8 Montessori-Inspired Toys That You Can Get At Walmart
Alphabet tracing board available at Walmart
The Montessori method is really having a moment right now.
In case you’re unfamiliar, Montessori is a childhood educational philosophy that emphasizes self-led instruction among children — but the term is beginning to take on aesthetic meaning, especially when it comes to toys.
One look at social media will show you that the “Montessori” designation has become shorthand for any toy that’s made primarily of wood (or other natural materials) and decorated with a restrained color scheme. While the Montessori educational principles don’t necessarily dictate that toys have to be neutral in color or natural in composition, it does place an emphasis on “calm, muted colors and items that reflect real-world, natural beauty,” according to Guidepost Montessori.
If you’re in search of more muted colors in your playroom or the environmentally and emotionally pleasing absence of excessive plastic, flashing lights, and cloying sound effects, you could try swapping out a few battery-operated gadgets in favor of some simple wooden playthings at home. And while these trinkets can often be pricey, Walmart has plenty of excellent and affordable options to choose from.
Read on to see some of our favorite options.
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Walmart
A wooden sorting cube
This versatile toys encourages kids to match the colorful blocks with the corresponding shapes on this multi-texture cube — or to simply push them through the flexible rubber bands and watch them rattle around. It promises to promote hand-eye coordination and finger dexterity through play.
Walmart
A colorful set of stacking toys
Equipped with a set of shapes splashed with a rainbow of primary colors, this set of wooden stacking blocks will keep babies engaged and practicing their fine motor skills. The set comes with a total of 25 blocks coated in 100% non-toxic water-based paint.
Walmart
A play bench with happy pegs
This solid wood toy featured cheerful pegs that move up and down as your child pounds on them with the attached play mallet.
Walmart.com
Object permanence 2-in-1 box
Object permanence is the ability to understand that an object still exists, even when you can’t see it anymore. It’s a primary developmental milestone for babies, and a pretty far-out concept when you think about it — which is probably what makes it so enjoyable. This toy is essentially object permanence in a box: Plop the colored ball and coins into the box and watch them disappear; open the drawer and watch them reappear! Trippy.
Walmart.com
A set of bowls and color chips for sorting and matching
This color-coded matching game is designed to enhance hand-eye coordination, cognitive and memory skills in preschoolers.
Walmart.com
A "busy board"
This fold-out sensory board puts multiple practical-life teaching tools in one convenient package. By first learning to master their zippers, buttons, buckles, snaps, laces, and Velcro on a flat, stationary surface, they’ll begin to understand how to manipulate these same items in the real world.
Walmart.com
A double-sided alphabet practice board
This double-sided board features both upper and lowercase letters, and encourages kids to trace the physical shape of the letter as they learn it, instead of just merely looking at it.
Walmart.com
A wooden rattle and teether set
For the youngest Montessorians, the rolling rattle is a multi-sensory powerhouse, with a caged construction and jingly brass bell that trigger feeling, seeing, and hearing all at once.
