Our favorite Montessori-friendly toys, all under $20

Wise Elk wooden express train toy

Your toddler will enjoy honing their imagination, creativity and motor skills with this train set made of calming colors in water-safe paint.

Wise Elk wooden lacing fruit set

Perfect for any Montessori-inspired playroom, this set made of ecological wood from the Carpathian Mountains, helps little ones develop hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills.

Wise Elk toy ice cream car

Help preschoolers learn preschool shapes and colors while exploring independent play.

Math for Love polka dot game

These math-focused cards feature 16 number games, with difficulty levels designed for 3-8 year olds. The games are fun, but simple enough that siblings can play together once they get the hang of it, buying you some much needed time to get things done.

Boxiki kids stacking toys + shape sorting board

This 3D wooden puzzle stacker helps children develop logic and dexterity by carefully placing each piece where it belongs. This fun toy is also great for road trips.

Fajiabao logic puzzle board

Kids can practice patterns, logical thinking, and problem solving, all of which are precursors to early math. You can choose to use the timer or not, depending on how you think your own child will best enjoy the challenge.

Sendida number stacker + puzzle

If your child is practicing numeral recognition and ordering the numerals, this puzzle is a fun way for them to hone the skill.

Melissa & Doug wooden doll family

Kids pickup on our anxiety no matter how hard we try to shield them from what’s going on. These wooden dolls are perfect for kids to use to play out real life scenarios and process their feelings.

They are also great for story writing inspiration for older kids. Kids can act out a story with the dolls before writing and illustrating it.

Melissa & Doug floor puzzle

Puzzles are always an excellent choice as they challenge spatial and visual discrimination skills. They’re also especially good for when we’re all stuck at home because kids will play with the same puzzle many times.

Melissa & Doug wooden lacing beads

Lacing beads are excellent for developing fine motor control and focus in young kids. You can also use these to practice patterns. The five distinct shapes are also easy for little hands to grasp.

Melissa & Doug pattern blocks

Pattern blocks encourage children to learn the names of shapes and practice spatial awareness as they work to recreate the images shown on the wooden cards.

A fun extension is to invite a child to trace and color the shapes on paper after they’ve created a design. An older child could also write the names of the shapes on their picture.

Melissa & Doug see + spell puzzle

The Melissa & Doug see and spell puzzle is self-correcting, which means your child can tell on their own whether or not they’ve spelled the word correctly. This is key when you’re trying to get work done alongside your child.

Creativity for kids grow and glow terrarium

This set includes potting mix, seeds and everything else for your child to create their own little world in a jar. Bonus–it includes glow in the dark stickers to decorate with, which makes exploring in the dark more fun.

Da Vinci’s Room sums in space game

Sums in Space helps kids practice addition and subtraction with numbers 1-9. We love that players can either compete against each other or play cooperatively.

Kakooma plus math games

Can you ever really have too many games?This math game encourages kids to practice addition and subtraction, but through little number puzzle cards. Who needs worksheets?

Zingo reading game

This bingo-based game helps little ones practice their early reading skills. It’s designed for kids 4 year old and up and up to seven players can play at a time.

The Learning Resources Store 3D puzzle globe

Globes give young children a concrete understanding of the world and where different continents are in relation to each other. This 3D puzzle globe is perfect for children curious about continents and the animals indigenous to various areas.