Why wooden toys are still the most recommended by parents
Is it possible to find the ideal toy?
The nearest option, if so, might be wooden toys. Because they are wholesome, secure, and motivating for kids, "real" toys made of organic materials like wood were preferred by Maria Montessori. In addition to being strong and attractive, wood was used to make some of the earliest toys ever found.
A straightforward, expertly made wooden toy can pique a child's curiosity without being intrusive and stimulate their imagination without controlling it.
Here are 8 reasons to choose wooden toys:
They help children focus
According to research, areas for playing and learning that include natural materials like wood aid youngsters in focusing, concentrating, and even calming down more than other sorts of settings. Playing with wooden toys can have a neurological effect on a child's brain because children are physically calmed by the wood, which indicates that wood has a calming effect on children in general.
National Institutes of Health Research from 2017 indicated that "contact with wood induces physiological relaxation." Toys that encourage a quieter and more continuous play setting can be extremely useful to young children and their cognitive development in an age of overstimulation and continual input.
Fewer toys equal more uses.
In a 2018 study, a group of toddlers was placed in one play area with 16 toys and the other with only 4, and the researchers discovered that "toddlers had a greater quality of play in the Four Toy condition compared to the Sixteen Toy condition" (measured by prolonged play and variety of ways of play).
They promote creative play—and teach cause and effect
Bright colors, screens, flashing lights, and loud noises are all over the toy market. Features like this provide instant pleasure for young children but frequently prevent creative play and problem-solving opportunities.
Simpler toys like those made of wood often assist cognitive milestones in a manner that flashier ones can't. Babies begin to understand cause and effect more clearly at the age of nine months, for instance: slamming a block on the ground produces a noise, and dropping one causes it to disappear. This idea is distilled to its core in a wooden toy like a block set or a straightforward puzzle: "When I do something, it results in something else happening."
Additionally, wooden toys provide a youngster with a lovely, tactile, open-ended "blank canvas" that they can explore at their own pace and according to their own terms. The extra bells and whistles that can instantly increase the attraction of other toys sometimes limit and influence how kids play with them.
They serve as a subdued prelude to reality.
As some of the first things kids touch, mouth, and play with, toys provide an introduction to how the physical world functions. Simple wooden toys can be used to quietly and calmly introduce children to many important concepts, including cause and effect, object permanence, creativity, problem-solving, and many others.
Yes, a determined baby or toddler can generate noise out of anything, but wooden toys are often quieter, providing a calmer playing environment free of the noise (as well as lights and action) of many plastic toys.
They inspire
Wooden toys are ideal for building brand-new worlds. Youngsters can transform blocks and other wooden toys into anything they desire and track their development from simple symbolic play to sophisticated imaginative play. Practitioners of Montessori education (as well as a large number of other educators and caregivers) believe that basic, natural materials frequently promote more profound and long-lasting involvement.
Children can use their developing imaginations to build, innovate, tinker, make-believe, and create, whether creating a city, driving a wooden car around, or constructing a railroad track that runs from room to room.
They educate kids about physics and math.
Wooden blocks, the original STEM toy, demand a lot of fine motor precision, hand-eye coordination, and dexterity to stack and balance. Additionally, they enhance key math learning abilities including pattern matching and recognition.
Children must concentrate on using their hands and eyes in unison to assemble and balance the various pieces because there are no magnets or connecting systems to keep the blocks locked together. Early physics lessons are taught to children when a tower collapses after the sixth block has been added to it or when a ball slides down a ramp.
They last
There is a reason why wooden toys are frequently given as gifts, passed down through families, and inherited. As long as you take care of them, they are durable while not being unbreakable.
This may entail repeatedly mouthing, throwing, and rolling the toy or plaything for babies and toddlers. Montessori encourages young children to investigate toys and play things in their way. This means that when purchasing toys for children, safety is a crucial factor to take into account. One of nature's safest materials for infants and young children is wood.
They are lovely.
Aesthetics may or may not be a top consideration when buying toys, but they do matter, especially when selecting toys with a long lifespan. Playthings, furniture, works of art, and other items made of wood typically have a pleasing appearance whether they are painted, stained, or left unfinished. Physical beauty is highly valued in the Montessori school of thought, and the orderly layout, pleasing colors, and clear lines all contribute to a serene learning environment. Given that they are frequently stackable, simple to clean, and appealing to exhibit, wooden toys are a good choice for these areas.
See more wooden PocoToys for babies, 1 years olds, and 2 years olds.
Resources:
- Why Fewer Toys is the Better Option | Psychology Today
- The Influence of the Number of Toys in the Environment on Toddlers’ Play | Infant Behavior & Development
- Physiological Effects of Touching Wood | National Institutes of Health
