The best wooden toys for kids in 2023 & their benefits

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Wooden toys are all the rage right now and it’s easy to see why. Not only are they beautiful and eco-friendly, but they allow children to immerse themselves in play.

We live in a technology-driven age and as such the toy market is saturated with screens, flashing buttons and loud noises. Features like these may seem engaging, but they limit the possibilities for open-ended, creative play.

Wooden toys are simple. There are no lights or buttons, therefore they require the child to be an active participant in play, rather than a spectator. Cognitive milestones, such as understanding cause and effect, are much easier to grasp with simple toys because children are able to focus on just one thing at a time, without the distractions electronic toys provide.

A recent study in Science Daily examined the impact of simple toys vs electronic toys on children. It concluded “Your child gets to build his or her imagination around these simpler toys; the toys don’t command what your child does, but your child commands what the toys do.”

Open ended play

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One of the most popular uses for wooden toys is open ended or small world play.

This involves giving children small versions of real objects, such as a selection of wooden animal figures from Catkin Toys. This allows them to exercise their creativity as they explore the different textures, shapes and attributes of each item.

Open-ended play is important for children as it allows them to explore concepts and ideas they see in the real world. Along the way, they develop a variety of core abilities such as language skills discussing what each creature is doing, hand-eye coordination as they assemble, sort and stack and finally, problem-solving skills as they explore and experiment.

Educational tools

Wooden toys are also a great educational resource. As discussed above, they are simpler and therefore allow the child to focus on the topic at hand.

You will often see wooden resources used in Montessori households because they allow children to focus on just one skill at a time. In doing so, they are able to master that skill easily and quickly.

These “learning tiles” from Benedykt and Sylvester are a great example as they are not only beautiful and eco-friendly but a great way to teach children everyday concepts such as animal names, colours, locations, planets and many more.

Building & construction

Another must-have wooden toy is the classic wooden blocks.

They’ve been around for generations and according to leading educational experts, they are still one of the best ways to nurture development in children.

Wooden blocks are ideal as children can turn them into a castle one day and a rocket ship the next. The only limitation they have is their own imagination. They are also great for developing hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills as they stack and build, creativity, language skills, science concepts such as gravity and balance. Finally, when working with wooden blocks, children will develop problem-solving skills as their tower or construction falls and they learn how to correct it.

There you have it! Of course, there are many more wooden toys on the market, but if you are just starting out or looking to build your toy collection, you really cannot go wrong with small world animal figures, educational tiles and wooden blocks. Wooden toys will last for generations and can be used again and again to nurture a child’s creativity and build their cognitive development. By choosing wooden toys over plastics and disposables, you’ll also be contributing to a greener world

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