There are so many flashy toys in the stores that we can hardly make a choice. But if you ask me to recommend one, I'd like to say why not choose toys that are safe and durable, wooden toys worth giving a try. Do not get the wrong idea that wooden toys are tedious and dull, actually wooden toys can contain special designs. Apart from traditional wooden blocks, wooden toys include puzzles, sorter cubes, or even teether toys. More importantly, made with natural wood materials, wooden toys are much sturdier and safer than normal plastic ones, which can safely guard your kids when they are playing. Wooden toys are hot in the market for such a long time, let's see why on earth we want wooden toys.
Less is More
Simple design encourages creative thinking. Different from flashy and colorful plastic toys, wooden toys usually adopt a simple and plain design, which actually provides more room for kids to think and create. Playing with wooden blocks, kids can recognize colors as well as shapes, and they can create and combine in their own way. They can go deeper with their play and be more concentrated on exploring different combining possibilities, which impulses them to develop creative minds.
Low Cost for High Quality
Toddlers are curious about everything around them, and they will use every sense to make interaction.They are actually experimenting through playing, they use their hands to touch toys or even throw toys to see what will happen. But the safety hazard of plastic toys might bother us when kids are playing. Luckily, wooden toys are more safe and solid with natural wood materials than fragile plastic. Kids can feel free to play or even throw wooden toys without worrying about broken pieces that can hurt them. With soft surfaces and round edges, wooden toys are safer for kids to hold and touch. Moreover, wooden toys are durable and long-lasting, they can be kept for the next kids or even next generations, it is the precious memory shared that matters.
Environmentally Safe
Sourced from natural and raw materials, wooden toys are environmentally friendly, for woods are recyclable, renewable and biodegradable. Supporting wooden toys helps promote sustainability and protect our natural environment. What's more, feeling connected to nature, kids can develop concept of sustainability and environmental protection through touching and playing with wooden toys.
Connect to Nature
It is suggested that touching natural elements like woods can help kids focus, concentrate, or even calm down. According to researches, touching wood can calm prefrontal cortex activity and induce parasympathetic nervous activity, which means it helps ease the nervous strain and induce relaxation. Wooden toys have a neurological impact on kids' brains. Through tactile sensation on wooden toys, kids can make a connection with nature, and they can feel calm and peaceful.
Develop Cognition
Plastic toys are light and easy to hold, but they may not be the best educational toys. Compared to light plastic toys, wooden toys have a certain weight that enables kids to feel the heft when they are holding and playing with them, through which they can develop their weight sensation. This is crucial for children who have delayed motor ability development or sensory disorders. Funtime with toys is a great occasion to encourage kids to develop their cognition skills. Wooden toys are ideal educational toys, they allow kids to exert more effort and think more while they are playing. For instance, kids can recognize colors and shapes cognition as well as counting skills with colorful wooden blocks. Car tracks toy set is also a great choice to develop hand-eye coordination, spatial cognition, and fine motor skill. If you are looking for educational toys, many more fantastic wooden toys are displayed in our wooden toys column.
Promote Social Interaction
Games and videos on smart devices are fun and attractive, but these flashy pictures definitely cannot meet children's social interaction needs. Kids show their curiosity and get to know the world through using visual, auditory, and tactile senses, therefore real gameplays are much preferred. Wooden toys actually provide a great chance for kids to interact with families and friends. If kids are interested in role-play, the pretend play toys sets can let kids' imagination soars while interacting with friends. Boardgame is another ideal choice for family gatherings, this wooden fishing game can train kids' cognition skills when enjoying fun playtime. Besides, why not hold an exciting competition with your little kiddos?
Just as Dr. Ogata mentions in the NewYorker, "wood is a familiar and poetic substance, which does not sever the child from close contact with the tree, the table, the floor. Wood does not wound or break down; it does not shatter, it wears out, it can last a long time."
We are so overwhelmed and distracted by showy and flashy digital games or up-to-date plastic products. Is that really what our kids want? Cherish the precious playtime with our little kiddos, give urban kids a chance to get close to nature and the fresh world. Simple and original wooden playthings help unlock creativity, capability, and sustainability.
Wondering how to wash and disinfect wooden toys? This blog teaches you the cleaning methods of toys of different materials.