Exploringmontessori

Lately, I’ve noticed that my toddler isn’t as interested in toys as he used to be.

He’s between 18 and 24 months now, and something has shifted. The toys are still there, and he does go back to them, but they don’t seem to hold his attention in the same way.

Instead, he’s far more interested in everything else.

He follows me into the kitchen and watches what I’m doing.

He opens cupboards.

He carries things from one room to another.

Sometimes I set something out for him, and he barely looks at it. Instead, he’ll go straight to something completely different — something that wasn’t even meant to be a toy.

At first, I thought I needed to change things. Rotate more. Offer something new. Maybe I just hadn’t found the right toys.

But the more I watch him, the more it makes sense.

He doesn’t seem to be looking for something to play with all the time. He wants to be involved. He wants to see what’s happening, move around, and take part in small ways.

Even the simplest things seem to matter to him.

I’ve started to realise that this stage isn’t about toys as much as it is about real life. He’s watching, copying, carrying, exploring — trying to understand how things work around him.

The toys are still there, and he does return to them. But right now, they’re not his main focus