Wooden Toys Over Plastic Toys for Motor Skills & More

Playtime is essential for your child's development, but choosing toys to surround your little one can be challenging. All too often, toys are made with cheap, breakable materials, and kiddos are more excited about the cardboard boxes they come in than the toy itself. 

Reminding us of the beauty in toys that endure years of love and creative play, wooden toys bring us all back to a sense of wonder, keep our kiddos safe, and support every moment of their growth. Explore why so many families love wooden toys and how you can add them to your child's playtime for more fun, imagination, and excitement.

6 Benefits of Wooden Toys

While Montessori schools have always emphasized wooden toys, more and more parents are starting to embrace them, as the benefits they bring long outlast the time your child will spend enjoying them. Wooden alternatives are a safe, all-natural, and family-friendly choice that lends you extra support for your little one's development:

So many toys are now made with dangerous or cheap materials, sharp pieces, or parts that can become choking hazards. Plastic toys, in particular, can contain harmful chemicals like phthalates, bisphenol A (BPA), or polyvinyl chloride (PVC). These and other chemicals are linked to human health disorders, and small children are even more sensitive to their toxicity. High-quality wooden toys come free from these toxins, making them the healthier choice.

Not only are wooden toys safer for your child - they're also safer for the environment! Wood is an eco-friendly option compared to its cheap, plastic counterpart that often ends up in landfills. By choosing a biodegradable wooden alternative, you can create less waste and do a little more to care for the earth.

When little ones play, it seems like broken toys are their end goal. Children aren't always gentle with their toys, making them become pieces that land in the trash after a single use, but wooden toys are better than plastic toys when it comes to longevity. Natural materials like wood can withstand time and the test of your tot's surprising strength.

It might seem like the flashy colors in some plastic toys are especially inspiring to kiddos, but wooden toys offer so much more for your child's imaginative play. Toys with bright colors, sounds, and intricate pieces may look exciting, but too much overstimulation for your little one and playtime becomes a nightmare. Classic wooden toys allow kids to explore creative play without boundaries, opening their blossoming brains to new adventures.

Although plastic options can be less expensive upfront, they soon become costly after repeated replacements. Good quality wooden toys last for years - even generations. I have some of my parent’s wooden building blocks stored away that still stand up to the test of time!

There are so many types of toys available in wood, from puzzles and building materials to real-life games and sets - it's no wonder Montessori toys are typically wooden. Wood toys can support a child's development better than the alternative, building on their gross and fine motor skills, problem-solving, and creative thinking. Adding simple wooden toys to your infant, toddler, or young child's playroom can encourage healthy brain development and social-emotional skills too.

Incorporating Wooden Toys in Play

One of the best parts about wooden toys is their use in open-ended play - just present your tot with a new toy, and they'll create things you could never imagine! That said, I like to have tons of different options so my kiddos can pick and choose depending on their mood. Here are some of my family's favorite types of wooden toys:

Play kitchens

Since the dawn of time, young children have loved to play chef. While I'm sure some kiddos will grow up to dread cooking dinner like many of us, a wooden kitchen set can make playtime more inspiring.

Blocks and building pieces

One of my children's most-used choices during playtime is their toy box filled with wooden blocks. A child's imagination can run wild, creating cityscapes, structures that tower over their heads, and so much more - all while building their hand-eye coordination.

Puzzles and games

Puzzles and games can support your child's development in more ways than one. Teaching cognitive thinking skills like pattern recognition, cause-and-effect, and problem-solving, wooden puzzles and games are a fun way to support healthy brain development.

Animals, trucks, and other figurines!

Cars, trains, zoo animals, dolls, you name it - there's a high-quality wooden option for all of your tot's favorite figurines. Plus, nothing quite beats wooden animals that don't make a peep other than out of your child's imagination! Your children will likely need no prompts to play, but I love this idea of adding wool-felt elements to give kiddos even more exciting, tactile materials to experience.

Heirloom Wooden Toys for Adventure and Imagination

Fostering opportunities for play is essential for your baby's growth - and their toys should entertain and inspire them even further. At fawn&forest, our toy collections are built on the knowledge that safety and quality come first for our little ones, and that play is a vital part of every day. Find thoughtfully-designed wooden toys made with sustainably-sourced, biodegradable materials that will bring your child years of play and creative adventures.