Learning Numbers

Number puzzles and wooden counting toys let children from 2 years recognise digits, say their names and match each one to a quantity they can see and touch. The range is short: two puzzles, a counting board, an arithmetic box and a set of digits for the fridge door.

Wooden number puzzles from 2 years

The counting hands puzzle pairs each number with a hand showing that many fingers, so a child can check the answer on their own hand. The shape and number inset puzzle mixes digits with simple shapes: lift a piece out, trace its outline with a finger, then find its place again.

Number toys for counting and first sums

From 3 years, the counting board with spinning gears, also among our gear toys, keeps busy fingers turning while the child counts aloud. The arithmetic box with counting sticks and number tiles lets them lay out three sticks, add two more, and find the tile for five. A 40-piece set of wooden digits and maths symbols turns the fridge door into a place for little sums while dinner cooks.

The rainbow xylophone, from 18 months, adds a musical side: count the bars out loud as you play up and down the scale. Number work is a core strand of Montessori educational toys, and these pieces cover its very first steps.

How to do cross number puzzles with young children

A cross number puzzle works like a crossword with sums: answers run across and down and share squares, so each one helps solve the next. With a 5 or 6 year old, draw a small grid with two sums, place a few number tiles and let them find the missing ones with counting sticks.