5 Fantastic Benefits of Wooden Toys

When choosing toys for your bundle of joy, we want nothing but the best. That’s where wooden toys come into play.

Not only do these toys spark imagination and creativity, but there are also a wide range of benefits that contribute to the overall development of babies and toddlers.

Let’s dive into the fantastic advantages of these timeless treasures and five toys we recommend:

1. Skill and Educational Development Galore

Wooden toys are renowned for stimulating various essential skills in children. From fine motor skills to hand-eye coordination, these toys provide a hands-on learning experience. As wooden toys typically do not have an electronic feature or voice instructing them, children are able to be left to their own devices, gradually and naturally developing essential skills.

Building blocks enhances problem-solving skills, while toys like puzzles promote cognitive development. Studies from the Journal of Child Development suggest that children who engage with wooden toys show improved motor skills compared to those playing with plastic alternatives.

2. Boosts Imagination and Creativity

Unlike electronic or heavily structured toys, wooden toys offer room for creative development. Children enjoy playing with toys of different textures, sizes, and weights, while plastic toys cannot always provide the sensory stimulation that wooden toys have. Plastic or modern toys often overstimulate a child with several features from LCD screens to colourful buttons to activated sounds. On the other hand, wooden toys are simple and don’t have unnecessary attachments, leaving room for to use their imagination.

Researchers at Boston College found that children engaged in imaginative play with wooden toys displayed advanced language development and storytelling skills.

3. Emotional Development

Wooden toys also promote emotional growth in children, fostering empathy, patience, and problem-solving abilities. Through playing with dollhouses or wooden vehicle toys, toddlers can learn to nurture and care for others, developing social and emotional intelligence that will be beneficial overall. Computer games or electronic toys, which can be educational but are solitary activities, result in less interactions with others, while wooden toys help cultivate a sense of cooperation, interplay, and communication.

Children typically have a personal connection with their wooden toys as these are typically handcrafted by a talented craftsman. According to a study conducted by the American Academy of Pediatrics, unstructured play with wooden toys positively impacts emotional regulation and social interaction amongst young children.

4. Durability and Sustainability

We all know children love to bash, throw, or break their toys. Wooden toys are built to last and be passed on. Unlike their plastic counterparts, these toys do stand the test of time, enduring many playtimes without losing their charm. This longevity results in future generations being able to enjoy the toy also.

Additionally, wooden toys often use sustainable materials, promoting eco-friendly and eco-conscious choices for our planet’s well-being. Research by Environmental Health Perspectives found that reducing exposure to certain plastic materials could positively impact a child’s health and their development.

5. Safe and Non-toxic

A crucial advantage of wooden toys is their safety and non-toxicity. With no harmful chemicals, BPA, or phthalates, they provide a worry-free experience for children. Wood is recyclable, biodegradable and a renewable substance which can be coloured using toxic-free pigments. On the other hand, plastic toys can chip, break and leave small parts which children can ingest or sharp edges that can easily cut their skin.

As babies tend to investigate and explore with their mouths, wooden toys offer non-toxic features that ensure their well-being is prioritised. Wooden toys undergo rigorous safety testing and adhere to strict quality standards, providing every parent peace of mind with any new addition.

5 Recommended Toys for Babies and Toddlers

Early Learning Centre Wooden Noah’s Ark Shape Sorter

Made from sustainably sourced wood, help pair up animals and slot them into the colourful Early Learning Centre Wooden Noah’s Ark Shape Sorter. Have your little one’s develop emotional intelligence by nurturing their animals and testing their problem-solving abilities by trying to sort the animals into the correct slot.

Additionally, enhance your child’s fine motor skills as they grip onto the giraffes, elephants, and lions. A great toy for children aged 12 months to 3 years.

Early Learning Centre Wooden Tea for Two Playset

It’s time for sustainable teatime with the Early Learning Centre Wooden Tea for Two Playset! Encourage your child to delve into a colourful tea party with this lively playset, enjoy roleplaying as your child is brewing tea, adding sugar, and even dunking a biscuit or two.

Bring out the teddies, dolls and action figures and have them enjoy a cuppa too. This is the perfect gift to encourage imaginative play and enhancing social skills as your little one converses with you and their teddies to make the perfect tea. Milk first? Or tea bag first? Suitable for children aged 3 years and over.

Early Learning Centre Wooden Activity Toy

Designed for little hands, this 5-sided Wooden Activity Cube by Early Learning Centre features several ways to keep toddlers entertained.

Encourage their problem-solving skills with the spinning cogs or aid hand-eye coordination with a built-in shape sorter or wiggle beads. Try turning the pictures to increase your little one’s fine motor skills, then reveal patterned numbers to help them on their counting journey. This multi-activity wooden cube is brightly coloured and includes plenty of fun features for children ages 12 months to 3 years.

Early Learning Centre Wooden Bricks

Suitable for ages 12 months to 3 years old, the Early Learning Centre Wooden Bricks inspires hours of creative fun as your child tries to build the highest skyscraper or widest castle. Children will love these colourful blocks as they learn all the different shapes including triangles, rectangles, squares, cylinders and more.

This playful set improves social and conversational skills as your child plays alongside a friend, and handling these bricks will reinforce and strengthen fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination.

Early Learning Centre Wooden Toddle Truck

The perfect height for little ones, the Wooden Toddle Truck by Early Learning Centre is a classic trolley that is great for storing blocks and to practice walking as your child holds onto the handle for support and pushes it along.

Encourage your child to build up blocks and enjoy knocking them down, once playtime is over, slot the bricks back into the truck. When your child is old enough to take those first steps and begin walking, this Wooden Track has a sturdy handle and non-slip rubberised wheels for extra grip to support their developmental journey. They can also discover and count the wooden colour beads to improve fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination. A fantastic toy to encourage confidence in walking and developmental growth.

Summary

Wooden toys are not only aesthetically pleasing and timeless, but they also offer several benefits for babies and toddlers. From skill development and imaginative play to emotional growth, these toys are a fantastic investment for your child’s overall development and creativity.

With durability and sustainability as a bonus, choosing wooden toys is a win-win situation for both your little ones and the environment.

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