A Montessori Review of The Companion LovEvery Play Kit
Pretty shortly after my twins turned 22 months old, we received the Companion LovEvery Play Kit. As a Montessori mom, it is important to me to find high-quality toys that are engaging and developmentally appropriate. I will walk through each item in the Companion Play Kit and share my overall opinion of each item in this Play Kit.
Wooden Posting Stand
As with all of the LovEvery toys I have been impressed with the quality of the items and their durability. The wooden posting stand focuses on posting the pegs into the holes and discriminating between the size of the pieces and what hole they will fit into. I found this material to be quite engaging with our boys, but also even for a younger toddler. Quite honestly, I think it could be included in an earlier play kit, such as the Realist Play Kit.
Mosaic Button Board
I purchased a board like this at a garage sale, but the quality of the LovEvery Mosaic Button Board far surpasses that one! The buttons make a satisfying click sound when you press them onto the board. The board can slide into the box and lay horizontally or slide into two different vertical positions, which offers a nice variety as well as an added challenge of pressing in the buttons from a new position.
The buttons can be stored within the box for easy storage. It comes with a set of pattern cards, which help to extend the work even further for an older child and allow isolation of the skill of color matching.
The Buckle Barrel
The Buckle Barrel toy is so simple but has been the favorite part of this Companion LovEvery Play Kit! Children go through sensitive periods for different things, and I’m starting to think there is a sensitive period for fastening things! I love that the Buckle Barrel is just one item with no loose pieces. It makes it a great travel activity or something to use sitting on the couch. The Buckle Barrel engages this age toddler so well and also offers an ongoing challenge because first, a child will just be able to buckle the buckles, but soon they will figure out how to unbuckle them. This will naturally lead to lots of repetition.
From a Montessori perspective, this material is gold! It has a clear purpose, it is developmentally appropriate, and it encourages repetition and mastery of a skill. Maybe one of the most unique aspects of this material that could be easily overlooked is its’ self-correcting properties. The buckles are alternating colors with different buckle styles next to each other. It makes it clear to the child what ones need to be matched up.
Transfer Tweezers & Felt Stars
I love the quality of these stars and the small felt basket. The stars can also be used as a color-matching material with the chunky wooden jigsaw puzzle. My one critique is that there is only one felt bowl. Whenever I set up a transfer activity, I have my child transfer the objects from one container to another. The tweezers are a perfect size for a young toddler and a very engaging fine motor activity for the child.
‘Graham Turns Two’ Board Book
My boys loved all of the colors, balloons, and candles in this book! As with all of the LovEvery books, they are clear and concrete and help a young child to see and understand how the world works. These types of books seem to be some of the most engaging books for them and always lead to multiple times reading them.
Montessori Animal Match and Drawstring Bag
I was happy to have an activity like this included in the Companion play kit. As I mentioned earlier, children between 0 and 6 years old will go through sensitive periods. There is a distinct sensitive period for small objects, and these small animals, especially the cat, meet that need so well. My son will hold and carry the cat around all day.
Both the animals and wooden picture tiles are high quality and made to last!
Chunky Wooden Jigsaw Puzzle
Puzzles have been all the rage in our house lately! This is a durable, versatile, and engaging puzzle that offers a great level of challenge while still being possible. There does seem to be a big transition from frame puzzles to jigsaw puzzles, so this Chunky Wooden Jigsaw Puzzle makes the perfect transition puzzle for practicing how to turn, twist, and line up puzzle pieces to fit together.
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Overall Thoughts on the Companion Play Kit
Honestly, I love every item that comes in the Companion Play Kit. The felt stars and tweezers is one activity that I think I could make a very comparable DIY alternative. However, everything else offers a diverse selection of practical skills, like buckling, and fine motor skills with The Wooden Posting Stand, and great ongoing challenge opportunities with the Chunky Wooden Jigsaw Puzzle and The Mosaic Button Board.
