I’m one of those people who fell for the social media fad of Montessori playrooms. I think Montessori toys (and I have a fairly good idea of what those are. A toy can conform with Montessori principles, such as isolating the senses, or being self correcting, without being one of the OG Montessori materials) are quite good at teaching. The downsides are, they’re not interesting. The pill tower is simply not as appealing as a rainbow tower. Think of them as school materials akin to workbooks than toys. In that light, you may not want to use these things as toys.
First of all, just like workbooks, once you understand the concepts, you simply move on. The “replayability” of these materials is low (yes, I’m aware of extensions. But no, my children have rarely been interested in them). That creates a lot of waste. Once your child grows out of the “Montessori” or “developmental” toys, they are no longer suitable for your child, they will pretty much never be interesting again.
I was simply having too much materials/toys piled up in my storeroom. I ended up giving many of these Montessori/developmental toys to a local playgroup/preschool (that my children also attend), and the owner of the playgroup really appreciated them. They are being enjoyed by large groups of children, who will always be the right age for these toys. I really think that’s where they belong.
Unless you are doing homeschooling, and specifically, MONTESSORI homeschooling, I don’t think they are the best for toys. If I decide to go forward with homeschooling, I’d be locking these materials inside the schoolroom and having normal toys in the playroom. Balls, magnetic tiles, blocks, doll houses, etc are much better for unsupervised, long lasting play. Kids deserve to relax and play too! Not everything has to be learning.
In general I think we must curb the impulse to create a preschool in our house. I understand the anxiety that drives these impulses, I really do. But we should resist.
Informative, susinct, useful. THANK YOU
This was super informative - thank you!
I’m one of those people who fell for the social media fad of Montessori playrooms. I think Montessori toys (and I have a fairly good idea of what those are. A toy can conform with Montessori principles, such as isolating the senses, or being self correcting, without being one of the OG Montessori materials) are quite good at teaching. The downsides are, they’re not interesting. The pill tower is simply not as appealing as a rainbow tower. Think of them as school materials akin to workbooks than toys. In that light, you may not want to use these things as toys.
First of all, just like workbooks, once you understand the concepts, you simply move on. The “replayability” of these materials is low (yes, I’m aware of extensions. But no, my children have rarely been interested in them). That creates a lot of waste. Once your child grows out of the “Montessori” or “developmental” toys, they are no longer suitable for your child, they will pretty much never be interesting again.
I was simply having too much materials/toys piled up in my storeroom. I ended up giving many of these Montessori/developmental toys to a local playgroup/preschool (that my children also attend), and the owner of the playgroup really appreciated them. They are being enjoyed by large groups of children, who will always be the right age for these toys. I really think that’s where they belong.
Unless you are doing homeschooling, and specifically, MONTESSORI homeschooling, I don’t think they are the best for toys. If I decide to go forward with homeschooling, I’d be locking these materials inside the schoolroom and having normal toys in the playroom. Balls, magnetic tiles, blocks, doll houses, etc are much better for unsupervised, long lasting play. Kids deserve to relax and play too! Not everything has to be learning.
In general I think we must curb the impulse to create a preschool in our house. I understand the anxiety that drives these impulses, I really do. But we should resist.