Gifts can be an endless source of stress for Montessori families.  Creating a prepared environment for your child involves significant work in curating the items that enter that space.  When your loved ones gift your family inappropriate materials, you're left with the difficult choice of refusing the gift and offending the giver, accepting the gift and putting it into storage, or allowing the item to disrupt your carefully prepared environment. A little proactive action can help prevent these problems and diffuse tension.

Finding the right toy or gift for a child in a Montessori family can be difficult for the uninitiated.  There are a lot of seemingly arbitrary rules, and many common toys and baby items are frequently not permitted in the household. Fortunately, the rules for what makes a good gift are fairly straightforward, and there are lots of options to choose from for any age group.