Montessori Toys for Two Year Olds
Looking for Montessori toys for your two year old? We’ve got you covered!
Listed below are some of our favorite Montessori aligned toys for two year olds.
And here at Multisori, we stress the aligned part because there’s technically no such thing as a Montessori toy. The Montessori Method is an educational philosophy, so when looking at toys (or books, furniture, etc.) we’re looking for products that align with said philosophy.
What is a Montessori Toy?
Those new to Montessori, though, don’t necessarily know how to distinguish what makes for a Montessori aligned toy. So as you look for Montessori aligned toys for your two year old, keep in mind:
- Simplicity - no electronics or flashing lights; look for toys that focus in on one skill development at a time
Natural Materials - look for toys made of natural things like wood, felt, stainless steel, cotton, etc.
- Open-ended - look for toys that aren’t intended for any specific use and give the child freedom to explore their natural curiosities and imagination
- Based on real life - because of the way a child’s young brain works, it’s important to expose children to objects that accurately represent the real world before introducing fantastical toys (like dragons)
- Encourages repetition and active engagement - say yes to things that require your child to be hands-on (like stringing beads) and no to anything that requires batteries
- Age-appropriate - Montessori-aligned toys are never “great for all ages!” Instead look for ones that align with a child’s developmental needs and where they’re at in skills such as gross motor skills, problem solving, and hand-eye coordination.
- Attractive - similar to above, avoid toys that are mass produced and plastic. Instead you want to find toys for your 2 year old that are visually appealing, attractive, and built well.
So with all that said, let’s get into some of our favorites.
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Montessori Aligned Toys for 2 Year olds
Melissa & Doug Let’s Play House - 6 Piece Pretend Play Set
I love this set, especially as you work to teach practical life skills! This play set will motivate your toddler to model independence and use their imagination to have fun.
With 60 brightly colored beads in 7 different shapes, this toy makes for a great gift for the two year old in your life! It’ll help enhance color recognition, hand-eye coordination, fine motor skills, and counting.
This is a great toy that’ll help your child develop their visual tracking, hand-eye coordination, color recognition, and understanding of cause-and-effect.
What would this list be without some sensory play for your two year old! This Play-Doh set includes over 30 tools for lots of open-ended creative fun. My personal favorite is the roller, as the child can swap out the cutter attachments and experiment with making patterns.
Aren’t water tables amazing? I especially like this water table because your child can rearrange the put-and-place maze pieces to create new waterfalls for fun causes and effect STEM play. Water play is also great for widening a child’s vocabulary as they experience words like “splash” “sink” and “float.”
Can never go wrong with sidewalk chalk! I love the vibrancy of this set and the sizing will work well for tiny hands.
This is a great toy to help toddlers learn colors and basic math concepts, such as counting, patterns, and addition. It’s also a set that will grow with the child as they move into more complex math games.
There’s so much fun and learning to be had with stacking cups. Stacking cups can be used for pouring practice, color sorting, spatial games, and so much more.
This food set features self-stick tabs that hold pieces together and “slice” apart with a satisfying crunch sound, making for a great multisensory activity. It also helps teach children the concepts of part and whole for early math-development skills.
Everyone knows this classic toy! A colorful gift for toddlers and preschoolers that promotes color and shape recognition and problem-solving skills.
How cute is this! Adora’s BathTime Baby Tots are sweet and petite baby dolls, perfect for the bath, pool or any water fun. They also make for a great addition to your practical life lessons!
This color toy is great for 2 year olds as it helps them work on fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination. It’s a great manipulative toy and color coded to help toddlers learn colors.
This wooden pounding bench encourages color recognition and helps develop fine motor skills. It also helps with hand-eye coordination, matching, and creative play.