Inside the Fisher-Price Play Lab: Why Fisher-Price Embraced Montessori and Returned to Wood

What happens when one of the world’s most iconic toy makers goes back to its roots – and invites Montessori experts to help chart the future? In this episode, hosts Biff Maier and Nicole Coman go inside Fisher-Price’s legendary Play Lab with Dr. Corinne Eggleston, Senior Manager of the Fisher-Price Play Lab, to unpack why the company returned to wood, how the team designed a Montessori-inspired product line, and what decades of play research reveal about how children really learn.

Hosts Biff Maier and Nicole Coman talk with Fisher-Price’s Corinne Eggleston about:

• Why Fisher-Price decided to reintroduce wooden toys, and what they learned in the process.
• How the Fisher-Price Play Lab tests toys with infants, toddlers, and preschoolers in two purpose-built labs (complete with one-way glass and a raised floor), and why children’s feedback drives every iteration.
• What authentic Montessori design required (not just the aesthetic), including school ethnography and iterative reviews with AMS.
• Why Fisher-Price became the first recipient of the AMS Montessori Seal of Excellence, and what that signals to parents and educators.
• How the Fisher-Price team balances free play and guided play, plus the included “Play Tips” booklets that help caregivers support at home.
• What Fisher-Price’s decades of play research reveal about how children learn best.

With warmth, insight, and a behind-the-scenes look at toy design, this episode shows how a beloved company rediscovered timeless materials, grounded pedagogy, and child-led innovation.

Find the Fisher-Price Wood Montessori Collection on Amazon here: https://www.amazon.com/stores/page/7FBCFC47-7280-4E85-8608-15D8CCAA7BDE

Find out more about the AMS Montessori Seal of Excellence and learn how to apply here: https://amshq.org/seal

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Educating the Human Potential is a podcast about optimizing education for a better society, through a Montessori lens. Hosts Nicole Coman, a licensed educational psychologist specializing in school psychology and child development -- and a "Montessori mom" -- and Biff Maier, an American Montessori Society Living Legacy with decades of experience as a Montessori educator and school leader, engage with experts, educators, parents, and students. Each episode explores strategies to unlock human potential, offering thought-provoking conversations on learning, child development, and the evolving landscape of education. This podcast is presented by AMS, the American Montessori Society.

For more information about Montessori education, visit https://amshq.org/about-montessori/

And consider this AMS course for families interested in incorporating the Montessori philosophy into their day-to-day lives and parenting approach:
https://learn.amshq.org/parent-course-early-childhood

Contact us: [e-mail]