If we, as adults, are overstimulated by the abundance of toys and activities available, can you imagine what that experience is like for your child? Surrounded by toys with too many colors, too many noises, and too many parts, they might feel overwhelmed. So what guidelines can you use when selecting toys for your child?

Montessori philosophies offer incredible wisdom in this arena and the strength of thousands of hours of observation to study what children respond to and need in their environment. A Montessori approach can provide comfort when toy shopping.

5 CHARACTERISTICS FOUND IN MONTESSORI TOYS

1. Montessori toys are simple

The best toys to give your little ones are simple. Your child is trying to make sense of this wild wonderful world they have so recently come upon. They learn best when you give them organized information.

For example, a simple puzzle with a triangle, a circle, and a square in three different solid colors gives your toddler organized information about shapes. These are three essential geometric structures to distinguish between. They learn about the relationship between the three as they take the pieces out and put them away. And they absorb that these shapes are related to each other without the distraction of decorative faces or random shapes. When too much information is offered in one toy, children cannot abstract the essential elements of the activity.