6 Reasons why wooden toys make the best playthings for your kid
Is there such a thing as the ideal toy? If so, wooden toys may be the closest thing. Maria Montessori preferred “natural” toys made of natural materials such as wood because they are healthy, safe, and inspiring for children. They’re also beautiful and long-lasting; some of the first toys discovered were made of wood. A simple, beautifully crafted wooden toy can pique a child’s interest without overwhelming them, and it can inspire rather than direct their imagination.
Here are 6 reasons why you should buy wooden toys:
- They aid in the concentration of children
According to research, natural elements such as wood in play and learning environments help children concentrate, focus, and even calm down more than other types of spaces. Touching the wood physically calms children, implying that playing with wooden toys can have a neurological impact on a child’s brain.
According to a 2017 National Institutes of Health study, “contact with wood induces physiological relaxation.” Toys that promote a quieter and more sustained play environment can be enormously beneficial to young children and their cognitive development in an age of overstimulation and constant input.
- More applications and fewer toys
When it comes to toys for babies and toddlers, less is usually more because too many options can be overwhelming. This philosophy is evident in the minimalist spaces of Montessori and Waldorf homes and classrooms, which typically feature a smaller selection of versatile, open-ended wooden playthings.
A 2018 study found that “as measured by sustained play and variety of manners of play, toddlers had a greater quality of play in the Four Toy condition compared to the Sixteen Toy condition.”
- They encourage imaginative play while also teaching about cause and effect
Flashing lights, vibrant colours, screens, and loud noises abound in the toy market. These features provide immediate gratification for young children, but they also limit opportunities for problem-solving and imaginative play.
Because wooden toys are simpler, they can help with cognitive milestones in ways that flashy ones cannot. Around 9 months, for example, babies begin to understand cause and effect more clearly: banging a block on the ground makes a noise, dropping one causes it to disappear. A wooden toy, such as a block set or a simple puzzle, simplifies this concept: “when I do something, something else happens as a result.”
- They’re a low-key introduction to life in the real world
Toys serve as an introduction to how the physical world works in many ways: they are among the first objects children touch, mouth, and play with. Simple wooden toys teach quiet, calm lessons in physics, cause and effect, object permanence, creativity, problem solving, and a variety of other fundamental concepts.
Yes, a determined baby or toddler can make noise out of anything, but wooden toys are generally quieter, allowing for a calmer playing environment free of the noise (not to mention lights and movement) that many plastic toys produce.
- They are motivating
Wooden toys are ideal for creating new worlds from the ground up. Blocks and other wooden toys can be transformed into anything a child desires and can accompany a child’s development from simple symbolic play to complex imaginative play. Montessori practitioners (along with many other educators and carers) believe that using simple, natural materials leads to more meaningful and sustained engagement.
Children can use their developing imaginations to build, invent, tinker, make-believe, and create, whether they are building a city, zooming a wooden car around, or creating a train track that stretches from room to room.
- They teach children math and physics
To stack and balance, wooden blocks require dexterity, hand-eye coordination, and a great deal of fine-motor precision. They also help with important math skills like pattern matching and recognition.
Children must focus on coordinating their hands and eyes to build and balance the different elements because there are no magnets or connecting systems to keep the blocks locked together. When a tower topples after the sixth block is placed on top, or when a ball rolls down a ramp, children learn early physics lessons.