The Montessori Method is a great approach with the main idea of “help me to do it myself” meaning we foster independence (with toys – independent play) and give the freedom to explore the world including toys (within limits). Maybe you have looked at our Montessori toys for 1 year olds. A lot can still be beneficial at 2 years old as well but we will focus in this article on thee best Montessori toys for 2 year olds that are a little bit more advanced.
When we look at the best montessori toys we can have a look into a montessori classroom and see what they often have on hand. We want to look for mainly simple toys made of natural materials. No matter your child’s interests, there is a montessori toy perfect for them!
If you’re unsure about what to get or you really want to experiment with new toys every few months, you might want to look into the Lovevery Play Kits. They send you developmentally appropriate toys in a box every 3 months to set you and your child up for so much fun! You can start at any time from newborn to age 3.
Wooden Pretend Play Food Set
With these pretend foods your 2 year old can start learning practical life skills. It is one of our favorite montessori toys along with a pretend play kitchen. The foods are holding together with magnet and the play knife cuts them apart. It is also a great way to teach them about healthy foods and they might be more inclined to eat these in real life if they enjoy playing with the pretend version.
Woodpecker Worm Magnetic Bird Feeding Game
This is a great toy for fine motor skills which really start developing more at this age. The goal of the game is to use the magnetic beak of the mother bird and get the worms out of the tree and feed them to the baby bird. This also helps with hand-eye coordination.
Skoolzy Peg Board Set
This is a great sorting and stacking set which can help with teaching color matching. You can also use it to learn to count while stacking the pegs on top of each other. Let your toddler build stacking towers with a friend to also practice language and social skills.
Bee to Hive Matching Game
So cute and amazing montessori toy working fine motor skills. With the tweezers kids can try to grab the bees and place them in the color matching hive. If the tweezers are too difficult, they can use their fingers for starters.
Busy Board
Busy boards are great montessori toys for 2 year olds that are easy to take on a trip and keep your toddler entertained for a while. The zippers, shoelaces, buttons, and belt buckles are great for your toddler’s fine motor skills. Some of the things your 2 year old won’t be able to yet and that is great because it will keep being interesting for a while.
Wooden Lacing Apple
Lacing is a classic montessori activity that makes kids explore the toy and develop motor skills. This apple has nice big holes to make it easier for young kids to aim the caterpillar. It’s great and sturdy for littles and won’t break! It also helps development of hand eye coordination.
Counting & Matching Bears Cups Game
This is one of our favorite educational toys for ages 2 and up. It’s great to have our kids learn at their own pace and this set really gives lots of variations of play. The teddies make it so cute but really they’re also learning and can even learn to roll a dice.
Stoie’s International Wooden Music Set
Musical instruments made from natural wood might be one of the best montessori gifts that 2 year olds will LOVE! It can be a fun way to get the whole family involved and you can start a little band!
Toddler Wooden Blocks Toys
It’s one of the best toys made from typical go to materials. It can be found in montessori classrooms and shouldn’t be missing in montessori homes. There are different shapes and different sizes for your child to inspire building all different kinds of structures and worlds.
Pop Up Baby Crawling Tunnel
The perfect gift for Montessori parents for both indoor and outdoor! It is great for developing gross motor skills and creative play. If your little one loves creating worlds and being active, this is amazing for both. It has different bright colors like a rainbow which is so cute! This is a great exercise to get your kid active and let energy out.
All Seasons Kids Wooden Dollhouse
We all know how much imaginative play we had with a doll house right? While we wouldn’t recommend using small dolls and figurines as toys for 2 year olds, you can get the doll house unfurnished or save small parts for later. For now little hands could use farm animals or bigger dolls to play in it. It will be used for a very long time!
The Montessori philosophy was created by Maria Montessori and the goal was to have a child centered approach to kid’s education and development. This means we should look at their interests and development and get appropriate toys or activities for not only your child’s age but also their pace.
Developing motor skills, language development, and problem solving skills are great goals. As parents wanting those things we just need to look at what is age appropriate and for the stage they’re at. And if they have difficulties with one task that others their age do with no problem, that doesn’t mean there is something wrong right away.
