation. That way no matter what they are interested in they will have a toy for it.
Overall, our list of the 8 best Montessori gifts for 1 year old will help you make great decisions that will put a smile on your baby’s face. Or you can check best Montessori gifts for 1 year old below.