I'm starting to look around for ideas for Otto's playgym. You know I'm hanging his ball and perhaps a bell on a ribbon, ring on a ribbon and a few other interesting toys. I've been looking around for some inspiration! 

"When the infant, who has been looking at a toy hanging above him and intuitively reaching for it, finally reaches it and makes it move, this is an exhilirating moment. Instead of just being cared for and acted upon by others, the infant has reached out and intentionally acted upon his environment. He has literally "changed the world."

Carefully selecting toys at this stage includes looking for those that support a wide variety of movement possibilities for the child. Each rattle, toy, puzzle and other piece of material has been chosen for a specific purpose.

Best is when the toys, such as a wooden ring or a large bell, can be hung from the ceiling, or from a natural wood toy hanger. Hanging toys will need to be rotated to keep the child interested and happy, or you may want to arrange to have hanging toys in more than one place in the house." The Joyful Child: Montessori, Global Wisdom for Birth to Three. 

Ring on a ribbon. Note the elastic so the child can pull on the ring and it has a little give.  

This shows nicely how this family has incorporated the infant into the home living areas!

 Gorgeous ribbons and a bell for auditory stimulus! 

Nice to see how this playgym fits into this parent-infant class.  

 Puzzle ball.  

This one isn't strictly Montessori. Montessori would encourage us to have one material/item for the child to focus on, but this is really beautiful and is simply another way of displaying some natural materials for visual tracking.  This is also a reminder that tactile mobiles and the playgym can be used for tummy time too. 

 Love this little tripod playgym with the bells! 

Tactile balls.  

This space is a little cluttered and I'm sure would be simplified before introducing a baby, however you can see some interesting items on the playgym, some textured ribbon, some wooden rings and a bell. 

So many ideas here. I hope you've enjoyed these as much as I have! 

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