Pounding & Hammering Toys

Ball hammering toys and wooden pounding benches give toddlers from 12 months something they are allowed to bang. A tap sends a ball rolling out, a firm knock pushes a peg through to the other side: every strike has a result they can see and hear.

Ball hammering box or peg bench?

The pound and roll hammer box comes with 4 balls: your child places a ball on a hole, taps it through and watches it roll out at the bottom. It suits the youngest, as a ball goes through with a light tap and comes straight back out to play again.

A peg bench, a classic among wooden Montessori toys, asks a little more. The pegs need a steadier aim and a firmer blow, and on most benches, once every peg is down, your child simply turns it over and starts again. Choose from the pastel wooden pounding bench, the warm taupe or natural models, the Arctic ice floe, the peek-a-boo bird or the classic blue bench with cylinders.

From 12 months to 2 years: which children's hammer toy?

• From 12 months: the pound and roll ball box, the natural eco bench, the Arctic ice floe and the 2-in-1 hammering bench with baby xylophone, which turns the mallet into a beater.
• From 18 months: the pastel, warm taupe and peek-a-boo bird benches.
• From 2 years: the colourful bench with mallet and the classic blue bench, with pegs that take more effort.
• For a bigger play corner: the XL activity cubes, which combine a hammering side with several other activities.

Hammering without the chaos

Hand over the mallet and let your child find their own rhythm. If it starts landing on the table instead, calmly put the bench away and bring it out again later: they quickly learn that the hammer is for the pegs. A bench works best on a low table or the floor, where your child can kneel and strike from above.