We are living in an era where kid’s toys are either plastic and or computerized, electrical and battery operated. Where are the simpler, wooden toys for children that we adults loved to play with during our childhood? The toys that spark the imagination, apart from only featuring beeping sounds and flashing lights?
Many years ago, before plastic was invented and made easily available to everyone, wood was the main material used to make the toys children cherished and played with. The wooden toys were often hand-crafted and even had springs, wheels and moving parts. Although companies have re-imagined the design, colour and function of their wooden toys, many of them still have the same classic feel and offer the same educational benefits of old wooden toys. And despite all the new toys that are launched in the market every year, traditional wooden toys for children remain on many parents’ wish-list, and for good reasons too.
Wooden Toys Build Fine Motor Skills
As children play with wooden toys, they also improve their motor skills. Wooden toys for children come in different sizes and shapes and rather than being designed to fit a small child’s hand, they can sometimes be a bit awkward and clunky for children to handle. While these features may not seem ideal in a toy, they require children to work on different ways of grasping and manipulating the toys to get them to do what they want them to do. Larger wooden blocks and toys can help babies and toddlers work on basic grasping skills while wooden shapes, beads, and sticks can help preschoolers and older kids to focus on a finer grasp, twisting the wrist, and other important motor skills.
Wooden Toys Encourage More Creative Play
A lot of modern toys do everything for you – they make a lot of noise, light up and even move. When you observe a child playing with these toys, you will probably notice that most of the time he/she is just watching the toy do what they do. Toys that don’t make sounds or move can stimulate a child’s imagination a lot more. So you will hear a lot more ‘vroom-vroom’ and ‘choo choo’ sounds during play and will start to see the child bring his/her reasoning and knowledge of the world into play.
Wooden Toys are Safe
When children play with wooden toys, parents don’t have to worry too much about their safety because these toys are designed to be safe. Wooden toys don’t break easily, so children aren’t exposed to sharp edges or small pieces that may break off of the toy. And because they are made generally from natural and non-toxic materials, children can chew on them or suck on them without problems.
Wooden toys may be somewhat more expensive than plastic toys, but they offer an incredible value and can last for years. And as children grow, they may even find different ways to use wooden toys to help solve problems and develop reasoning skills.
