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18 Best Montessori Toys for 2-Year-Olds

They'll love these fun and educational toddler toys!

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the kiwico lockbox and lovevery peg people set are two good housekeeping picks for best montessori toys for 2 year olds
KiwiCo/Lovevery

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When it comes to toddler toys, there are so many options to pick from, and many directions to go in. With so many great toys for 2-year-olds out there, how do you choose?

Some families like to follow the Montessori method, which offers a unique approach to play. "Dr. Maria Montessori invented scientific materials as her approach to 'toys,'" says Helene Bizjak, member of the American Montessori Society and early childhood educator trained under Mary Ellen Maunz, founder of the Authentic Institute of Montessori. "They're designed to isolate the five senses and bring abstract lessons, such as counting, to life through the use of concrete tools that are manipulated by the hands." In Montessori classrooms, she adds, teachers are called guides, and guides try to help a child build up their ability to concentrate on the task at hand for as long as possible. Toys like stackers, counters and memory games aid in that process.

"Practical life lessons such as dressing oneself, cooking and cleaning are aimed to foster independence in young children," Bizjak adds. "Dr. Montessori believed in joyful learning and is famously quoted as saying, 'play is the work of the child.'" Look for toys that work on fine motor coordination to help with these skills, like play sets with lacing or threading, along with toys that encourage pretend play and even child-sized real objects like cups and pitchers that give kids a chance to practice.

Keeping these concepts in mind, these are the best Montessori toys to buy for 2-year-olds in 2023. Most were tested by the Good Housekeeping Institute for quality, and then we added in a few best-sellers from trusted brands who specialize in the Montessori method. Whether you're looking for a gift for kids or want to try out the Montessori method in your own families, these are good toys to start with.

Our top picks

In addition to toys for 2-year-olds, we also added in a few toys for 3-year-old that the toddlers can grow into, along with some furniture items for families who are looking for more ways to incorporate Montessori into their households.

1
Affordable Montessori Toy

Peg Board Set

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Peg Board Set
Now 25% Off
Credit: Skoolzy

This open-ended stacking set has so may ways for kids to play. It comes with 30 chunky pegs in six colors, and the pegs can either fit into a foam grid or stack on top of each other. Kids can make their own structures or patterns, sort or stack the pegs by color or use them to practice counting. Ages 2+

2
For Kids Who Love Vehicles

Zigzag Racetrack

 Zigzag Racetrack
Credit: Fat Brain Toys

It's a lesson in cause-and-effect when kids send these cars flying down the racetrack, reversing direction as they go. The cars are numbered, too, so kids can use them as a way to practice counting. Ages 2+

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3
Multi-Use Toy

Wobble Board

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Wobble Board
Now 13% Off
Credit: Little Partners

Toddlers can stand on this U-shaped board to work on their gross motor coordination and balance themselves as it rocks back and forth. Or, they can flip it upside-down and use it as a slide, a desk, a ramp for cars, a tunnel or a stage. It comes in three neutral colors, and has a handle for easy storing. Ages 18 months+

4
Musical Montessori Toy

Pound & Tap Bench

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Pound & Tap Bench

The Montessori method also believes that a hands-on, sensory experience is the best way to learn music. This award-winning toy gives kids multiple ways to experiment with sound. They can use the mallet to pound the three balls down onto the xylophone and let them hear the tones it makes as the balls roll down the keys. Or, they can slide the xylophone out and make their own music with the hammer. Ages 1+

RELATED: The Best Sensory Toys for All Ages

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5
Grows With Kids

Post & Play Peg People

Post & Play Peg People
Credit: Lovevery

This one can grow with your child: Starting at around 19 months, they can use these wooden peg people to practice their fine motor coordination, including the all-important pincer grasp, as they pick up these peg people and put them in their cups. As they get older, they can practice matching the colors on the cups and figures, and they can incorporate them into pretend play. Lovevery also offers a Play Kit subscription that include Montessori toys (plus information on how to use them to meet kids where they are developmentally). Ages 19 months+

6
Great Montessori Gift

Ladybug's Garden Memory Game

Ladybug's Garden Memory Game
Credit: Fat Brain Toys

It's a cute, springtime twist on a memory game: Instead of flipping over cards, kids can pick up two ladybugs. If the pictures underneath match, they get to keep the bugs — and whoever has more at the end of the game wins! The set comes with five double-sided cards to slide under the ladybugs. Ages 3+

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7
Fun Math Toy

Counting Stacker

Counting Stacker

This toy helps kids practice early math skills, along with matching and color sorting. The hexagonal blocks fit on the pegs in sequence: One block fits on the first peg, two on the second and so on, so kids can count as they stack. In addition, the numbers are color-coded, so there's only one red block for the first peg, two yellow ones for the second peg, etc., so they can arrange the blocks by color as well. Ages 1+

8
Also a Subscription Option

Play-and-Go Lockbox

Play-and-Go Lockbox
Credit: KiwiCo

Putting shapes into a shape sorter? That's easy. This toy gives kids a brain-boosting challenge when it comes to getting the toys back out again. There are three different doors — one that pulls down, one with a hook-and-eye clasp and one with a sliding lock — that helps kids with those functional skills they'll need to be independent. This toy is also part of the Panda Crate subscription box line, which goes up to age 2; KiwiCo also offers a Koala Crate subscription line for kids ages 2 – 4. Ages 13 months+

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9
For Creative Play

Tabletop Easel

Tabletop Easel
Now 16% Off
Credit: Monti Kids

Set this up and let their creativity take control! Slide in a piece of paper and kids can draw, paint and color, which not only works out their imaginations, it helps them with their fine motor control. Bonus: This fits on a tabletop, so it won't commandeer a whole corner of your room. Ages 21 months+

10
Montessori Toy for Older Kids

Montessori Knobbed Cylinders Blocks

Montessori Knobbed Cylinders Blocks
Credit: BOHS

As kids get older, if Montessori toys continue to have appeal, they can move onto this cylindrical block set for kids ages 3+. It's great for sorting, color matching and arranging by size: Each peg fits into a specific hole, so if there's one that's out of order, they'll be left with a peg that doesn't fit. Ages 3+

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11
Classic Montessori Toy

Adena Montessori Small Pink Tower

Small Pink Tower
Credit: Adena Montessori

“The iconic pink tower gets a lot of love in primary classrooms all over the world," Bizjak says. "The blocks have purpose in helping young children distinguish big versus small, and the cubes are sized in a dimension of 10 as a foundation for math concepts. The hands-on, visual discrimination of the material as a child stacks the blocks satisfies a developmental need for a control of order.Ages 2+

12
For Pretend Play

Melissa & Doug Dust! Sweep! Mop! Pretend Play Set

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Dust! Sweep! Mop! Pretend Play Set
Now 43% Off
Credit: Melissa & Doug

Little kids actually love to help clean and pretend to clean. This set, for kids ages 3 and older, lets them use their imaginations while trying out a few different cleaning tasks. It comes with a broom, mop, duster, dustpan and hand brush, plus a stand to store them all. Ages 3+

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13
Starter Puzzle

Melissa & Doug Jumbo Knob Wooden Puzzle

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Jumbo Knob Wooden Puzzle
Now 44% Off
Credit: Melissa & Doug

In addition to the fun, smiling images of the farmer and their animals, kids will love the large size of the knobs on this wooden puzzle, which makes the pieces easier to grasp. As they get older, they can move on to wooden puzzles with smaller pegs. Ages 1+

14
Good Housekeeping Parenting Award Winner

Learn 'N Climb Triangle

Learn 'N Climb Triangle
Credit: Little Partners

For those looking for something that goes beyond the everyday toy, this climbing triangle will get those little bodies moving! This climber earned a Good Housekeeping Parenting Award, and testers loved that it could be set up indoors so kids can get their energy out even on rainy days. You can also get a climbing ramp/slide attachment for it, too. Ages 3+

RELATED: The Best Pikler Triangles for Toddlers, According to Parenting Experts

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15
Great for Motor Coordination

Bead Stringing Set

Bead Stringing Set
Credit: Monti Kids

Threading, lacing and stringing are other activities that help kids grow up to be independent and do tasks like dressing themselves or tying shoes. This stringing set comes with 19 different shapes in different colors, so kids can also experiment with color matching, sequences and patterns. You can also get it as part of the Montessori Play Set for kids ages 22 – 24 months, or explore Monti Kids' other age-based play sets. Ages 22 months+

16
For Little Chefs

Classic Kitchen Helper

Classic Kitchen Helper

This is more furniture than toy, but if the 2-year-old in your life wants to help in the kitchen, get them at counter height with this learning tower. The Good Housekeeping Institute found this is a good one for space-savers since it folds up when it's not in use. The height adjusts to three different levels, it comes in four neutral colors and it holds up to 125 pounds. Ages 2+

RELATED: The Best Learning Towers for Independent Kids, According to Experts and Parents

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17
Good Housekeeping Parenting Award Winner

Montessori Playshelf

Montessori Playshelf
Credit: Lovevery

If you're looking for a place to showcase these beautiful Montessori toys, Lovevery's playshelf is subtly ingenious: It's designed to keep a small selection of toys visible so as not to overwhelm kids, but also has a storage chest in the back so you can stash other toys away. It makes for an easy toy rotation. Good Housekeeping testers loved this so much it earned a Good Housekeeping Parenting Award. No age recommendation given

18
Concept of Letters

Sandpaper Letters

Sandpaper Letters
Credit: Elite Montessori

Three-year-olds can work on their pre-writing skills by tracing the shapes of these sandpaper letters. It comes with both capital and lowercase letters, and as they get older kids can combine them to try and make words. Ages 3+

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How do Montessori toys differ from regular toys?

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Montessori toys, called materials, are focused on skill-building. "Each material isolates one of the five senses or other area of concentration, such as practical life, to build a child’s independence," Bizjak says. "Practical life materials include zippers, buttons and lacing frames for a child to learn how to dress themselves and put on their own shoes." Even the way the toys are made fits this goal. "The materials are sturdy for a child to hold and manipulate with their hands," she says. "This form of play exercises the small muscles in the fingers to prepare a child’s hand for writing."

How can you tell if a toy is a Montessori toy?

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There isn't one brand, designation or accolade that makes something a Montessori toy. But Montessori toys do share some common characteristics. "They're made from wood or other natural elements with a connection to the Earth: wood, glass, porcelain, metal or silver — not plastic," Bizjak says. "They also have built-in control of error to encourage problem solving. For example, a math and counting material on quantities one to ten will have precisely 55 pieces, so a child can check their work if they don’t have the correct allotment at the end." The toys also cover subjects like geography (street, city, state, country, continent, planet), botany plants, soil, rock, leaves, sticks), sight (color grading) and sound (shaking cylinders).

Headshot of Marisa LaScala
Marisa LaScala
Senior Parenting & Relationships Editor

Marisa (she/her) has covered all things parenting, from the postpartum period through the empty nest, for Good Housekeeping since 2018; previously, she wrote about parents and families at Parents and Working Mother. She lives with her toy-collecting husband and daughter in Brooklyn, where she can be found helping out her team at bar trivia or posting about movies on Twitter and Bluesky. 

Headshot of Rachel Rothman

Rachel Rothman was the chief technologist and executive technical director of the Good Housekeeping Institute for over 15 years, overseeing testing methodology, implementation and reporting for all GH Labs. She also managed GH's research division and the analysis of applicants for the GH Seal and all other testing emblems. 

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