Tips to find Affordable Montessori Toys and Learning Materials
My daughter loves exploring her montessori toys and doing different activities. We try to rotate her toys once a week or bi-weekly. However, buying various toys, activities and learning materials can quickly add up, and become a financial burden. Here are some ways we have found to fund affordable montessori toys and activities.
1.) Buy or rent gently used toys and books.
You can find gently used wooden learning toys at thrift stores, children’s consignment stores, yard sales, Facebook marketplace, Ebay or Mecari. Through these sources, we have been able to find some great deals ranging from $5 to $30 for Montikid toys, Lovevery toys, board books, Melissa and Doug toys and others learning materials. I also found that teachers tend to refresh their classrooms with newer books and learning material during the summer. Therefore, we had many cool finds (everything from books to learning posters) on Facebook marketplace posts from teachers. Some people look at thrift stores as an undesirable source to find montessori toys and learning materials, but our experience has proven otherwise. Take a chance and I believe you will not be disappointed. A montessori toy rental company that I recommend is Tiny Earth Toys.
2.) Think outside the box.
If you follow Montessori or other learning styles, you may find that you can create learning materials from every day items found around the house. Pinterest is full of do it yourself toys and activities. I also follow moms on Instagram who home school their children and offer free activities on their blogs. Etsy is also full of cool printable activities from montessori weather charts to memory games. You can also tap into your own creativity and create your own flashcards for these type of games or activities. The Dollar store is also a great place to look for learning materials. The dollar section at Target often has flashcards, books, baskets , trays, jars, coloring books, and toys. If you have read the Montessori Handbook or Montessori books you know that Maria Montessori developed this learning method with the idea that learning materials could be accessible to all children. In the montessori methods, toys and learning materials can be found in nature and around the home. You can use leaves, rocks, branches, pots, pans, cups, and food items to create fun activities for your little one. For example, my daughter had fun playing with leaves in a baking tray.
3.) Find affordable alternatives to popular montessori brands
Amazon, Temu, and Mercari have numerous alternative montessori style wooden toys at a fraction of the price of the actual name brand toys. Some of these alternates are almost exact replicas of the actual name brand montessori toys with only slight variations in size and color. Definitely worth the time to explore these sites. Here are amazing examples of alternatives brands to popular montessori brands:
Arena Montessori (available on Amazon)
Tiny Land ( sells plastic toy kits similar to Lovevery kits on Amazon)
Top Bright(available on Amazon)
Janod (available on Amazon)
Kindred Play Co (a beautiful section of high quality toys)
Montessori Mates (You can find a small montessori pitcher practice set and montessori silicone placemat at this toy retailer).
Tender Leaf Toys (available on Amazon)
4.) Invest in a few toys with multiple play functions and high quality materials
If you wish to invest on a higher price toy, make sure it’s made of durable material and the toy has many open ended uses. Invest in montessori toys that have multiple play functions, such as the Lovevery play mat, Grimm's Spiel & Holz ( available at the Bella Luna Site) or the Tolti box. The Tolti Box has a beautiful design and “includes everything in one: from posting to sorting to imaginative play. Explore object permanence, play peekaboo, and discover how objects work together with three sides designed for posting, pushing, and pulling” according to their website.
If you have been part of the montessori community, you have heard of the high quality and great design of the Lovevery toys. If within your toy budget, subscribe to Lovevery or a similar toy subscription. If you plan on buying multiple montessori toys, a subscription box can save you money verses buying each individual wooden toy. If you are with working small budget, I recommend investing in maybe one or two Lovevery playkits or a Kiwi Co. box that match your child’s interest. The Lovevery website gives you the a function to skip a subscription box. If you don’t want to commit to a Lovevery subscription box, Target carries individual Lovevery toys. The Kiwi Co.. website has a shop where you can purchase individual montessori and stem inspired toys. I also want to mention that you shouldn’t feel pressured to buy every montessori toy or subscription boxes out there. Montessori should be fun for the parent as well and not a financial burden.
5.) Plastic toys are acceptable to include in your montessori collection.
In my opinion, in the home, the montessori teaching method allows practitioners to have a few or all plastic montessori toys. I have read many montessori books, and I believe that Maria Montessori would be open to plastic toys in certain cases. Based on my research, Maria Montessori lived in 1907, a time period in which plastic toys were not the norm. However, montessori does discourage plastic toys because it encourages our children playing with beautiful materials that enable a connection to nature, avoid over stimulation and offer a natural sensory experience. In today’s world, wooden montessori toys may not be financially feasible for all families in their homes. Consequently, a private montessori school should be expected to provide beautiful wooden toys or high quality materials to its students, but it normally comes with an expensive tuition cost. A montessori public school is another option, but, due to lack of funds and support, often struggle to provide their students with wooden or high quality learning materials. Maria Montessori developed this teaching method for underprivileged children in Rome using readily available and low cost resources. I believe that Maria Montessori would find it acceptable to include plastic montessori inspired toys for montessori learning at home for families unable to afford high quality materials. I think that if she was alive today she would advise us to avoid toys that over stimulate our children and use toys that promotes open ended play. With that said, I encourage you to buy alternative plastic montessori toys if you feel that limits your ability to practice montessori at home, Montessori is a beautiful teaching method that encourages your little one to be independent and explore the world. As a parent you know what’s best for your child and you ultimately set the guidelines on what toys and materials enter your home. If you decide that you want to make a strict guideline that only natural toys and materials will be used at home, I support your decision and congratulate you for investing in your child’s at home learning environment. And if you decide to allow a few or all plastic toys into your child’s montessori collection based on financial limitations, your child will still have a beautiful montessori experience. The montessori teaching method is not mainly about fancy wooden toys and learning materials. It is about teaching your child to be independent in daily activities and their environment. When purchasing plastic toys or materials for your home montessori environment, please consider “what does this toy teach my child?”. Focus on toys and materials that teach cause and effect, object permanences, table settings and sorting. Another important factor to keep in mind is that you don’t need many or any toys to practice montessori at home, and you can use materials found in your home as mentioned in tip # 2. For example, you can teach your child the concept of big and small by using a small spoon and a large serving spoon, or you can teach your child to count with rocks or leaves.
In the spirit of saving money I wanted to share the opportunity for you to save $10 off your first order of $50+ on the Bella Luna Toys Website by using my referral link. You can also use my referral link for Lovevery to save $20 off your first play kit. Please note this blog is not sponsored by any of the companies mentioned and by using my referral code you help my blog be able to keep providing honest reviews on montessori toys.
I truly hope you have a wonderful time exploring the world of montessori, and hopefully these tips go a long way to lessen the financial burden on your family.
