Now that we are almost at the end of our Montessori training series you must be thinking about materials for Montessori and where you can buy them. As any avid shopper knows, you get the best deals online, so I have put together a resource list that you can refer to as you march ahead in your Montessori journey at home.
So let's begin with a "shopping list-on-a-budget"!
1. Home & Kitchen Department Stores
Yes you read it right! I love to start shopping for Montessori supplies from non-toy shops, especially during their sale period. These are the shops where you will find lot of variety for practical life works - pouring utensils, pitchers, creamers, bowls, child-sized spoons, forks, trays. In fact your own kitchen should be your first stop to search for items that you can use for your Montessori activities like pouring, scooping, transferring, tonging, spooning, peeling, scraping, sifting etc.
2. Home Décor Stores/ Street Shops
Always visit these during the Sale period to check for good deals on cane baskets, wooden trays, decorative bowls,jute table mats etc.
3. Book Stores
The Montessori approach gives you a chance to introduce your child to books that encourage creativity, natural curiosity and imaginative thinking of a child. You can choose from a host of fiction/non-fiction books based on your child's age and current interests. The Montessori philosophy believes in showing children books with realistic illustrations that encourage the child to imagine about the outside world. This would mean staying away from books that show animals talking or moneys flying as the books, as we'd like to do our best to show the child how the real world works. Having said that, please feel free to tweak the list of your books based on what you feel is right for your child.
Here are just few suggestions on where you can buy children's books online:
- Tulika website
- Pratham website
- Amazon.in (during sale)
- Flipkart.in (during sale)
- Facebook groups selling pre-loved books at discounted rates - there are a lot of Indian FB Groups that sell books at very low prices, so make sure you join some of these groups to stay updated on their products.
- Books by weight sales - Look out for books by weight / garage sales in your local area to grab good deals on books (and toys too).
4. Hardware Stores
You can look out for nuts, bolts, brushes, locks, keys, sandpaper in these kind of stores. Just ensure that you don't buy anything which will be a choking hazard for the child. As mentioned earlier, you might find these at home, but make sure they're not rusted or have sharp edges.
5. Montessori Brands
You can get specialized Montessori toys and supplies from many brands; here are some of the Montessori brands available in India:
- Kidoenterprises (Products available on their own website as well as on Amazon, Flipkart, Firstcry)
- Kidken (Products available on their own website as well as on Amazon, Flipkart, Firstcry)
- Eduedge (Also available on Amazon, Flipkart, Firstcry)
- Hopscotch (Often has good discounts on Montessori toys, wooden toys, child sized furniture)
- Skill-o-fun (Available on Amazon and Flipkart)
- Little Genius (Available on Amazon and Flipkart)
- International sites which ship to India - These have good products but be sure to read the reviews and do a bit of research before choosing to buy from these sites - www.aliexpress.com and www.wish.com
- Facebook Toy seller groups - There are many groups on FB selling good quality products at a discounted rate, so do look these up
- Mumma Diaries Shop - I have recently opened a Montessori-inspired webshop that provides purposeful, hand-crafted, early learning products - you can check these out too!
6. Montessori-inspired Printables
There are lots of free online resources that you can download and print. Here are a few recommended websites:
Shopping Tips for Buying Montessori Supplies
Here are some shopping tips to keep in mind whilst buying your Montessori supplies:
1. Don't buy very expensive toys, unless these are going to be passed on or used for a longer time.
2. Avoid buying noisy, blazing toys. Always prefer simple, engaging toys over fancy ones.
4. Go for toys which have more than one use, e.g. wooden blocks - these can be used for building towers, in pretend plays, in sensory baskets etc.
3. Always choose interest-led toys that your child may enjoy at that point rather than picking something just because it looks good to you.
4. Hunt for toys when on good discounts and deals, either online or in-stores.
5. Most of the activities (especially for younger children) can be created with stuff from around the house. Use this opportunity to get a little bit creative and make DIY toys (you do not need to be crafty at all!). For instance, instead of buying an expensive kitchen set for your toddler, give him safe, real kitchen utensils to play with.
Check out this video where I have mentioned some easy fine motor activities you can set up in a jiffy with stuff from around the house: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N12kJu-zL-I
6. Join a children's books library. A library for your child is one thing you should invest in, more than anything else when it comes to their learning activities or toys. A good library is a blessing as you get access to lot of books at minimal cost. Besides that, you can also buy books as and when you find them at a good bargain.
Here is a video playlist of my learning supplies and book hauls which you can refer to for more ideas:
With this article, we conclude our Montessori training series. I hope you enjoyed reading the articles as much as I enjoyed writing them for you!
Feel free to let me know as and when you implement any of the activities in your home. I wish you a very happy and joyful parenting journey ahead!
Author
She left her high-profile corporate job to pursue her passion for Early Learning. She is the first Indian mom to start a YouTube channel on Early Learning and Montessori! She loves to document her Montessori - inspired journey on her channel and has helped 1000's of moms to enjoy this journey at their homes.
You can check her YouTube channel here.
She also blogs at www.mummadiaries.com where she offers Free Printables for toddlers and preschoolers.
