The 20 Most Popular DIY Montessori Toys in 2024

The Montessori method of education is built on the idea that children are naturally creative, curious, and therefore already have the ability to learning about the world around them.

Providing your child with these do it yourself toys and activities will help create your child’s lifelong love of learning.

1. Color Sorting

Materials Needed:

• Cloth, paper, or other items in a set of five colors (e.g., red, blue, yellow, green, and orange)
• Additional items for sorting, such as small toys or objects

• Time to Make: Approximately 5-10 minutes
• Estimated Playtime per Session: 10-15 minutes

You can use cloth, paper or other items in a set of five colors like primary colors. Your child should be able to match the colors of different items. Add more colors to match or other items as they gain skill with sorting.

2. Basic Insert Work

• Materials Needed:
  • Object for insertion (e.g., ball, wooden egg)
  • Container (e.g., bowl, pot)
• Time to Make: Approximately 10-15 minutes
• Estimated Playtime per Session: 10-15 minutes

This is as simple using just an object and a container to put it in and take it out of. The item can be a ball or wooden egg placed into a bowl or pot and removed.

3. Mailbox Insert Work

• Materials Needed:
  • Container with a hinged lid (e.g., shoebox with lid or small cardboard box)
  • Discs or objects small enough to fit through the slit in the lid
• Time to Make: Approximately 5-10 minutes
• Estimated Playtime per Session: 5-10 minutes

This is the same concept, as above but a little more difficult.  All you need is a container with a hinged lid that you can make a slit in, and some discs that will fit through the slit.

4. Peg Insert Work

• Materials Needed:
  • Clean soup container or box from a restaurant with a lid
  • Pegs (e.g., from a hammering set, clothespins, or wooden pegs)
• Time to Make: Approximately 20-30 minutes
• Estimated Playtime per Session: 15-20 minutes

This can be done by making a hole in a clean soup container or box from a restaurant and used pegs that are part of a hammering set, clothes pins or some other wooden pegs.

Also Read: The 25 Best Montessori Toys for 2 Year Olds

5. Ribbon Pull Toy

• Materials Needed:
  • Empty breadcrumb canister
  • Colored sheet of paper
  • Adhesive construction paper or glue
  • Ribbon scraps
• Time to Make: Approximately 15-30 minutes
• Estimated Playtime per Session: 10-15 minutes

Take an empty breadcrumb canister and poke a bunch of holes in the lid. Measure the height of the canister and cut a colored sheet of paper to wrap around the canister. Adhesive construction paper will make your job easier, but you could just glue construction paper on. Add ribbon scraps and tie another knot at the end. Repeat until you have lots of ribbons for your toddler to pull.

6. Straw Insert Work

• • Cardboard box or paper towel holder with lid
  • Drinking straws or pipe cleaners
• Time to Make: Approximately 10-15 minutes
• Estimated Playtime per Session: 5-7 minutes

This one is very easy to make. Just poke holes in the lid of a cardboard box or paper towel holder and cut up little straws or pipe cleaners to put in. 

Also Read: The 12 Best Montessori Activities for 1 Year Olds

7. Velcro Shapes Box

• Materials Needed:
  • Box, tray, or fabric
  • Velcro strips
  • Cut-out shapes
  • Glue
• Time to Make: Approximately 20-25 minutes
• Estimated Playtime per Session: 10-12 minutes

Get a box, tray or fabric and attach Velcro to areas. The cut-out shapes and glue Velcro to the back. These can be attached to make a pretty design.

8. Wallet with Cards

• Materials Needed:
  • Old wallet
  • Used gift cards or old credit cards
• Time to Make: Approximately 2-3 minutes (depending on preparation)
• Estimated Playtime per Session: 15-20 minutes

This is a fun one for older kids. Get an old wallet and used gift cards of old credit cards to put inside. Kids love to pretend like they are shopping and using the cards.

9. Tugging Box

• Materials Needed:
  • Gift box or sturdy square box
  • Ribbons of different colors
• Time to Make: Approximately 15-20 minutes
• Estimated Playtime per Session: 10-15 minutes

Using a gift box or sturdy square box, poke holes along the sides. Pull ribbons of different colors through the holes and tie knots in the ends of the ribbons.

10. Scoop and Pour

• Materials Needed:
  • Bowl
  • Items like rice, popcorn, or raisins
  • Other sized bowls or ice trays
  • Different shaped spoons or scoops
• Time to Set Up: Approximately 5-10 minutes
• Estimated Playtime per Session: 10-15 minutes

Sill a bowl with items like rice, popcorn or raisins and provide other size bowls or ice trays. With different shape spoons or scoops move the items around.

11. Empty Container and Plastic Eggs

• Materials Needed:
  • Empty container (e.g., plastic bin, cardboard box)
  • Plastic eggs or other small items
• Time to Set Up: Approximately 5 minutes
• Estimated Playtime per Session: 10-15 minutes

Make an easy game with an empty container and plastic eggs. Kids put them in and pour them out. You can use other items if you don't have plastic eggs.

12. Washing Apples

• Materials Needed:
  • Large plastic bin
  • Small bin or container for water
  • Dirty apples
  • Scrub brushes or sponges
• Time to Set Up: Approximately 5-10 minutes
• Estimated Playtime per Session: 15-20 minutes

Set dirty apples in a large plastic bin and in a smaller bin add water. Give your kids scrub brushes and let them clean the apples.

13. Color Box

• Materials Needed:
  • Shoe box or box with a lid
  • Colorful papers or coins
  • Scissors
  • Markers or colored pencils
• Time to Set Up: Approximately 10-12 minutes
• Estimated Playtime per Session: 5-7 minutes

Using a shoe box or box with a lid, cut slits and color around the slit. Cut out pieces of color papers or coins and let your child match the color to the right slit.

Also Read: Top 15 Online Montessori Schools

14. Zipper Board

• Materials Needed:
  • Board (e.g., plywood, cardboard)
  • Zippers of different colors and sizes
  • Glue or adhesive
• Time to Make: Approximately 15-20 minutes
• Estimated Playtime per Session: 10-15 minutes

Take a box or board and glue zippers of different colors and sizes to it. Let the kids pull them open and closed.

Also Read: The 12 Best Montessori Activities for 4 Year Olds

15. Fish Tank Sensory Bag

• Materials Needed:
  • Ziplock bag
  • Tape
  • Colorful items (e.g., beads, sequins, buttons)
  • Fish cutouts or stickers
• Time to Make: Approximately 10-20 minutes
• Estimated Playtime per Session: 10-15 minutes

A zip lock bag can become a fish tank with this fun idea. Tape it to a window or box and place colorful items inside and cut outs of fish. Kids will love moving items around to create their own underwater world.

16. Peek-A-Boo Sensory Board

• Materials Needed:
  • Board (e.g., plywood, foam board)
  • Various textures or pictures
  • Wipe lids or other covers
  • Glue or adhesive
• Time to Make: Approximately 20-30 minutes
• Estimated Playtime per Session: 15-20 minutes

Toddlers LOVE playing peek a boo. Create a board where they can see their reflection, touch textures or pictures. Glue these items to a board and place wipe lids on top.

17. Spider’s Web Discovery Basket

• Materials Needed:
  • Laundry basket
  • String or yarn
  • Various toys or objects
• Time to Make: Approximately 15-20 minutes
• Estimated Playtime per Session: 15-20 minutes

Take a laundry basket and string across it to create a spider’s web that toddlers can navigate and put toys in and under.

18. Button Tree Quiet Bin

• Materials Needed:
  • Bin
  • Buttons
  • Pipe cleaners
• Time to Set Up: Approximately 10-15 minutes
• Estimated Playtime per Session: 20-30 minutes

Buttons and pipe cleaners provide hours of fun in this button tree quiet bin idea. Use a bin and let your child shape pipe cleaners into trees and use buttons as flowers.

19. Muffin Tin Activity

• Materials Needed:
  • Muffin tin
  • Various items such as cotton balls, balls, cardboard, fabric, etc.
• Time to Set Up: Approximately 5-6 minutes
• Estimated Playtime per Session: 10-15 minutes

Using a muffin tin, place items like cotton balls, balls, carboard, fabric and anything else that will fit in each hole. Your child will love exploring each item and putting it back.

Also Read: 15 Best Montessori Blogs To Read

20. Kaleidoscopes

• Materials Needed:
  • Toilet paper rolls
  • Reflective and clear plastic
  • Beans or other small colorful items
  • Glue
• Time to Make: Approximately 20-30 minutes
• Estimated Playtime per Session: 15-20 minutes

With toilet paper rolls and some reflective and clear plastic you can make a fun colorful project for your child. Add beans and glue and you have your own kaleidoscope. Towel Folder Place several different color and size towels and wash rags in a basket. Let your kids dump them out and fold them and put them in.

Can you make your own Montessori toys?