Although I typically hold fast to the notion of one holiday at a time, I couldn’t help  browsing all the great Montessori-friendly gift ideas out there for kids. I am happy that even before starting this intentional journey I held Montessori type beliefs regarding toys. I despise toys that do too much, make too much noise, and we typically avoid anything that needs batteries.

So, after a little pre-Thanksgiving research I have come up with my little wish-list for the little ones that gels with our parenting philosophy without losing any of the joy or awesomeness of Christmas toys. My children are 5 and almost 3 so it is great that there is a lot of overlap in what would interest them.

• Melissa and Doug toys! I am particularly eyeing these transportation themed ones for my son: the Car Carrier Wooden Truck and the Whittle Wood Airplane set. 
• Also from Melissa and Doug is this great See and Spell Learning Game! It is great for both kids and the letters can be used for spelling words not on the boards.
• This Spring we plan on tackling a vegetable garden for the third year and I really want the kids to get into the action, so I am spotted these great  tools from For Small Hands.
• My kids love the yoga video Yoga Motion by Namaste Kids but use my adult size mat when doing it. I have been on the lookout for kids’ yoga mats for awhile and these from Lazy Lizard seem to be the cutest and most functional!
• I am totally bummed that this next item won’t be ready until early 2013, but Goldie Blox will definitely be on our to-buy list for my daughter.

What other great Montessori inspired toys or activities have you found?