Wooden Toys – Why, What & Where?

Wooden toys offer so much more over their plastic counterparts. They have natural beauty, they are durable and you are doing your bit for the environment when choosing them over other toys. The smooth textures, aromas and pleasing weights of these toys seem to appeal to children.

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Wooden toys are more likely to stand the test of time and can be passed down to younger siblings and even future generations. They also add a decorative touch to a child’s bedroom. If these toys do break, then can usually be fixed quite easily unlike plastic ones that once smashed are beyond repair.

Wooden toys are also good for the environment. Being made from a natural sustainable material, they are biodegradable and can be recycled when their useful life has ended. They are also self-sufficient in that they don’t need power from batteries or electricity. Being natural they are also much safer for babies who learn about their toys by putting them in their mouth. They are not made using chemicals or other toxins but are finished with natural oils or kid safe paints.

So if you are spoilt for choice with the never ending aisles in your local toy shop but are after something a little bit different, give the wide range of wooden toys a thought. A wooden toy is a simple gift for a friend or family member and it will avoid you getting the wrong version of a modern toy, such as a Ben 10 alien figure or Bakugan ball. They are often designed for role play or with other creative outlets in mind, so you may get a strange look when the child unwraps it but they will soon find that despite themselves they are enjoying it.

Wooden toys by age

Wooden toys are available for children of all ages – you can find wooden baby toys, such as rattles and manipulates, developmental wooden toys for toddlers, such as blocks and puzzles and also inspiring older childrens wooden toys.

Wooden toys by type

The types of wooden toy are also quite staggering. There are pretend toys to encourage realistic role play such as wooden play food sets, kitchens, dolls, doll houses and furniture, cars, trucks and trains; imaginative toys to stretch the mind; along with construction toys, puzzles and games to help develop motor skills. The puzzles themselves come in all shapes and sizes from those to help learn the alphabet and numbers to peg and sound puzzles.

Wooden ride on toys are always popular with kids and of course we all know that wood makes great rock ‘n’ ride toys as well as standard pull and push toys. Educational wooden toys such as those that can be stacked and sorted and musical toys including guitars are also top sellers. You can even find wooden party favors, should you have a birthday party coming up and want a change from the cheap plastic rubbish that you usually find being dished out. If after buying your wooden toy, you find yourself enjoying the natural look why not consider some wooden furniture to store it in.

Wooden toys are beneficial to your child’s development

Wooden toys and other traditional toys have been shown to be more beneficial to a child’s development than the latest technological gadget that you can find to buy them. The best kids toys, such as wooden toys, stimulate mind and body rather than suffocating creativity like electronic toys. Short attention spans are typically found in children that play with electronic toys a lot as these toys seem only to have one purpose and once this has been achieved, they are not much use for anything else. Wooden toys do not limit the games the child can play with them, so they end up with a different use every day. The more varied games the child can come up, the more their imagination develops further. Wooden toys also encourage interactive play amongst children. For younger children wooden toys are not over stretching their senses with noises and flashing lights. They just sit there appealingly inviting children to explore them.

Bestselling wooden toys

There are a few leading manufacturers of wooden toys for kids, including the well loved Melissa & Doug and Plan Toys. Their huge ranges of popular toys are readily available online at many retailers.

Most Melissa and Doug wooden toys cost under $25 and their bestsellers include the following:

Melissa & Doug Slice and Bake Cookie Set – this is a realistic cookie baking set that includes 12 wood cookies with tasty looking toppings, a wooden cookie tray to cook them on, a wooden knife and kitchen mitt to cook them with and a toy cookie tube to store them in once baked. This is a great set for youngsters aged 3-7 years to use to pretend to do things that their parents do. This helps their development as well as practises their motor skills.

Melissa & Doug See & Spell Set – this colorful set of wooden letters will help kids aged 4-7 with their spellings in a fun way. There are 20 pictures depicting three or four letter words that need to be spelt out by putting the 50 included letters in their proper places. The letter shapes are cut out to aid the process.

Melissa & Doug Deluxe Wooden Happy Handle Stamp Set – this set of six bowling pin style stamps comes with six colored stamp pads and pictures of a smiley face, a flower, a paw print, a heart, a butterfly and some lips for your kids to make many beautiful pictures with. They are all conveniently stored in a wooden box and the inks are of course washable and non toxic. This set will be fun for any child aged 4 and above.

Most Plan Toys products are again under $25 and bestselling offerings include:

Plan Toy Punch and Drop – get your little ones to practice their hand to eye coordination with this cute, colorful toy. Kids bang three colored balls through the lid of the box from where they roll back out. They can have fun whilst practising their aligning and aiming skills.

Plan Toy Oval Xylophone – this colorful five barred xylophone will stimulate your kids sense of harmony and rhythm. It is fun to play with and the notes it makes are very pleasant. You will be amazed at the creative songs kids can come up with by using toy instruments.

Plan Toy Solid Wood Drum – musical instruments are great toys for kids and this solid wood drum is a pre-school favorite. The drumstick features a rubber head to ensure pleasant sounds are generated and kids can discover which parts of the drum make different notes. It is colorfully decorated and the perfect size for little hands.

Why not buy your kids some wooden toys today

Wooden toys may seem a bit old fashioned for your kids but they have many benefits and are enjoyed by kids as much or possibly more than the new fangled gadgets they see advertised on television today. Advantages for the environment, your child’s development and safety, as well as your pocket by being more durable and long lasting than some other toys, mean that next time you are looking for something for your child, give wooden toys a try.

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