Toys are a big part of any child's development and growth. As babies grow into toddlers, then into children, they love to explore and understand the world around them, and toys are an excellent way for them to do so.
The toys industry is enormous: dolls, cars, figures, plastic toys, make-believe, building blocks, and more. As a parent, you always have to question whether the toys your children are growing up with are safe, educational, beneficial, and helping them develop their skills.
Wooden toys are one of the very first forms of toys to exist in the world, and they've survived for hundreds of years despite all the changes that the toy industry has witnessed in centuries, but how are they still relevant? Actually, why are they more critical now than ever?
Why wooden toys?
Although wooden toys first appeared hundreds of years ago, they are still used today and are more critical than ever.
In the age of technology, children have grown up with iPads. Screens have taken over our children's childhoods and made what they learn an overstimulating environment of flashing lights and colors.
While it may be way easier just to let them go with the screens, it's useless for their development and can be damaging.
On the other hand, natural toys help them explore their world, senses, and creativity in a way they need to develop correctly.
Regular toys are great, but…
Toys, all of their forms, go out of style, and they still limit how children use them.
Think of it this way: girls get dolls, kitchens, and babies. Boys get cars and trucks, and that's it. They are specified for age, gender, and way of use. There's only so little a child can do with them before they get bored, then ask for another one that's more fun, and then you end up with a whole attic of plastic toys that no one is using.
Wooden toys, on the other hand, are timeless. Always relevant, always helpful, and always fun.
Do wooden toys help in early childhood development?
Wooden toys let children fully unleash their creativity and experience their senses. Many Montessori wooden toys are built around being super versatile, allowing the children to explore every way they can use them.
Take wooden blocks, for example. Wooden blocks can play different roles in every stage of a child's development, as we explain in this article. It's the same toy, but they're exploring the feel at a certain age. Then, they're stacking them. As they grow, they start stacking them for specific purposes like making bridges and even more complex buildings.
Wooden toys don't have instructions, and when it comes to playtime, the lack of instructions gives them the green light to be creative and create something new.
It's like saying there's no specific way to do it, so I'll find my own way to do it.
Wooden toys promote sensorial exploration.
Wood contains valuable information for your young child, unlike plastic toys, which stay roughly the same temperature. The feel and weight also change as the size of the object changes because of its density. This lets your little one absorb what this means as they explore toys of varying shapes and sizes. Your baby will add this information about the size and weight to their frame of reference as they explore the world around them.
How do wooden toys help children concentrate?
Some parents might fear that the simplicity of wooden toys might be boring for children, but the truth is the lack of flashiness in the toys helps children concentrate on what they can make.
While other toys may look attractive, they can be distracting for children, not to mention the minimal creative effect they have on children.
As simple as they are, children are given more space to focus on them and what they can make out of them, which helps them grow through them.
Moreover, how wooden toys expose and connect children to nature will significantly impact their personalities as they grow up.
Are wooden toys safe for children?
When it comes to anything our precious one's touch, we always worry whether it's safe for them or not.
With wooden toys, though, you never have to.
Wooden toys are made of wood, with no chemicals you can fear might harm your children. They're also 100% safe for their sensitive senses, with no flashing lights or loud sounds.
Moreover, wooden toys are created with safety in mind. The toys, themselves, are large and aren't a choking hazard, and any paint used on them is non-toxic and safe for children. Moreover, wooden toys can't be broken, so there's no concern that your child might get hurt using them.
Children are naturally drawn to wooden toys.
Your baby is naturally drawn to their environment and the beautiful things around them, including natural woods.
Dr. Maria Montessori believed in giving young child beautiful crafted toys that form them, their mind absorbs their environment without a filter, and they will construct their intelligence and perspective from whatever surrounds them.
Thoughtful, natural wooden toys enhance their developmental experience. Wood is beautiful in a way that human-made materials never will be, and by giving your little one this, you are feeding their young mind with the finest materials.
How can wooden toys help the environment?
As wooden toys adapt with children as they grow up, they last a lot longer than plastic toys because there's always a new way to use them.
Because they're made of high-quality wood, wooden toys can last for years and maintain their quality.
As mentioned above, most toys are created with limitations in mind, be it gender-related, age-related, or creativity-related.
Depending on plastic toys will result in parents ending up with an attic full of plastic toys that no one is using and children asking for more and more toys to fulfill their hunger for playtime.
In many ways, wooden toys are recyclable in addition to not being toxic. The same toy, 20 years from now, will still provide the same value and have the same harmless effect on the environment.
If the whole world switched to wooden toys instead of plastic, imagine how relieved the earth would be.
Not only are wooden toys Montessori-approved, but they are also safe for the environment and children, help them be creative, and enhance their development.
Make sure you check out our collection of wooden toys: we're sure your children will love them every step of the way.
Explore Monkibox now and start the development journey with us. Montessori-inspired toys are designed to give your child the best start.