‘Tis the season to be merry and to rejoice in the most important things: food, shelter, family, loved ones and good health (this last one has been sorely lacking these past few months!).  This is also of course, an exciting time for small children, who can’t wait for Santa Claus to come to town and bring them presents. This is also a perfect time to declutter beforehand in view of receiving new toys. I like to involve my daughter in the process. She is 4 years old and she understands our philosophy of donating toys whenever we get new ones. So without further due, please check out our list of favorite toys, most of which are open-ended or Montessori-aligned.  This list is based on my children’s level of interest, engagement and has met or currently meets my particular children’s developmental needs. As parents, we also make a point to intentionally and mindfully select toys of high quality, durable materials that will be used for different purposes as they grow, per the Montessori philosophy. This list also includes items that encourage arts and crafts and music, but don’t forget to also encourage movement and exercise as well as provide plenty of time for them to engage in unstructured play.

Top Open-ended Toys for Creative Play (ages 2 to 5)

• Rainbow stacker and rainbow people: These can be used in so many different ways, which is the hallmark of open-ended toys.I’ve seen the very expensive kinds, like the Grimms rainbow stacker but honestly, you don’t have to break the bank to get full use out of this item.  We’ve had ours since Emilia was about 1 and both my kids spend a lot of quality time using them for balancing the people on top, using the arcs as boats, as tunnels for their train tracks, organizing their toys by color etc.
• Magnetic Tiles: These are a big hit with my two children and really encourage creative play. There are so many brands out there to choose from but these are the ones we have. Our set includes two magnetic cars that children can build upon. They can use magnatiles to build houses or castles for the rainbow people for example, animals or as a ball run (consider buying this set for when your children are more advanced) or domino effect. Possibilities are endless. In terms of home organization, I recently came across a brilliant idea of storing them to our 3-tier rolling cart and bonus, they stick to the side of the cart!
• Barn and Animals: I bought Emilia this Green Toys Farm Set when she was about 1 year old and it was a great investment because both my kids play very well with it. I add some fake hay and other characters to it. Dress it up for Halloween by adding pumpkins or for Christmas with small pine trees.
• Ikea Neutral-looking dollhouse/wall shelf for dolls or calico critters: This one is a hit with both my daughter and son. This Ikea shelf is multi-functional and can grow with your child. So use it as a dollhouse if your child enjoys playing with dolls and then as he or she gets older, you can convert it to storage shelves, above their desk for example. It’s a sustainable tip because rather than discarding a sole purpose item like a Barbie dollhouse, or Paw Patrol firehouse, when your child outgrows it, you can keep it for other purposes. I bought this minimalist furniture set for the calico critters and I keep adding on to it. I will be adding a small fridge in Emilia’s stocking this year. A great project to involve your child in is to have her pick a wallpaper for this dollhouse. She can create her own vision of a dollhouse as opposed to buying something ready-made.
• Toy kitchen with accessories: We have this KidKraft Deluxe Big and Bright Wooden Play Kitchen set which we were able to score second-hand for free. We recently found a couple of kitchen accessory sets at Lidl: a coffee maker and wooden vegetables you can cut with a play knife. We have 4 crates for each type of food for our Daddy the dietitian to educate our children on. We also have ice cream, pizza, cupcakes, tea set and a cash register. I also use the play kitchen to store the kids’ plates, silverware and cups to foster independence, in terms of having both kids set the table. It’s always a good idea to add a broom, sweeper and duster set close to the kitchen so that the kids can wipe up whatever mess they make. This Melissa and Doug cleaning set comes highly recommended.
• Ikea’s Flisat Sensory Table: This table is great for sensory activities and arts and crafts. My children love the kinetic sand and the dinosaur figurines and molds. You can also throw in play dough or create themed-based water play. Just make sure you add a mat under the table or if the weather is warm, place the table outdoors.
• Art Easel: My parents are getting my children this art easel for Christmas and if you have creative, art lovers in bud, definitely consider this item to add to your wish list.
• Kids Modular Loveseat and Ottomans Set: to be used for making forts, trains, house, puppet theater, taking naps, lounging while matching a movie etc.

Other toys my kids love that are worthy of being mentioned here. Some are Montessori-aligned/open-ended and some are not.

• Little People School Bus & Little People
• Wooden Puzzles: This puzzle set is great for toddlers.
• Nesting Dolls (Matryokshka): I gave my childhood set to my children.
• Realistic looking animal figurines: We have several sets of these, including Safari animals, ocean animals and a polar bear family which we use for our winter shelf.
• Wooden car ramp: this ramp is great for toddler boys! Just be aware that the cars are quite small and can be a choking hazard for children under 3.
• My Little Pony: I gave some retro ones that I had when I was a young girl and that my mom kept. If they’re in good shape, keep them and hand them down!
• Stick Horse: My grandfather handmade this toy and my parents gave it to my children to have fun with.
• Musical instruments (mini piano for toddlers, xylophone, shaker eggs, drum, harmonica, maracas)

Keep in mind that the Montessori approach is not just about toys, but also involves activities that you can prepare at home — ones that foster independence like practical like skills (cooking, baking, cleaning), and which also strengthen their fine motor skills. Kids are happy playing with very little. It’s not about quantity, but quality. Happy Holidays!