Waldorf/Montessori Minimalist Toy Collection: 13 Types of Toys Every Child “Needs”

[@CaraFrayer-uk2bn]

This video was lovely & so encouraging!

[@sarahsolangechannel1631]

I am a former Waldorfstident. Now I am grownup and the owner of over 100 Barbie dolls :) Because I always loved them as a child but felt I had to hide them from the other children (because of their parents who saw them as „bad“). I am still thankful that I went towaldoefkindergardwn and school. What I am trying to say is that any kind of extrem is most likely to be less beneficial. Sometimes it can even be very important for a child to play with war toys because of a reason that is beyond our grasp.

[@SamBebz]

Teach me all the things! lol Thanks for sharing!

[@dragonflywings1234]

This is a great video with wonderful suggestions. Thank you

[@soniatriana9091]

Wow! What an excellent video! Such a nice quality of suggestions & examples! I already have many of these categories, but I’m sure new parents/grandparents/family members/friends/etc would really love these tips👍🏻👏🏻

[@inspiredrootsranch3695]

Thank you so much for your feedback 💗

[@jojomojo6569]

You are such an instantly likable person 🌼 great video, thanks hun!

[@jaylynnchattams5794]

I loved everything about this video. Thank you!

[@Montessori_Motherhood]

Wow you have a big collection of animals! I like the sensory bottles.

[@inspiredrootsranch3695]

We get our son a few new animals in his stocking and Easter basket each year. The sensory bottles I made. The bottles can be found at hobby lobby and I filled them with beads and things we had in our craft cupboard. I did purchase some mini animals and things to make a couple themed ones. Glitter is also awesome. Mineral oil is the liquid. Just make sure to super glue the lid on so they can’t get it off and check them periodically to make sure the lids haven’t come loose.

[@laurayoutube7434]

Where are the big wooden animals from? Love this video!

[@stephaniesanchez2057]

Thank you!!!

[@lindseymakes5364]

Thanks for sharing! If you’ve never heard of “TAG toys - Think and Grow” I’d highly recommend checking them out. They have items for language, gross motor, play. Lovely toys and activities. Very high quality, made in America. I love that you mention thrifting! With marketplace and thrift stores I’ve scored some great deals. I lean more Montessori overall but love the whimsy of Waldorf.

[@inspiredrootsranch3695]

Thank you for your feedback 😊 I will definitely check out TAG Toys. Thank you for the recommendation.

[@_gojira_and_fnaf_1964]

I feel like a kind of toys all kids need are brand based is that kids have a character to connect with and alot of characters can easily fit into categories on the list (figures can be characters from marvel spiderman, vehicles could be Thomas wooden railway and dolls could be barbies.

[@inspiredrootsranch3695]

While I do feel that all toys can serve a purpose and character toys can be fun and work for some families, in our home we follow the Waldorf Philosophy and a little bit of Montessori. In both of those philosophies, it is recommended that screen time and media exposure be very little, if any for young children. My son for example has had very limited exposure with characters that he would be familiar with. He does occasionally watch a Disney Junior show or Disney movie but it’s very seldom. The Waldorf philosophy in particular teaches that through life experiences, hearing stories, and looking at picture books, a child’s imagination is developed. In the time that children are exposed to screens, be it TV or time on an iPad, young children are given images and pictures to see. While watching a screen, they don’t create images on their own with their imagination. In these instances children are simply not given the opportunity for their brains to fully develop their creativity and imagination in the same way. So most Waldorf toys are open ended toys that can be used in many different ways, promote creative play and use of imagination. Most dolls don’t have elaborate faces so that the child can imagine the doll in multiple ways like sleeping, awake, crying, etc… Also most Waldorf toys are made from natural materials like wood, silk, cotton, tin, etc… So while I agree that character toys can serve their purpose, we prefer toys that are more natural, open ended, and promote creative and imaginative play without the limitations that character toys can sometimes create. But I understand that every family is different and this is just what we prefer.

[@mayamartin7359]

While the OP gave a fantastic explanation of the reasoning behind Waldorf’s stance on branded toys, I thought I’d pop in as another Waldorf parent with another home’s perspective (not incompatible!) - while we are not 100% screen free and my daughter does recognize Disney princesses and classic characters, etc, I’ve often (not always, but often) noticed that branded/licensed toys and stories tend to be subpar compared to original stories/items that aren’t tagged onto a franchise, or even compared to their source material. For example, we loved the idea of the Disney 5-minute Stories treasuries, but I found every short story to be very mediocre and forgettable - most especially when compared to the lovely original material! It just feels like the companies are trying to “cash in” and milk every last character for every last cent. But when we put away all branded stories and go searching for ones that are in their original medium - I’m thinking Gruffalo; Peter Rabbit; Brambly Hedge; Ulf Stark stories - these stories feel like a much higher caliber than any of the miscellaneous treasuries and ripoff adaptations I find with recognizable movie characters. So while I love letting my daughter watch the very occasional Disney movie, when it comes to stories, I try to stick to “original” storybooks, if that makes any sense. Outside of books, a similar principle often applies to the quality of the toys themselves. It’s absolutely possible to find some high-quality branded toys (I’m thinking Classic Pooh stuffies!) but the vast majority is cheaply made and you really have to cherry-pick, and again as per Waldorf, it’s far less open-ended... Whenever anyone has given my daughter a Frozen doll or lego set, I notice her role play is always limited to acting out scenes from one of the movies. But if it’s a character-less doll, lego set, or peg doll set, she invents all sorts of storylines of her very own!

[@chnginglanes]

Great video! Do you have a link for the dinosaurs and animals? Can’t find the company you mentioned

[@inspiredrootsranch3695]

www.padilly.com/

[@inspiredrootsranch3695]

I just sent the link. Padilly has many great things. The animals and dinosaurs in particular are under animals in the drop down menu. Or you can search by brand. The brand is called Holztiger.

[@chnginglanes]

@@inspiredrootsranch3695 thanks so much!

[@simplyraisingarrows7369]

What about an older kid who is almost 8 ? Also how can I incorporate waldorf with the food and the beautiful? I want to add in natural with charlotte mason style but with religion minded not the waldorf mindset just the natural and minimalist . I also have a almost 13 year old son as well.