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Montessori Toys For 4 Month old

Your little baby is all about the playtime when they enter their fourth month. They may already be rolling, or they may start soon. They are noticing colors more, especially red and green. You may notice they are reaching for things and even beginning to pass toys from one hand to another. You’ll see your baby becoming more and more interested in interactive play in their fourth month. You may even start getting some good belly laughs from them. We have rounded up a list of 9 great Montessori toys for 4 month old to help their development and keep them engaged.

9 Montessori toys for a 4-month-old

Baby playmat. A playmat isn’t exactly a toy, but it does provide a soft and safe space for your little one to move around. A playmat can prevent injuries and make tummy time a little more comfortable they just laying on a hard floor. Since tummy time is a big deal at this age, a playmat is defiantly worth a spot on the list.
Floor mirror. Using a baby mirror for playtime is excellent to start using around 4 months. While your baby doesn’t understand that they are looking at themselves, they will have fun watching themselves in the mirror. Make sure you buy a mirror designed for babies and tummy time. It should be shatterproof and the right height for your little one.
Soft grip ball. Around four months is a great time to introduce a soft grip ball to your baby. They are starting to reach out and grasp a hold of things intentionally, and your baby may also be starting to pass things from one hand to the other. You can buy these balls in various colors, which are great for stimulating babies’ vision as well.
Introducing a rattle at this age is also a good idea, and it can help stimulate your baby’s vision with its colors and hearing when rattled. It is also great for passing back and forth between hands.
Spinning drum. An excellent toy for tummy time. A spinning drum or any toy similar that will spin easily will engage your baby, and they will be reaching out for the toy. This can help develop hand and wrist strength and start to develop hand-eye coordination.
Teether toys. There are so many options when it comes to toys for teething. Most, not all, but most babies will start to teeth soon. A teething toy is great for babies to learn how to bring the toy to their mouth and soothe their sore gums. It is another toy that is also great for passing back and forth between hands.
Sensory balls. This is a great time to introduce sensory balls to your baby. These balls are usually made out of natural rubber and have nubby surfaces, and they are perfect for touching, tasting, exploring, and passing from one hand to the other.
Crinkle toys. A crinkle toy will stimulate your baby’s sense of hearing and tactile senses as they grab and squish this toy. These are usually made with natural fabric and have crinkle paper sewed into the middle to make that satisfying crunching sound.
Board books. While your baby at 4 months won’t understand what you are reading, they hear you talk and take in your words. The younger you start reading to your baby, the better. Many books are created with bright colors, and some even have sensory elements that are perfect for babies to grab and explore.

Characteristics of Montessori toys

The toys are simple. Your baby can easily become overstimulated, and keeping toys simple is the best way to prevent this. Montessori toys are simple toys that don’t have all the bells and whistles that overwhelm kids. Especially babies, they are just learning about the world around them, having toys with a lot of colors, sounds, and lights is too stimulating for their brains.
They are based on reality. Using toys based on reality will give your baby a feel for what is real instead of what is fantasy. Using a toy with a bell is a great idea, and it will teach your baby that swatting the bell will make it chime. In contrast, a toy with random buttons that light up and play music doesn’t make much sense for cause and effect.
They are made from natural materials. Giving your baby toys that are made out of wood and metal gives them more information about the world around them. A metal toy is cold to touch and will warm up as your baby holds, and wooden toys have all kinds of textures to explore. They both offer a taste that your baby will enjoy and be curious about as they put toys in their mouths. These toys can vary in weight as well. Plastic toys tend to be one texture, have no taste, and are usually similar weights.
Offers limited choices for play. This is a good thing for babies and kids of all ages. They can get overwhelmed easily, and it can be hard for them to make decisions when there are too many choices. This will take away from playtime and their full enjoyment of the toys. You can do a toy rotation as well to keep the toys exciting but limited.

Conclusion

Beginning to introduce Montessori toys when your baby turns 4 months is a great idea. They are little sponges and are starting to become more and more curious about the world around them. Playing with your baby is also great for their development and strengthening your bond with them.

Montessori Toys for 11 Month Old

What Are Montessori Toys?

Montessori toys are toys designed from natural materials. They are simplistic and often made from materials like wood and metal. Montessori toys help kids distinguish imagination from reality by introducing them to the natural elements of the world. In addition, they also help with development of sensory processing and fine motor skills. We will look at Montessori toys for 11 month old.

Montessori toys also come in bright colors or earthy tones. They aid in color, shape, and number recognition. They are unique due to their simplicity. No batteries are required for any of them. This allows the child to focus on the raw skill at hand rather than getting overwhelmed by the lights and noises an electronic toy may make.

Montessori toys are also usually eco-friendly! By using natural elements, they are usually biodegradable and durable. This also means that if you adhere to the proper age requirements, many are designed to avoid hazards like choking.

How Are They Better Than Plastic?

Plastic stays the same no matter how it is manufactured. The temperature and texture never changes. Not to mention, plastic is artificial. It’s created because it isn’t a part of the natural world. This can inhibit a child’s sensory development by reducing the exposure to natural elements.

They also only focus on one skill at a time, whereas plastic toys incorporate multiple skills. The latter seems ideal, but it can actually impede the development of certain skills. The child can often get overwhelmed and stay in that state when trying to choose what to play with. Alternatively, they could move from toy to toy instead of putting all of their concentration on the one skill at hand.

How Are They Helpful for an 11-Month-Old?

11-month-old babies are developing some of the most pivotal motor skills at this age range. In addition, they are also developing communication skills. Many are walking, crawling, and climbing, which would call for more intensive sensory engagement activities. 11-month olds are also more inclined to develop skills like throwing, singing, and various degrees of problem solving.

Montessori toys can provide this age level with the correct amount of engagement. 11-month-olds would benefit from Montessori toys that incite different texture experiences and movement. Since this is the age where babies tend to begin walking, finding Montessori toys that aid in walking or crawling would help them during their motor skill development.

What Types of Toys are Beneficial?

Shape Sorters are beneficial for 11-month-old babies. This helps engage their problem-solving skills and helps them become more adept at hand eye coordination. In addition, it assists them with shape recognition.
Ball with drawer Montessori toys assist with development of object permanence. Object permanence is a vital skill for children to learn. Object permanence gives one awareness that objects continue to exist even when they are not in sight. The child puts the ball in the hole and eventually understands that when they open the drawer, the ball will still be there.
Magic Tissue boxes aid in sensory development. The tissue box has many different fabrics inside, which help children develop their sense of touch. The child is able to pull the pieces of fabric out of the box and get acquainted with their texture. The bright colors aid in color development as well.
Activity Walkers assist the child with learning to walk. Most Montessori walkers also have other sensory activities built into the walker as well. Many of them make noise and can be a multi-use toy. It makes it the perfect addition to your child’s Montessori collection. Especially as they learn to be independent and learn to walk without help.
Busy Boards are an excellent addition to your collection! Busy boards often engage more than one sense. In some ways, they’re like a giant puzzle. Often equipped with activities to help your little one develop their motor skills, they also teach the child some basic functions of day to day life. Some include buttons, buckles, and zippers in their make.

Conclusion

To conclude, Montessori toys have a lot of benefits. In order to reap their full benefits, you must give them to your child one at a time in order to give them the space and time they need to hone the particular skill the toy is meant to work on. They are designed to incorporate children’s major milestones and are excellent for honing fine motor skills.

11-month-olds specifically benefit from the use of Montessori toys. They assist them with milestone like walking and problem solving. An addition of Montessori toys to your child’s toy chest would have them reaping benefits that could last them a lifetime!

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