Shape Sorters & Inset Toys

A shape sorter toy asks one simple question: which hole does this piece belong in? Here you will find wooden sorting boxes, sorting vehicles, peg puzzles and inset boards for babies and toddlers from around 12 months.

First posting boxes: one shape at a time

For a first baby shape sorter, fewer holes are better. The Montessori triangle and rectangular inset-and-drop boxes each work with a single shape: your child pushes the block through, hears it land, then opens the box to find it again. Once that is easy, the Spring Blossom sorting box brings in several shapes at once.

Hand over one piece at a time and stay quiet. If a block will not go in, let your child turn it rather than guiding the hand: that small search is the whole point of a post box toy. The box itself says whether the shape is right, which is why these are among the best-loved Montessori wooden toys.

Sorting on wheels and a cube with shapes

The wooden car and the safari animal truck are a shape sorter toy and a push-along in one, so the pieces travel round the room before being posted. Our activity cubes mix things up: a cube with shapes to slot in on one face, and beads, gears or sliders on the others, for a child who likes to move from one challenge to the next.

Peg puzzles and inset boards

Peg puzzles take the same idea flat: each piece has a small knob to pinch and its own outline on the board. The first shapes and colours peg puzzle, the chunky safari animals and the five-piece horse are a gentle start, and the musical animal peg puzzles add sounds to the game. Later on, the inset board with 12 geometric shapes offers trickier outlines from 18 months, a good next step described in our guide to the best toys for 1 to 2 year olds.