Montessori in Mind
Little Berry Button’s hope is to inspire a young generation with considered toys created from wood as opposed to plastic, encouraging children to feel connected to nature and learn to appreciate craftsmanship from an early age.
These sustainably-sourced wooden toys give a nod to the infamous Montessori Method - classically simple in design and natural in material, enabling little ones to learn through all of the senses with a variety of different textures, temperatures and weights.
Montessori by Vectors Point from Noun Project (CCBY3.0)
The method encourages grown ups to create a play space of multi-sensory toys and games, before letting children choose which they want to play with. By providing a few options in easy to reach places, the end goal is to inspire independence and an interesting learning environment without overwhelming young minds and limiting attention span.
Wooden toys promote engagement with hands-on experience and give little people a sense of purpose, rather than just being a distraction. Providing realistic and textured products mean children can not only learn about the world they live in and what’s around them, but are encouraged to use their imagination and invent new ways of playing with them over time.
Studies suggest children who trialled the method with these types of toys showed increased social understanding and executive function skills in addition to motor and problem solving skills and hand eye coordination.
One of my favourite pieces is this Wooden Toy Race Car - durable and fun, leave bystanders in the dust as your little one hones their driving skills with this handcrafted vehicle, which also features a removable driver!