Oh Santa, there are so many wonderful Montessori inspired gifts that are making the list this year! My children are now 4 and 6 and full of curiosity.

Our wish list “rules” are pretty simple:

1. The toy/gift shouldn’t do too much on its own, that means no batteries required.

2. The toy/gift should be able to be played in multiple ways and be open-ended.

3. Communal toys that can be played by both kids or the whole family are a bonus.

4. Avoid character based toys as they go out of fashion too quickly.

So here is what we are eyeing this year.

• My son (the four year old), loves puzzles and has requested more challenging options. We have this Rainforest Puzzle from Melissa and Doug and we adore it so much that I think this Solar System Puzzle will be next.
• Both of my children, but particularly my 6 year old, are really into exploring and observation. I wanted to get her something that could be used in our own backyard to explore her environment. I thought this Terra Kids magnifier over at Montessori Services was a good choice. I have actually seen one of my 7th graders use a similar tool to this one so I know it can used in the long haul.
• We have outgrown our current blocks so we will be adding to our building materials. My husband will be pulling out his Lego collection from the attic and we are thinking of adding these beautiful Texo materials as well.
• Something we truly need are some glass pitchers. We used these plastic pitchers starting when my son as 2, but now we are ready to graduate to the real deal (real Montessorians would have used glass from the beginning but remember the Practical part of this blog?). I like this simple one again from Montessori Services. 
• We also like art supplies and a few books!

You can check out last year’s list here for more ideas. We will also be going through our current toys and books to make room for the new stuff and make sure we are keeping kid clutter low.

What is on your Montessori Wish List?