Refinement of the auditory sense15–18 months
Wooden Percussion Set
Real instruments in miniature — bells, a wood block, maracas — that make a genuine tone when struck.
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- Offer it around
- 15–18 months
- Montessori principle
- Refinement of the auditory sense
- What you may see
- Strikes an object deliberately to make a sound
- Varies force to change volume
- Moves in time to a steady beat
Montessori includes a whole strand of sensorial work devoted to sound, and the underlying principle is that a child should produce the sound themselves. A toy that plays a recorded tune when a button is pressed teaches a child to press a button. A wood block struck with a beater teaches them that striking harder is louder, striking near the edge sounds different from striking the middle, and that they control all of it.
At fifteen to eighteen months the work is exploratory rather than musical. Expect banging, and expect every instrument to be tested against the floor as well as with its beater. That is legitimate investigation of what different materials sound like, and it settles down. What emerges over the following months is a genuine sense of beat — a toddler who can keep time with a shaker is doing something cognitively substantial.
Offer two or three instruments at a time rather than the whole set, and rotate them. A basket containing eleven noisy objects tends to produce indiscriminate noise; two objects produce comparison, which is where the sensorial learning actually lives.
What to look for
- Solid wood, water-based finish or none at all
- Instruments sized for small hands
- A genuine clear tone rather than a rattle
- A storage bag or basket
Not this
Electronic keyboards and anything with recorded backing tracks. The child should be the source of the sound.
Safety
Small bells and beater tips can detach — inspect before each use, and keep this a supervised activity at this age.
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Also for 1–2 years
The rest of this stage
- Grading by sizeStacking RingsRings on a vertical dowel, graded largest to smallest — the first material that asks a child to order things rather than just place them.12–15 months
- Isolation of difficultySingle Shape PuzzleOne shape, one board, one knob. Four separate puzzles rather than one puzzle with four holes.12–15 months
- Practical lifePouring SetTwo small pitchers and a tray. The first true practical life work, and the one that starts a child serving themselves.12–15 months
- Care of the environmentChild-Size Broom and DustpanA working broom scaled to a toddler. Not a toy broom — one that actually sweeps.15–18 months
- Two hands working togetherThreading BeadsLarge wooden beads and a stiff lace — the first work that genuinely requires both hands to do different jobs at once.15–18 months
- Isolation of difficultyDressing FramesA button, a zip and a snap, each mounted alone in its own frame so it can be practised away from the pressure of getting dressed.18–21 months
- Open-ended work with real materialsWooden Unit BlocksPlain hardwood blocks in mathematically proportional sizes, unpainted, with no pictures or letters on them.18–21 months
- Reality before abstractionNomenclature CardsCards showing one real, accurately depicted thing each — the Montessori answer to the cartoon flashcard.18–21 months
- Practical lifeFood Preparation SetA child-safe knife, a small board and a peeler — real tools for real food, which is what Montessori offers instead of a play kitchen.21–24 months
- Preparation of the handBeeswax Block CrayonsChunky beeswax blocks that need almost no pressure to leave a mark, and cannot be gripped in a fist.21–24 months
- The prepared environmentWeaning Table and ChairA table and chair at the child's own scale, low enough that they can sit down and get up entirely by themselves.21–24 months