Wiwiurka, Montessori Style Toys, and Daycares
Montessori Toys
Montessori toys are specially designed to empower children in becoming independent as they navigate their environment through exploration and play (Mead, n.d.). These toys encourage kids to experiment and manipulate different objects. They learn how to build structures through trial and error, piece together different objects, and they use their imagination to create these objects. Montessori toys fosters creativity, learning, and fine motor skills. These toys also promote core muscle strength, grasping, and reaching skills. Because these toys encourage independence, children learn to play and create things at their own pace. They learn to become self-reliant and self-resilient. In this blog, we will discuss the different types of Montessori toys, how they are used in occupational therapy, and where you can purchase them!
Montessori Daycares
Montessori daycares and preschoolers use a holistic approach to teach children. They consider the child’s emotional, social, physical, and academic success when working with the children. They put more emphasis on routine and providing flexibility rather on structure for the day to day activities. The daily routine is based on providing more independence and flexibility for the child. This image shows what a typical Montessori daycare/preschool may look like. There's usually more empty ground space and lots of shelves around (Choosing a Montessori School, 2020).
Wiwiurka is a Mexico-based company that creates Montessori style toys for children designed to spark imagination and enhance creative play. They were founded in 2010 as a way of connecting with people through nature. We had the wonderful opportunity to sit down with one of the founders of Wiwiurka, AnaCe Parra. AnaCe joined us for one of our educational live sessions to discuss more about their products and story. You can catch the replay of this live on our Instagram page with this link:
Link to IG Replay with Wiwiurka
We got some great insight in our time with Ana not only in some behind the scenes information like that Wiwiurka actually means squirrel in polish, but also on some background on the company and why they are in the toy making business. They choose this name for their business to first honor her husband, Marek Shultz, who is part Polish and to also promote the idea of being active outdoors; think about how squirrels are constantly climbing and moving through their environments on trees and exploring outdoors- that is exactly how they envision children playing with their climbing equipment. They started their business in 2010 with the creation of OOAK outdoor playground toys to now creating indoor and outdoor toys and equipment made from pine and birchwood trees. All of their toys are also hand-made which adds on to the quality of their products. Beyond that, if you have particular colors throughout your home and want the climbing equipment to correspond with that pallet, you can contact the family and team behind Wiwiurka for custom colored designs.
Types of Toys and Equipment on Wiwiurka
Learning Toys:
These toys are especially designed to promote fine motor skills, encourage identification skills and hand-eye coordination. Hand-eye coordination is an important skill for writing, drawing, and even tying shoes. These toys are designed for multiple use so it fosters creativity as well. Plywood Ring Tower Set and Tamcubix are examples of learning toys on their website.
Active Toys:
These toys are designed for active play. They promote movement, coordination, balance, and strength. They are also great for both outdoor and indoor play. These toys vary and can include many different types of swing sets, wooden monkey bars, and balance bars. Here are a few examples of active toys on the Wiwiurka website: Climbing arch for babies, Wiwiurka Wooden Climber Triangular Rope Ladder, Net Rope Ramp.
Creative Toys:
These toys are designed for imaginative and pretend play. They promote participation in story telling and using creative play to come up with new ways of using objects. They have many toys in this category, but a couple of our favorites are: Waldorf Play Stand, WIWI Squirrels Mascots, and Wooden Camera.
How do we use this style of toys in occupational therapy?
In occupational therapy, play-based therapy is a fun way to teach children new skills and have them practice it in therapy. We as OTs love play-based therapy for many reasons! It allows us to encourage children to engage in different activities whilst improving on their functional performance, age appropriate skill development, and their emotional-well-being. Occupational therapists working in play-based therapy may be strengthening the current skills of the child or develop new skills such as fine motor skills or other life skills necessary for development. Montessori toys require children to use their senses so it’s essential for emotional and self-regulation and ties in wonderfully with sensory exploration.
Montessori style toys are beneficial for learning and growing and they have so many great qualities we love about them. In occupational therapy, toys such as these are great tools for self - regulation, fine motor skills, movement, coordination, imaginative-play, and maximizes creativity.
If you would consider incorporating Montessori toys into your child’s life, let us know in the comments!
References
Choosing a Montessori School. (2020, February 3). Montessori in Real Life. https://www.montessoriinreallife.com/home/2020/2/1/choosing-a-montessori-school
Mead, S. (n.d.). 12 Montessori Toys to Help Your Child Learn Through Play. Www.whitbyschool.org. https://www.whitbyschool.org/passionforlearning/12-montessori-toys-to-help-your-child-learn-through-play#:~:text=What%20is%20a%20Montessori%20Toy
Montessori school - https://www.montessoriinreallife.com/home/2020/2/1/choosing-a-montessori-school