Montessori aligned toys and books for toddlers at Halloween

I make it a point to celebrate the big occasions around my toddler’s play shelf. I love to make it attractive and a real focal point. Halloween is one of those fun occasions for dress up and celebrating the season. Although Montessori discouraged fantasy, I see this as a good opportunity for cultural education. As my children get older, I hope to introduce the origins of these celebrations as well. At such a young age, I think it’s important to do it all in a non-scary way.

Here is my round-up of the Montessori-aligned toys and books we have invested in and enjoyed as a family that work for the theme of Halloween.

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Top row:

• Black and white coin drop from Kiwico Panda Crate (This is from the Explore With Me crate which has now been updated)
• Orange beads from the Plan Toys threading set
• DIY lacing pumpkin which I found as a free download on the Teachers Pay Teachers website
• Orange, black and white button sorting activity made from a cheap set of buttons I found on Amazon
• DIY free the ghosts activity using a free printable I found along with some wooden pegs for fine motor practice.
• DIY pumpkin number puzzle using a free printable found online

Bottom row:

• Lovevery Circle of friends puzzle from the Babbler playkit – I think they look like pumpkins and are in a nice autumnal orange colour for the season
• Lovevery Drop and match dot catcher from the helper playkit
• Lovevery lockbox from the Realist playkit

Lovevery has a referral programme where we can both get £20 off a playkit if you are a new subscriber. Send me an email at empoweredmontessorimama@gmail.com and I’ll send you my referral code. This does not add you to any subscriber lists.

Our favourite Halloween toddler books

Here are the links to the books I have invested in and enjoyed with my toddler for the last couple of years.

• Pick a Pumpkin by Patricia Toht – This is a lovely book that outlines the main Halloween traditions using rhythmic language. My daughter enjoys it and we have two others from the series, Pick a Pine Tree (Christmas) and Pick the Perfect Egg (Easter).
• Halloween Is…by Gail Gibbons – This book is a gentle guide to the history of Halloween, its symbols and traditions for young children. We have several books by Gibbons in our collection and I think she is a wonderful author for introducing non-fiction topics to younger children. The images are always appealing and the language is clear and educational.
• Ollie’s Lost Kitten by Nicola Killen – This is a gorgeously illustrated little story about a young child discovering a lost kitten when out in the woods. The little cut out pages and occasional use of sparkle keep my daughter engaged. This is the first book we got by the author. We’ve since expanded our collection to include the Christmas, Easter, and birthday books in the same series.
• Funny Bones by Janet and Allan Ahlberg – We are big fans of the authors in this house. My daughter has listening to the classics Peepo and Each Peach Pear Plum since she was about 6 months old. She enjoys the repetition in this book and often recites the first few lines, “In a dark dark town, in a dark dark street”, whilst reading the book to herself.
• Little Blue Truck’s Halloween by Alice Schertle and Jill McElmurry – We love the Little Blue Truck series in our home. In this book, the farm animals are dressed in costumes for Halloween. Last year I thought my daughter (then a one-year-old) wouldn’t understand it. However, she knew immediately which animal was hiding on each page and found it very entertaining.
• A Pumpkin for Peter – This is part of a delightful set of board books entitle “A Peter Rabbit Tale” based on the works and illustrations of Beatrix Potter. The story follows Peter Rabbit and his family as they confront the spooky sounds in the woods on the way to pick a pumpkin from Mr Rabbit’s pumpkin patch. It’s a simple story pitched just right for a young child that isn’t yet ready for anything truly scary.
• Trick or Treat – Another one from the Peter Rabbit board book series mentioned above. This time, the story follows Peter and his sisters as they prepare their Halloween costumes. It’s a sweet tale. It focuses on how Peter helps and encourages his siblings. In the end, his kindness is rewarded.
• The Very Hungry Caterpillar’s Creepy Crawly Halloween – This is a delightful and simple lift the flap book. It brings together some of Eric Carle’s famous bugs that appear in his various books. His iconic and distinctive illustrations really appeal to my daughter. She seems to enjoy naming all the creatures as she finds them.
• Room on the Broom by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler – This is a simple story about a witch who is sharing her broom with various animals she encounters. Every now and then they loses one of her iconic witch paraphernalia requiring a landing to retrieve it. The book has a lovely rhythm that holds my daughter interest throughout. We have most of the board book versions of books by this author/illustrator pairing.
• Jane Foster’s Halloween – This was the first book I bought for our daughter’s halloween collection. It’s a simple collection of the main Halloween symbols presented as a striking image with the relevant word. We have other Foster books in our collection, which have been useful for building up basic vocabulary.
• Walter’s Wonderful Web by Tim Hopgood – This is one of my daughter’s absolute favourites. She learned all of her shapes before she turned two with this book. I love the theme of not giving up that runs throughout the story. A nice message for our children when things don’t go right the first time!

That’s it for my round up of Montessori-inspired Halloween toys and books for toddlers. I’m sure my collection will continue to grow as the children get older.

What about you? What are your favourite halloween traditions? What books and toys would you recommend for the occasion?