Home / Toddler / Toddler Shopping Guides The best Montessori toys for 2-year-olds, according to an expert Enrich your toddler’s play with quality, educational Montessori toys for 2-year-olds. By Heather Rose Artushin Updated August 12, 2024 Rectangle We independently select and share the products we love—and may receive a commission if you choose to buy. Inside this article What makes a toy Montessori? Here are the best Montessori toys for 2-year-olds: During the terrific twos, children seem to transform from babies to children, complete with their own opinions, ideas and big feelings! Two-year-olds are busy building their vocabulary as their language skills begin to blossom. Gross motor movement continues to be important as two-year-olds gain greater muscle control and balance. At this age, toddlers are continuing to refine their hand-eye coordination and hand grasp, and can do more complex fine motor tasks, like working with puzzles or simple bead-stringing activities. There are countless toys on the market today, but many only serve to entertain or even overstimulate little minds. While every toddler can benefit from a home filled with books and rich language, providing a thoughtfully-cultivated shelf of developmentally-appropriate toys is essential in keeping your little one engaged and learning at home. Montessori toys for 2-year-olds center around your child’s developmental tasks, inspiring and challenging their brains and bodies in just the right way. Related: 2-year-old milestones Learn more about the best Montessori toys for 2-year-olds and find the perfect materials to enhance your growing toddler’s environment. What makes a toy Montessori? Maria Montessori was an Italian physician and educator whose philosophy centered around child development and the ways children naturally learn. She founded the first Montessori school in the early 1900’s, which she called Casa dei Bambini, or “Children’s House.” Her work focused on early childhood education, as she believed that children’s minds are like sponges before the age of three, soaking in the world around them. Maria once said, “Our work is not to teach, but to help the absorbent mind in its work of development.” By focusing less on teaching and more on preparing an enriching environment for children to explore freely, Maria revolutionized the way we think about learning. Taking an online class on how to incorporate the Montessori approach in your home can provide strategies to respond to your child’s emerging independence, emotions and determination with respect. Today, Montessori’s ideals have captivated the attention of modern parents. While traditional Montessori works that are found in the classroom are especially beautiful additions to any toddler’s playroom, there are other high-quality toys that align well with Montessori’s philosophy. Montessori toys are: Sensory. Maria Montessori recognized that young children explore the world through their senses. For that reason, Montessori toys appeal to the child’s senses, being hands-on, visually appealing and made of natural materials. Montessori toys often take advanced concepts and make them concrete for the child to learn sensorially. Made to last. Toys that align with the Montessori philosophy are made to last. Using high-quality, natural materials enhances the child’s sensory experience and creates an aesthetically pleasing environment. The best part is that the toys you purchase for your first child will last for their younger siblings’ enjoyment, and beyond! Educational. The best Montessori toys for your 2-year-old will be those that offer an outlet for them to practice skills they are already working on in their development. Montessori toys are inherently educational, expanding their understanding of the world through strategic, hands-on work. Montessori toys for 2-year-olds are valuable because they: Promote healthy development Follow the child’s natural interests Provide the “just right” challenge for their developing brains Increase their self-esteem Avoid overstimulation Encourage focus and concentration Instill a sense of order Here are the best Montessori toys for 2-year-olds: PlanToys Geo Matching Blocks • $30 These geometric blocks are perfect for refining those fine motor skills as your two-year-old carefully fits the colorful shape blocks into their matching natural wood holders. This shape sorting activity is preferable because you can present only one or two shapes at a time on a tray, then offer more as your toddler becomes increasingly proficient. SHOP MOTHERLY SHOP AMAZON Manine Montessori First Lacing Activity • $13.59 This classic Montessori work is perfect for practicing hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills, a gentle first experience in stringing beads. Threading across the body’s midline also prepares the child for writing, dressing themselves and other important life skills. The large natural wood slices, thick rope and sturdy lacing tool at the end make this ideal for little hands. SHOP ETSY PlanToys Rainmaker • $20 Self-expression and musicality are emerging in your two-year-old’s development, making instruments like this adorable wooden rainmaker a great addition to your child’s environment. This Montessori toy for 2-year-olds will help your child experiment with cause and effect as they make music by turning the instrument upside-down. For little ones with big emotions, this can also serve as a calming tool for self-regulation. SHOP MOTHERLY PlanToys Assorted Fruit Set • $30 Two-year-olds are eager to mimic the tasks they see the adults in their lives modeling. Maria Montessori encouraged toddlers to engage in what she called practical life activities, building skills to help them care for themselves, others and the environment. This lovely wooden fruit set gives toddlers an opportunity to practice slicing fruit in a safe, realistic way. This toy will grow with your child as their imaginative play skills emerge over time. SHOP MOTHERLY SHOP AMAZON Melissa and Doug Safari Peg Puzzle • $9.99 No collection of Montessori toys for 2-year-olds would be complete without at least one wooden puzzle. Puzzles like this safari peg puzzle by Melissa and Doug offer the right challenge for little hands to perfect their pincer grasp, practice picture-to-picture matching and expand their vocabulary as they learn the names of the animals in the puzzle. SHOP MELISSA & DOUG SHOP AMAZON Piccalio Acrobat Balance Beam • $129 This wooden balance beam for kids is designed with young children in mind. Montessori classrooms often include a balance activity, sometimes as simple as a line of painter’s tape on the floor, where children can practice “walking the line.” Around two-years-old children are working on balance and gross motor coordination, making this balance beam a beautiful addition to your Montessori playroom. SHOP MOTHERLY SHOP PICCALIO Learning Resources Farmer’s Market Color Sorting Set • $45.99 Not only is this activity helpful in encouraging interest in nutritious food choices at an age when children might become picky about what’s on their plate, but it also meets a child’s natural need to begin organizing the world around them through sorting. Sitting down with your child to introduce the names of the fruits, vegetables and colors in this activity can also offer them the language boost they’re looking for at this stage in their development. Receptive language is often far ahead of expressive language, so even if your toddler isn’t repeating the words back to you just yet, their absorbent mind is taking it all in. SHOP AMAZON PlanToys Cleaning Set • $35 This practical life toy not only provides an opportunity for toddlers to imitate the adults in the home through play, but is realistic enough to offer a brief lesson on how to sweep up crumbs after snack! At this age, toddlers respond best to brief instruction using only a few words followed by a silent, slow demonstration of the action. SHOP MOTHERLY SHOP AMAZON Safari LTD Miniatures Matching Activity • $14.50 Two-year-olds love matching activities as a way of vocabulary-building and gaining a deeper understanding of the world around them. Matching an object to a picture, like a miniature musical instrument to its matching picture card, is a common activity you’ll find in any Montessori toddler environment. This is easy to switch out with different objects to continue building on your child’s knowledge. These free Montessori language card printables are perfect to accompany the TOOB miniature objects. Take note: TOOB miniatures may present a choking hazard and should be used only with adult supervision. SHOP AMAZON Piccalio Convertible Helper Tower • $199 If there is only one item you can invest in to make your home more Montessori-aligned, it is a kitchen learning tower. Toddlers gain vocabulary exposure, fine motor practice, independence and self-esteem all by working beside their grown-ups in the kitchen. It also encourages healthy, adventurous eating and provides a practice that will build special memories with your little one for years to come. SHOP MOTHERLY SHOP PICCALIO Inside this article What makes a toy Montessori? Here are the best Montessori toys for 2-year-olds: The latest Toddler Nutrition Here’s exactly how to try ‘responsive feeding’ with toddlers Our Partners Brick by brick, LEGO® DUPLO® helps preschoolers build friendships Our Partners We found the perfect gift for your toddler’s next birthday Our Partners Our packing must-have for toddler travel? LEGO® sets