There is an incredible simple beauty to Montessori baby toys. They isolate concepts, allowing for slow movements, concentration and exploration. Their natural material makes them safe for mouthing and beautiful for any shelf.
The egg and cup is no exception! It's simple beauty and function make it ideal for a Montessori environment. And the material itself is so simple! Just a wooden egg and a wooden cup.
Typically, this work is introduced to a baby that can sit and do the work. Augustus is a bit delayed in gross motor skills {which is totally fine!} so he cannot sit on his own yet. But, cognitively he was ready for this challenge. So, I introduced it anyway. This is a great material for whole-hand grip, fine motor practice, babies interested in in/out, and starting to introduce different shapes.
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I noticed that he was starting to become intensely interested in putting things in and out of other things. So, out came the egg and cup! He was immediately drawn to it. To present I simply removed and replaced the egg a couple of times. Then, I let him freely explore.
Like the object permanence box, at first he was more interested in the egg than the work itself. But, over the last week, we've had a lot of correct usage {and even more attempts at correct placement} of the egg and cup.
This is another really easy DIY material. Eggs and cups can often be found in craft stores or online. If you are interested in purchasing one this material can be found here, here, or here.
Have you used an egg and cup with your baby? What is your favorite Montessori baby material?
