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!