The 25 Best Montessori Toys for 2-Year-Olds in 2024
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Two year old's are at the age of curiosity, exploration and learning which are all methods of Montessori.
If you have determined that Montessori is a good fit for your 2 year old then focusing on toys that support this philosophy can be a great way to encourage your toddler’s learning through play and make for wonderful Montessori gifts for 2 year olds.
Keep reading to see our picks for the best Montessori toys for 2 year old's.
Why Should You Trust Us?
We've extensively researched and tested over 50 Montessori toys best fitted for 2 year old children from a variety of popular brands, taking into account factors such as safety, educational value, durability, and more.
Our team has spent countless hours hands-on testing these products to provide a comprehensive and trustworthy review. Additionally, we consulted with experts in child development to ensure our recommendations align with the principles of Montessori education.
After careful consideration and analysis of our findings, we've narrowed down our selection to the top 25 Montessori toys that we believe will provide your child with the best learning and play experiences.
How We Tested
- We purchased and tested three of the best Montessori toys for 2-Year-Olds available on the market.
- Our testing process involved several children of different age groups.
- We did not receive these products in exchange for a favorable review. We purchased them with our own money to provide an unbiased and honest assessment of their quality and effectiveness.
- We spent several weeks testing the toys and analyzing their performance.
- Based on our hands-on testing and analysis, we have compiled a detailed review of the top Montessori toys that we believe will foster your toddler's growth and development.
Best Types of Montessori Toys for 2-Year-Olds
2-year-olds love to make sense of the world by categorizing and sorting things. The best toys for this age support their emerging independence and sense of identity. Toys for two year old's should also give your toddler opportunities to develop fine and gross motor practice, problem-solving, practical life skills, and more.
1. Coin Bank
Pros:
- Great for hand-eye coordination
- Improves cognitive development
- Comes in a variety of shapes
Cons:
- Limited replay value
Your 2 year old can improve hand-eye coordination through simple movements. This toy adopts a variety of shapes and bright colors to improve children's concentration. It also allows your child to learn to observe the differences between different objects.
2. Puzzles
Pros:
- Helps children develop dexterity and control in their fingers
- Improves spatial reasoning
- Requires children to be patient and persistent in their efforts
Cons:
- Shapes may get lost around the house
Puzzles are a classic Montessori activity and the beautiful designs and images help build your child's awareness. Puzzles can be used as a matching game to learn real animals, develop eye-hand coordination, fine motor and problem-solving skills. The shapes are simple enough for your toddler to match.
3. Peg Dolls
Pros:
- Develops pretend play
- Enhances fine motor skills
- Improves cognitive development
Cons:
- Safety concerns as small shapes may be a choking hazard for young children
Simple, colorful peg dolls are a Montessori favorite. They are perfectly sized for little hands, and there are countless ways toddlers can play and pretend with them for years to come. These are great because they also teach sorting and basic colors.
4. Wooden Walker
Pros:
- Enhances gross motor skills
- Improves muscular development
Cons:
- Usually not a cheap toy
This walker toy encourages gross and fine motor skills while developing hand-eye coordination. Besides pushing exercises, this toy adds activity puzzle functions which helps with cognition, walking through the maze, turning the blocks, cognitive ability, teaching flexibility.
5. Realistic Figurines
Pros:
- Wonderful for fine motor skills
- Enhances cognitive development
- Improves problem-solving skills
Cons:
- Animals figurines may get lost
Realistic figurines is one of the principles of Montessori-based education and it helps children relate to and understand the world around them and develop meaningful connections.
These sets can be made up of farm animals, arctic animals, safari animals, and pets and are a great learning toy and can be used also in matching the figurines to identical sets or printed cards.
6. Musical Instruments
Pros:
- Encourages creativity and self-expression
- Improves cognitive development
- Introduces kids to different rhythms and melodies at a young age
Cons:
- May be loud
- Can be expensive
Musical instruments are a staple in all Montessori playrooms for your 2 year old. You will immediately see your child react to music and realize the powerful impact it can have on social, emotional and cognitive development.
7. Hammer Toys
Pros:
- Improves hand-eye coordination
- Helps develop dexterity and control in the fingers
- Great way for children to release pent-up energy
Cons:
- Requires adult supervision to avoid accidents.
Montessori toys are developed with a single concept in mind like hammering an object through a hole. Pounding toys are specially designed for little hands and suitable for an easy grip, which is ideal for toddlers. These types of toys can help promote hand-eye coordination, improve dexterity and exercise their muscles.
8. Blocks
Pros:
- Develops problem-solving skills
- Allows children to express their creativity and imagination
- Great for fine motor skills
Cons:
- Not Cheap.
A nice set of wooden blocks is not only a Montessori-friendly toy but it is one that can grow with your toddler. Blocks encourage your 2 year old to build, imagine, develop motor skills and even experiment with math and physics concepts. These sets are usually made from natural wood and finished with non-toxic paint.
9. Shape Sorting Cube
Pros:
- Develops problem-solving skills
- Enhances fine motor skills
- Improves cognitive development by learning to recognize and match different shapes
Cons:
- Safety concerns as small shapes may be a choking hazard for very young children
Shape sorters are a classic Montessori childhood staple that will hold up to hours and hours of play. The bright colors and chunky size objects make it easy for little hands to grasp. Your child must drop shapes into the sorting cube by fitting the pieces in the matching holes.
10. Chunky Water Blocks
Pros:
- Great for hand-eye coordination
- Enhances creativity and imagination
Cons:
- Takes up a lot of space around the house
These chunky blocks combine the simplicity of wood blocks with a colorful design. These light weight building blocks help strengthen motor skills development, improve hand-eye coordination, and are a great tool for teaching your toddler colors and shapes.
11. Rainbow Stacker
Pros:
- Improves problem-solving skills by requiring children to figure out how to stack the pieces in the correct order
- Fosters early math skills by introducing the concepts of size, shape, and pattern recognition.
Cons:
- Takes up a lot of space
Your two year old can use this stacker as building blocks, stimulate imagination and develop creativity and help develop intelligence. This toy is a colorful building block toy set that contains 7 different vibrantly colored wooden pieces with separate sizes.
12. Board Books
Pros:
- Ideal for young children who are still learning to handle books
- Great for early literacy development
Cons:
- Board books may be more expensive than paper books.
The Montessori method recommends choosing children’s books that are based in reality, include interesting details and are appropriate for a child’s age and learning level. Bright, realistic images will help with expanding their vocabulary with lots of new words.
13. Wooden Nesting Stacking & Bowls
Pros:
- Fosters creativity and imagination
- Requires children to use spatial reasoning
Cons:
- Small pieces may get lost around the house
This toy is great for multifunctional nesting and sorting. It is specially designed for Montessori teaching. Your two year old can stack the cups up to make a tower and nest them inside each other all while learning sizes, weight, counting or drawing a picture on the boxes.
14. Wooden Puzzle Shape Sorter
Pros:
- Durable and long-lasting
- Improves fine motor skills
- Enhances imaginative play
Cons:
- Once the child has learned how to sort and match the game may lose its appeal.
Your two year old can learn to combine objects in 3 ways because of the pillar base adopts upgraded design and can be separate break-up. This Montessori toddler toy also guides your child to learn more colors, shapes and numbers when matching blocks.
15. Colored Balls and Cups
Pros:
- Enhances imaginative play
- Develops practical life skills
Cons:
- Expensive
Colored balls and cups are another great way of teaching color matching as well as promoting balance and developing motor skills. The colored balls and cups game is very appropriate, but it’s not one of the typical go-to materials.
16. Fine Motor Mastery Busy Board
Pros:
- Requires children to use critical thinking
- Develops various motor skills
Cons:
- May be a bit overwhelming for some kids
At around two years old, your toddler may start to explore their clothes, fiddling zippers, buttons and drawstrings. A busy board bundles together nine different types of clothing fasteners to help your toddler practice the fine motor skills required to put on clothes and take them off.
Keep in mind that the Montessori method says to let children lead their own learning, so offer this toy when you see that your child is showing interest in learning how to work with fasteners.
17. Peg Board
Pros:
- Simple and easy to use
- Helps develop visual memory
Cons:
- Not as durable as other toys
Your two year old can enjoy hours of play using this tactile and multisensory tool. Counting peg boards applies this concept by helping your child to develop visual memory while also training the muscles of the hand.
18. Paint Play
Pros:
- Allows children to explore and experiment with color and textures
- Fosters curiosity and interest in the visual arts
Cons:
- Can be messy
Finger paints inspire creativity and sensory exploration as well as just plain old fun. Aligned perfectly with the Montessori philosophy, these paints will encourage your toddler with hands-on exploration and help with sensory development. These paints are non-toxic, washable and safe for artists of any age.
19. Housework Helpers Cleaning Tools
Pros:
- Simple to use
- Improves practical life skills
Cons:
- Some kids don't like cleaning
Summon your toddler to help around the house in the name of all things Montessori. These cleaning tools are sized down for toddler hands and they look just like the real thing, which is an important feature in Montessori-inspired materials.
20. Assorted Wooden Fruit Set
Pros:
- Durable and long-lasting
- Improves fine motor skills
- Enhances imaginative play
Cons:
- Once the child has learned how to sort and match the fruit pieces, the game may lose its appeal.
Toddlers will love practicing their "knife skills" with this wooden food set. You will love that you won't have to worry about your toddler hurting themselves. This is a great playset to start teaching your little one about kitchen tasks.
21. Wooden Lacing Toys
Pros:
- Made of a durable materials
- Improves critical thinking in kids
Cons:
- May be complicated for some kids
These lacing toys are great for working fine motor skills and keeping a toddler entertained in the car or at appointments. This threading toy is great for toddlers, and are solid and smooth with perfectly sized slots for threading.
22. Race Cars & Ramp
Pros:
- Made of a durable materials
- Simply too much fun
Cons:
- Not cheap
The Junior Ramp Racer assists your 2 year old development with hand-eye coordination and attention span. It also encourages toddlers to cooperate and take turns to play their own race cars, develop communication skills, dexterity and repetition through playing.
23. Play Sink
Pros:
- Enhances imaginative play
- Improves social and communication skills
- Develops practical life skills
Cons:
- Play kitchens can be large and take up a lot of space
A big part of Montessori is practical life skills especially in the kitchen. A play sink can be a great option for parents wanting to introduce the concept without running their sink all day.
24. Crawling Tunnel
Pros:
- Light yet durable
- Develops problem-solving skills
Cons:
- More expensive than other toys on the list
The crawling tunnel is a great exercise in gross motor skills and can turn into creative play. This can be great to get your toddlers to engage in physical play and stimulates the imagination.
25. Eggs Sensory Game
Pros:
- Great for mix and match skills
- Develops problem-solving abilities
Cons:
- Frustrating if a certain piece is lost
An egg sensory game is a fun way of learning new things and improves different skill sets, including hand-eye coordination and effective problem-solving. This toy is like a real egg size that makes it perfect for little hand to grasp and play while discovering unique color & shape combinations.
What to Look for When Buying Montessori Toys for Your 2 Year Old
When buying Montessori toys for 2-year-olds, it's important to keep in mind that Montessori toys are designed to promote natural learning and development through play. Here are some things to look for:
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Open-Ended Toys: Montessori toys should be open-ended, meaning they allow for multiple types of play and can be used in different ways. For example, blocks, nesting cups, and puzzles with multiple pieces are great open-ended toys for toddlers.
-
Sensory Stimulation: Children learn through their senses, so Montessori toys should provide different types of sensory stimulation. Look for toys with different textures, colors, and sounds.
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Natural Materials: Montessori toys are often made of natural materials like wood, cotton, and wool. Avoid plastic and battery-operated toys as much as possible.
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Simple Designs: Montessori toys should be simple in design and not overstimulating. Avoid toys with flashing lights, loud noises, and too many bells and whistles.
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Size and Safety: Make sure the toys you choose are the right size for your child and are safe to use. Avoid toys with small parts that can be a choking hazard.
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Age-Appropriateness: Make sure the toys you choose are appropriate for your child's age and skill level. 2-year-olds are still developing their fine motor skills, so look for toys that can help them practice grasping, gripping, and manipulating objects.
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Practical Life Skills: Montessori toys often focus on practical life skills such as pouring, scooping, and sorting. Look for toys that can help your child develop these skills in a fun and engaging way.
Final Thoughts
There are a few things to remember when choosing Montessori toys for your 2 year old and that is they are learning the concept of full and empty, color matching and in and out. Toys that encourage these skills will keep your toddler busy for hours on end.