It's been a couple of months since I shared a Montessori toy shelfie and some ideas of what Teddy is playing with here at home. Right now, Teddy has two play shelves in our home. There's the one featured in this post and a smaller shelf with a few materials in our homeschool classroom. Those in the classroom are rarely used and are just available for those times where he needs to be with us while we are having a focused work period with the older kids. This work period has mostly shifted to his nap time so he's not using them much.
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So, I chose to focus on the materials he uses daily and those that are most accessible to him. This shelf is located in our main playroom and he can choose to use this space whenever he would like. In addition to the shelf of toys, Gus also has materials in this space. There is also our Sprout Pikler Triangle, a ball run, and our large wooden stacker.
1. Pom-Pom Push - This is one that Ted got for Christmas, he's been really into it as well. But, it's more of a challenge than I thought it would be for him. He definitely has to think about how to get the pom-pom out once he sticks one in. I think this will be popular for awhile.
2. DIY Coin Box - A simple DIY that Teddy really enjoys. I made this way back when Nora was a toddler, and it has stood the test of time. Just a simple craft store box with a slot cut in the top and some large wooden coins. Ted uses this daily.
3. Montessori Box with Bins - This is another one that Teddy LOVES. He does this multiple times a day. He enjoys opening the small drawers and pulling out the small toys I store inside. Right now its a set of small birds, but we've done other things like blocks, cars, and a variety of animals. I rotate the little surprises every so often.
4. Grimms Bus with Peg People (no link, these are sold out everywhere) - Right now Teddy likes to put the peg people in and out of the bus but that's about it. I think eventually he will have a lot of fun rolling it around or pretending with it.
5. HABA Ball Stacker (this is retired, but here's a similar one) - This was a huge hit with Gus and it's a huge hit with Teddy. He returns to this every single day stacking more and more balls onto the different pegs. He isn't color sorting yet, but eventually he could.
6. Wooden Ring Return - This one is still a challenge for Teddy. He's working on rotating his wrist to get the ring in the slot. He enjoys the challenge and is so happy when he finally gets it.
7. Spoolz - The big kids saw these and got them for Teddy for Christmas. They are a fun stacking/rolling option for younger toddlers. Ted seems to enjoy but not something he is constantly grabbing.
8. Silicone Rainbow - I honestly thought this wouldn't be a big hit with Teddy and that it would be more of a decoration in our space, but I was really wrong. He loves these. He's constantly trying to put them on his head, chew them, smash them down. They have turned out to be one of the first things he is grabbing each time he returns to the shelf.
I want to remind everyone that this is where Teddy spends a few minutes of his time each day. Much more of his day is climbing something, running around, following me around, nursing, or practical life activities. Toys and materials support the work that he is doing, but they aren't often the MOST important work that he is doing.
What is your 15-16 month old interested in?
