The Advantages of Traditional Wooden Toys

Many years ago before plastic was invented, wood was used to make the toys which children cherished and played with. These traditional wooden toys were often hand-crafted and even had wheels, springs and moving parts.

Almost any type of child’s toy can be made from wood, including building blocks, train sets, cars, dollhouses, workbenches, musical instruments, puppets and puppet show theatres, puzzles and much more. Although these sorts of toys are usually made from plastic these days, there are still many advantages to traditional wooden toys.

Here are a few of the benefits that traditional wood toys have over their modern plastic counterparts:

• A wooden toy will never run out of batteries! This saves you money and the hassle of having to replace batteries all the time.

• Wooden toys from reputable manufacturers are non-toxic and unlikely to contain hazardous chemicals. Many plastic toys have been recalled because their material was deemed harmful to children. This is especially important for babies who place toys in their mouths.

• Many good quality Traditional wooden toys are made from natural materials and are often recycled, which means that they are much easier on the environment than the plastic version.

• Wooden toys usually do not have any sharp ends or edges, especially those that are manufactured by the top brand names and reputable manufacturers, which means that your children will not be able to hurt themselves on them.

• Good quality brand Wooden toys that are stocked by reputable retailers usually last a lot longer without breaking than plastic. This means that grandparents can pass favourite toys along to their grandchildren, creating heirlooms filled with family history.

• Since plastic toys are much easier to break, there is more of a risk that a child will break off a small part of the toy and swallow it, potentially choking.

• They are educational! For example, wooden puzzles and construction sets develop spatial reasoning skills and pull-along toys build motor skills.

• Well manufactured Traditional wooden toys have a very pleasant weight and feel to them, creating a stimulating and enjoyable tactile experience when your children are playing with them.

• Rather than a plastic action figure or other “branded” commercial toy, simple wooden toys will allow your child to use their imagination in creative play. There are so many ways that a child can play with a simple set of wooden blocks and this type of play will help them to develop their creative thinking skills.

• Traditional wooden toys create equality when children of different backgrounds are playing together. Each child does not need to have watched a certain television show or know about a particular cartoon character. This brings together children on a basic level and lets them enjoy playing as a group.

It is no coincidence that traditional wooden toys have been around for generations and are still popular today. When bought from reputable brands and retailers these toys are good quality, safe and provide children with endless possibilities for creative play, not to mention the fact that children love them!