Montessori Your Toys, What the Montessori Method Is and How the Figgy Can Make Your Child Smarter
By Chris Roepe
What Is Montessori?
Montessori education and the Montessori Method is born out of the work of an Italian physician and educator named Maria Montessori. She opened a small school in Rome in 1907 and pioneered new principles she earlier created while researching children. Maria was a psychiatrist and had a strong interest in education.There are several uses of the term Montessori. The topic we hear most is the Montessori method (which is formally applied in Montessori education).
The Montessori Method is the center of all things Montessori and has several defined principles:
- Child-centered learning: Kids are naturally curious and capable of initiating learning on their own. Parents and teachers act as guides and observe the child while facilitating experiences.
- Prepared environments: The learning environment is designed to allow freedom within limits. Through simplicity and organization, the goal is to foster concentration and independent exploration.
- Hands-On Learning: Materials and Montessori toys should be multi-sensory, which creates learning through doing. Montessori toys are designed to develop fine motor skills and a deeper understanding of their environment.
- Independence and Autonomy. Children are encouraged to make choices on their own, which builds self-confidence and decision-making skills.
- Mixed age environments: in Montessori schools, different age groups (usually 3 year blocks) are mixed together to allow for mentoring and leadership
- Respect for the child’s pace: children and not rushed, the focus is on the child's individual development, not predefined time lines.
- Freedom with limits: children are given the freedom to explore but have boundaries. The balance encourages exploration and discipline.
The Rise in Popularity
Montessori principles are increasingly being applied at home, even for children who are not enrolled in Montessori schools. This is why products like the Figgy are becoming so popular—parents are recognizing that these products make excellent Montessori toys. The growing interest in alternatives to traditional education has driven the rise of Montessori, as both parents and teachers search for methods that foster emotional and social development.
The recent focus on reducing screen time has further highlighted the importance of emotional intelligence and hands-on learning, leading more people to discover Montessori’s true potential. It’s more than just a wooden toy craze; it’s a comprehensive framework for helping children learn in a more holistic and meaningful way.
As Montessori principles become more mainstream, products like the Figgy are gaining attention for how well they align with this method, offering a valuable, screen-free way for children to develop important skills.
How do I Montessori My toys or My Playroom?
When we say Montessori your toys, we’re playfully saying that we want to thoughtfully select and organize our toys (or the playroom) in a way that aligns with the Montessori method principles, creating an environment that fosters independence, creativity, and learning. Our goal is to create an environment where each toy serves a purpose in helping our kids improve problem solving, emotional intelligence and fine motor control while encouraging self-directed exploration. Let’s apply the principles and make it easier to understand:
1. Choose open ended toys:
Montessori toys are open ended, meaning that they are used in many different ways. This encourages creativity, problem-solving, and social development as children, sometimes in groups, will explore and create different games with the same toys. Examples of these toys include building blocks or puzzles. New toys like the Figgy play couch, which can be transformed into forts, obstacle courses, or imaginative play scenes are taking this concept to new levels. The Figgy is also helping extend the use of Montessori principles for older kids.
2. Select toys made from materials found on a regular daily basis:
Toys made out of natural materials like wood, fabric or metal provide sensory experiences that plastic doesn’t. The mixture of traditional Montessori wooden toys with Figgy creates multiple sensory textures, which can help with motor skills and tactile learning.
3. Limit the number of toys
Playrooms can often have toy overload; this commonly looks like a cluttered disaster of a room. Montessori emphasizes the idea of less is more. Having too many toys can overwhelm children, much like some social apps can reduce your attention span. We want to offer a few well-chosen toys that can encourage deep engagement. Using the Figgy as a main toy and rotating other smaller wooden or imaginative toys can create deep learning environments where children learn to focus and try new things.
4. Create an organized accessible space
In a modern Montessori-inspired playroom, we want to make our limited number of toys accessible. Low shelves make it easy for children to choose and return items on their own, which is especially rewarding for the parents when they’re not constantly cleaning up a cluttered playroom. As kids learn to choose and return toys, they are learning how to be independent and responsible. The Figgy fits this situation well as it can be easily arranged into a couch when kids are done playing.
5. Promote independence
Our Montessori-inspired playroom should empower children to play independently. We are trying to create something similar to children's free choice time at school. Create stations or areas where children can choose their activities. Analog play choices are best, like a reading corner, a crafting table, or a Figgy play area that invites exploration and self-led play.
6. Incorporate real-life activities
Montessori encourages children to practice real-life skills through play. Toys like pretend kitchen sets or gardening tools, allow children to learn while playing. Figgy offers a play panel set that transforms the Figgy into a play kitchen. This allows kids to practice making food and preparing meals like they see others doing. When they’re done with the kitchen playset, you can easily put away the kitchen play panel and create a new toy rotation where kids get to practice building houses and forts. These physical activities encourage motor development which screen time does not.
7. Encourage concentration and focus
Montessori toys for ages 2-8 should promote focus and engagement. Montessori toys are often designed to challenge a child’s thinking without overwhelming them. Activities like building, sorting or problem-solving involves sequencing and logic development. The modular nature of the Figgy allows children to create endless shapes and builds while never losing concentration.
