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Writer's pictureEmily
Jan 26, 2023

Choosing a shape sorter part 2

In my last post, I wrote about what makes a good shape sorter. Here are 15 shape sorters, ranging in price from under $20 to over $70.



Djeco is a French toy company. Their toys are good quality and often whimsical in design. Other than their puzzles, however, these toys can be hard to find in Canada.


What I love:

  • This shape sorter is simple, with only four shapes.

  • The animal faces on the shapes are adorable.

  • It's easy to get the shapes back out of the shape sorter.

Any drawbacks?

  • None that i can think of!




Janod is another excellent French toy company. Note that I'm not French (I'm Canadian, and not even French-Canadian) - I just happen to have several favourite toymakers that are French. Similar to Djeco, they make good quality toys that are also adorable.


Note that the Amazon link is for the American site.


What I love:

  • There are only three basic shapes.

  • There are three ways to sort the shapes - by the actual geometric shape, by width, and by height. That'll give this toy some more longevity.

  • It's easy to get the shapes out - just open the trapdoor.

Any drawbacks?

  • I can't find this anywhere that ships for free in Canada.



Here's another great option by Djeco.


What I love:

  • The holes for the shapes are all on the top of the box, which makes it less challenging for little ones.

  • It includes the three main shapes, plus just two extras.

  • The penguins are adorable.

Any drawbacks?

  • I can't find this sold anywhere that ships for free in Canada.



Plantoys is a toy company with a longstanding history of making sustainable wooden toys. This is a high quality toy.


What I love:

  • It features only three shapes, and they're the easier ones (square, circle, triangle).

  • It doubles as a pull toy.

  • You get the shapes out by pulling on a lever, so it also has a cause and effect element.

Any drawbacks?

  • It's expensive.

  • Having the holes on the sides as well as the top makes it trickier for some babies.



This is probably the most basic shape sorter that there is. Three shapes, three holes, box with a lid. Being from Plan Toys, we know that it's durable, good quality, and made sustainably.


What I love:

  • It's simplicity - there aren't additional bells and whistles to confuse toddlers. If you're following a Montessori approach, this is probably your best choice.

  • The box has handles so that toddlers can carry it safely.

  • There are only three shapes, and they're easy ones to fit into the holes.

Any drawbacks?

  • Once again, the price. I know that Plan Toys is excellent quality, but few parents have over $50 to spend on a single toy.

  • It isn't as pretty or whimsical as some of the other options.


Hape Snail (39.99)


This is another multi-tasking toy. It's a shape sorter and a pull-toy all in one. Hape is a German company that makes quality wooden toys. Note that this item is available on Amazon but is more expensive there than it is in stores.


What I love:

  • It has two functions - pull toy and shape sorter.

  • It's ridiculously cute.

  • It has three simple shapes so it won't overwhelm little ones.



Here's another option by Hape. This one has beads in the shapes so that they rattle.


What I love:

  • The rattles make this appeal to younger babies - they'll be interested first in the rattling, then grow into the shape sorting feature.

  • The three most basic geometric shapes are included, plus three trickier ones. Give the trickier shapes to your baby once they've mastered the square, circle, and triangle.

Any drawbacks?

  • Having to put the shapes in on the sides or rotate the box makes it more challenging. That said, this would be a better option for slightly older toddlers given the number of shapes, and they could probably handle the extra challenge.



This option, also by Hape, is a much more basic shape sorter. Its much cheaper than the basic one from Plantoys, but it's not as well designed.


What I love:

  • It has just four shapes.


Any drawbacks?

  • One of the shapes is a really weird one.

  • Having to rotate the box or look for the correct side makes it more challenging for younger toddlers (who would otherwise be its target audience since it's a basic one).



Here's another adorable shape sorter from Janod.


What I love:

  • It has only four simple shapes.

  • All of the holes are on the top.

  • It has a felt mat inside to make the sound of the shapes falling a bit quieter.

  • It comes with two of each shape.

Any drawbacks?

  • It's expensive.

  • Like other Janod toys, there are few places to buy it in Canada.



Melissa and Doug makes wooden toys at reasonable prices. Their toys aren't the same quality as some of the other brands, but they're still durable. This shape sorter has the most shapes of all of the ones I've found - twelve! This is the one that we have. My son got it for his first birthday, but he's too young to actually sort the shapes - he just plays with them as blocks.


What I love:

  • The many shapes will be great for learning for a preschooler or kindergartener.

  • It's affordable.

Any drawbacks?

  • For toddlers, the twelve shapes and having on several sides of the cube is just too complicated. This would probably be a good choice for a three-year-old, but not for a younger tot.

  • It isn't all that nice looking.



This shape sorter, from French toymaker Janod, includes an extra learning opportunity - how to use a key.


What I love:

  • This is the only shape sorter with keys that I've found.

  • It features basic shapes and primary colours.

Any drawbacks?

  • The keys are difficult for some children, and by the time they can manuever the keys, they may have outgrown the shape sorter.

  • If you lose a key, the shape sorter won't open.

  • It has six blocks in three different shapes - but three are cubes and only one is a triangle. What happens if (when?) your toddler loses the triangle?



Haba is a German toy company known for making quality toys. Their shape sorter has a unique feature - you can move the panels on the top of the box to change the shapes of the holes.


What I love:

  • The sliding panels allow this toy to grow with your child.

Any drawbacks?

  • It doesn't seem possible to set up the panels to have just the square, circle, and triangle, which are the first shapes to introduce to toddlers.



If you're looking for something cheaper than the wooden artsy shape sorters, Fisher Price has a bucket with a shape sorting lid.


What I love:

  • It has only five shapes, including the three most basic ones.

  • The bucket can be used for a variety of other purposes and it has a carry handle.

  • It's inexpensive.


Battat is over 100 years old and based in Montreal. They make durable wooden and plastic toys.


What I love:

  • It has lots of shapes, which is good for preschoolers or older toddlers.

Any drawbacks?

  • For a baby or younger toddler, the 10 shapes are just too much.

  • The holes are on several sides of the cube, so it's too challenging for little ones.

  • I don't get the point of putting numerals on the shapes. Kids can count them without them having the numerals.



This toy features characters from Baby Einstein's Youtube channel.


What I love:

  • The blocks have different textures (and a mirror!) which would make this toy appeal to babies who are still too young to sort the shapes.

Any drawbacks?

  • The holes are on opposite sides of the shape sorter, making it too challenging for the younger babies.

  • I don't like toys that are based on shows or movies because I feel that they expose kids to unnecessary advertising.


So, which of these shape sorters is the winner? Stay tuned for my next post to find out!

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