Surely you have heard a lot of times that wooden toys are better than plastic ones. But why? Is it just another fad or are there well-founded reasons behind that statement? Today I want to tell you the 8 main reasons why we use, especially, wooden toys: a quality material for learning and development in the early years.
1. Weight and presence
Wooden toys do not have the lightness of plastic toys. They are toys with a greater presence. Children have to hold them consciously and firmly, stimulating, in turn, the motor skills of their hands.
I also believe that ultralight toys seem to downplay the object itself and the game. Do you feel the same in your hand with a very cheap plastic car as with a wooden car? Toys that are too light tend to break easily, and yes! They look cheap!
2. Stimulate the sense of touch
Wooden toys, especially if they are not lacquered, provide a pleasant feeling to touch. Also, not all wooden toys feel the same. There is more sand, less, some in which the irregularities of the wood are noticed, others that do not … all this offers sensations that the children’s brain registers, almost without appearing, while they play.
3. They favor the imagination
On a wide variety of occasions, wooden toy manufacturers and those interested in wooden toys are more concerned with the role that toys can play in children’s education. Various studies carried out over the past decades confirm that the industry has bothered little to offer toys with educational possibilities. And on many occasions, you have to turn to manufacturers who seek not only the business benefit to find educational toys.
And is it by chance that many educational toys are made out of wood? Well no. As we already mentioned, wood offers the possibility of connecting the child with the environment and nature, something fundamental from an educational point of view. Some wooden toys are building blocks, puzzles, etc., which can help develop many skills.
4. They reduce consumerism
Plastic toys tend to be more fragile, break more easily (especially if they are inexpensive) and lead to the need to buy new replacement toys. On the contrary, wooden toys are more expensive, we buy less but of higher quality. Something that is essential to avoid entering the wheel of buying, using, throwing away.
5. They age better and are intergenerational
Wooden toys, far from breaking or becoming ugly over time, age marvelously. And in case they break… they can be fixed more easily than plastic toys. They can be passed from generation to generation because the toy remains just as beautiful and functional. Wooden toys keep memory much longer than similar toys made from plastic. If you want to pass down your special toys to your children, why don’t you choose the ones made of wood?
6. They accompany the child during different stages of its growth
Wooden toys, being less structured, tend to be more timeless. By this, I do not mean now that the same toy can be passed from generation to generation but that it is used for many more years by the same child since rarely a toy of these characteristics looks very childish or very adult. They are elegant and far from being childish.
7. They save money
Really? With how expensive they are! Well yes, because as I have already been telling you, we buy fewer materials but of higher quality and also the same toy can last several generations. All this ends up assuming financial savings.
8. They connect with nature
Wood is a natural material that meets the biological expectations that children have at birth (in relation to the sense of touch). Our brain hopes to touch our mother’s skin and natural materials (trees, stones, earth…). Certainly not plastic.
In addition, using materials that come directly from nature helps children understand the relationship between nature and the production of everyday objects. With the wood of the trees, you can make toys, kitchen spoons, furniture, etc. Explaining to a child where their plastic toys come from is going to be much more complicated, without a doubt.
How to choose them:
Actually, it is not that it has any mystery … but I would like to comment on two things about it. There are many wooden toys on the market, but not all of them are safe. Quality comes at a price, even if we don’t like it. Sometimes we have had wooden toys painted with who knows what paint, which came off easily. That is why at home we are in love with UGears toys. We also like other cheaper brands which use sustainable woods and water-based paints.
But if you crave out-of-the-box wooden toys, you have to deal with UGears. This is a Ukrainian company that focuses on wooden toys and replica products. Some of them are UGears Steam Lab Variator, UGears Safe, UGears Research Vessel, UGears Carousel, and UGears U-9 Grand Prix Car. If we pay close attention, UGears doesn’t produce ordinary wooden toys. This company is more accurately described as a producer of a miniature made of wood.
Every product from UGears can be a classy display that can add a luxurious impression to your workspace. Curious? Read ugearsmodels.us and you’ll get inspired by how quality wooden toys are designed and made. Whenever we can, we buy the most natural toys possible, since the less color they have, they will also be more timeless and versatile. Although children prefer painted, of course, and some also go well to color the home!
And are plastic toys forbidden?
Not at all! At home, we always prioritize wooden toys, but we are not radical either, hehe. There are some excellent plastic toys, such as Duplo or lego that allow to development of imagination, concepts of logic, the composition of space, etc.
And besides, there are times for everything. Plastic toys are ideal for:
- Go to the beach, the pool, or on a trip
- Use in the bathtub
- Play outdoors (they resist rain and inclement weather better)
