The period from six to twelve months is such an exciting time! Your little one will begin reaching many gross motor milestones, learning how to sit, crawl, and walk. Their language skills will also continue developing as they babble and engage with you and other familiar caregivers in their lives in a special communication dance. Your child will experience sensory, social-emotional, and cognitive developmental gains as they begin to explore and understand the world around them from a whole new perspective.
Since Montessori is all about identifying your child’s needs and interests and providing activities aligned with them, we encourage you to carefully observe your child to find out which of the Montessori toys for six-month-olds we recommend below that they might enjoy the most.
Here are 9 of the most magnificent Montessori toys for 6-month-olds, along with some tips on how to use them.
Object Permanence Box
The Object Permanence Box is a classic Montessori toy for six-month-olds. Although this activity looks simple, it holds so much potential for learning, allowing your child to practice grabbing and releasing a ball, maneuvering it into the hole, watching the ball return, and learning about the concept of object permanence. Not only does this Montessori infant toy help develop the child’s fine and gross motor skills, it also promotes hand-eye coordination.
Object Fitting Puzzles
The Object Fitting Puzzles are three-dimensional Montessori puzzles perfect for a six-month-old. The set comes with three puzzles: the Egg and Cup, the Ball and Cup, and the Cube in a Box. These puzzles help your baby to develop hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills, as the egg, ball, and cube fit nicely in the baby’s palm and allow them to practice their hand grasp. Although these Montessori infant toys may seem simple, they actually help them build connections between the two hemispheres in their brain (an important skill they will need later for activities including dressing themselves)!
Palmar Grasp & Pincer Grasp Cylinder Blocks
The Palmar Grasp & Pincer Grasp Cylinder Blocks are yet another simple Montessori puzzle progression perfect for children between six to twelve-months. The Palmar Grasp Cylinder Block aids the child in developing the palmar grasp (the whole hand grasp). The Pincer Grasp Cylinder Block purposefully helps the child grasp objects using their thumb and forefinger (the pincer grasp). These Montessori infant toys are great for building fine motor skills and concentration.
Shape Puzzles
Puzzles are staple Montessori toys. At 6-months, your baby may be ready to be introduced to simple shape puzzles. Beginning with a single-piece knobbed puzzle in the shape of a circle will be the easiest for the child. At this age, your child is working on their pincer grasp to remove the puzzle piece. When your little one seems ready, you can introduce a square single-piece knobbed puzzle, and then a triangle. Depending on their level of interest and engagement, you might also even try a 3-size knobbed circle puzzle for an added challenge!
Spinning Drum
The Spinning Drum is another classic Montessori infant toy. Not to be confused with the Rolling Drum, this Montessori toy perfect for six-month-olds sits in front of your child and entices them to make it turn.This helps them to develop their fine motor skills and teaches them about cause and effect. The attractive colors and the marbles or balls inside add sensory elements that will keep your little one coming back to this exciting Montessori toy again and again!
Rolling Drum
The Rolling Drum is a Montessori toy for 6-month-olds that supports a child’s developing motor skills. When gently touched, this toy will slowly roll away from your child, motivating them to move towards it. Repeated attempts to reach for the drum will encourage your little one to begin crawling. In addition, the brightly-colored balls inside will make a pleasant clacking noise, further enriching your child’s sensory experience.
Textured Balls
Textured Balls including the Ball with Protrusions (also known as the Nipple Ball) are some of the best Montessori infant toys. Although they are very simple, the different textures on the balls are great for providing your child with rich sensory experiences both by touch and through mouthing. When two balls are placed slightly out of the child’s reach on opposing sides, textured balls offer the child an opportunity to make choices and encourage their movement.
Montessori Pull-Up Bar
Just after your little one learns to sit and crawl, they will be eager to find ways to pull themselves up. The Montessori Pull-Up Bar is a great toy that allows 6 to 12-month-olds to explore how to stand up and begin walking independently. When paired with a mirror, pull-up bars can build your child’s self-awareness as they observe and learn more about their own body’s movements.
Basket of Musical Instruments
Young children love musical instruments! Having a basket of musical instruments such as a tambourine, maracas, egg shakers, and handbells offers many benefits for your child including helping them learn about cause and effect, providing opportunities for them to practice their fine and gross motor skills, and allowing them to develop their senses in a unique and exciting way. In fact, research has shown that musical instruments help create more pathways in the brain to encourage cognitive development, making them an amazing 6-month Montessori toy!
These 9 Montessori toys for six to twelve-month-olds are just some of many that will help support your child’s sensory experiences and stimulate their movement. As your little one begins to explore and understand the world around them from a whole new perspective, have fun observing them and determining which of these top Montessori infant toys they might enjoy the most!
