Labyrinth and Maze Toys for Children!
I've started looking around for Christmas gifts for my chlildren. I came across this wonderful junior maze (for Otis 5yrs) and it got me thinking about other, similar toys. I'm convinced these are great for building focus, developing hand-eye coordination, and visual perception. They'd additionally be enjoyable to make use of with family or friends.
Many of these would be well satisfied to a Montessori environment, gross motor area or toddler place!
I love this quote from MontessoriReStore. "The labyrinth is an ancient symbol that relates to wholeness. It combines the imagery of the circle and the spiral into a meandering but purposeful path. It represents a journey to our own center and back out again into the world . The simplicity engages the right side of the brain allowing instinct, imagination and vision to form a meditative exercise to reconnect you with your center. It has been found to enhance wellness, express emotions and produce a feeling of well being for centuries. Utilize a personal maze to focus a youngster between tasks or only when the child needs a minute of reflection."
Wooden Finger Labyrinth - MontessoriReStore on Etsy
Hand-Held Wooden Marble Labyrinths - FromJennier on Etsy
Magnetic Labyrinth Racing Game - Lakeshore Learning
Magnet Express - Anatex
Junior Labyrinth - Child.com.au (Australia)
Maze - BRIO
Christmas Puzzles to Love - 2 to 5 Years
Here are a few of the most magnificent and Montessori family friendly Christmas puzzles! It is about stacking, sorting, sequencing, patterns, and discovering order!
All these puzzles would work superbly in a tray or on a young child's work shelves. I actually adore the natural timber puzzles.
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Gift Ideas for the Montessori Kid - Christmas
When trying to find Christmas gift ideas it's easy to think all the great toys come from abroad. These present ideas usually do not include Montessori stuff however they are appropriate for the Montessori kid and they are all made by Australian firms. I have really tried to include as many small businesses and handmade goods as possible while also emphasizing some of our favourite Australian merchandises! Many of these stores send abroad also.
Little back packs perfect for independent Montessori kids by Bagbini (international transport available).
Playdough and accessories at Joyful Hands Happy Heart (we adore this playdough, the texture and fragrances are exceptional).
Gentle skin care from Sukin.
Reindeer Costume at StitchandWillow (Etsy) (my five year old would love this!!).
Healthy Flash Cards (good for all sorts of learning) at Teepee Learning (international transport available). I also love these Pregnancy and Birth Affirmation Cards.
There are very few Montessori substance producers in Australia but Wood Puzzles has a great selection of language materials and Australian made wooden trays. I recommend the Magnetic Movable Alphabet as well as the depicted Alphabet Boards.
Child size, real, Tool Set and Gardening Set with Gloves at Me2Me2.
The Happy Architect and Alphabet Duplicate Pairs at The Freckled Frog.
Infant Morris board books at Little Children Matters.
DIY Coloured Beeswax Kit by Luxmi (this is the little kit for making birthday candles, would be wonderful for a younger kid, the larger coloured kit is listed here).
Star Garland at KirraKai (Etsy), perfect kid and environmentally friendly decorations.
And how adorable is this soft Humpback Whale and these felt fruits and vegetables? I trust you enjoyed this little snippet of what Australian shops must offer!
For Kids 3 to 4 Years
Magnetic Dress Up Santa.
Santa's Sleigh Wooden Chunky Puzzle (9 bits).
For Kids 2 to 3 Years
Wooden Christmas Tree Puzzle. The beauty of this puzzle is in it's simplicity.
Chunky Wooden Christmas Puzzle.
Christmas Blocks. A puzzle that doubles as decoration!
Perfect for the child's awareness of order. Once the child has mastered the nesting dolls, see if they could put them away with their eyes closed or blindfolded.
I adore these very straightforward two, three and four piece puzzles.
For Kids 5 Years
Christmas Tree Triangle Puzzle.
Gingerbread Houses Family Puzzle. This puzzle is made to be used by a group of people with different skill levels as it has three different sized pieces. I love at Christmas to really have a puzzle going on the table for everyone to lead to and this puzzle would be ideal! It has 400 pieces.
I've purchased Otis two Christmas puzzles by Ravensburger, which is one of my favourite puzzle brands, their age suggestions are usually spot on!