There is an interesting trend developing in the United States these days that wooden toys are making somewhat of a comeback with parents of small children. For decades wooden toys have in many cases taken a back seat to plastic toys since the 60's. I am sure there is a study somewhere that can tell you why wooden toys are becoming popular again, but from my unscientific observations, here is a list of top 5 reasons for the change in buying habits as I see it.
1. Quality - Wooden toys in many cases are hand made. Even if they are not completely hand made the extra attention given to the production of wooden toys, results in a higher quality product. There tend to be fewer moving parts with wooden toys which mean there are fewer ways they can be damaged or ruined.
1. Quality - Wooden toys in many cases are hand made. Even if they are not completely hand made the extra attention given to the production of wooden toys, results in a higher quality product. There tend to be fewer moving parts with wooden toys which mean there are fewer ways they can be damaged or ruined.
2. Durability - The bi-product of high quality is durability. It is relatively common in our house to have wooden toys passed from one generation to the next. We have a set of Lincoln Logs that we gave to our son for our grandkids. That same set was played with by our kids and in fact my parents gave them to me when I was a child. Some of the pieces have been lost over the years but for the most part they are in great condition.
3. Safety - Again I have no scientific proof but I believe that wooden toys are safer than their plastic counter parts. It just make sense. When you see plastic break, there are often very sharp edges that can cut a little finger. Plastic toys are susceptible to breaking if they are stepped on, sat on, or tossed aside. If wooden toys get rough around the edges, just sand it off and keep going.
4. Learning Skills - Wooden toys invite your child to play games with them. Your child is more inclined to be interactive and engaged with wooden toys. In many cases your children must be more imaginative with wooden toys. This helps not only stimulate their creativity, but also their problem solving skills. Many plastic toys perform the entertainment features on their own with batteries, moving pieces, and lights.
5. Ecologically friendly - Aside from the batteries so many plastic toys use, plastic toys just don't last. All those broken toys end up in landfills. It takes dozens if not hundreds of years for plastic to break back down into the soil. When a wooden toy gets broken, it just continues to be wood; no problem.
The one downside to wooden toys is if they are tossed across a room they can do substantial damage to furniture, windows, and other people. Of course the same could be said for almost an
3. Safety - Again I have no scientific proof but I believe that wooden toys are safer than their plastic counter parts. It just make sense. When you see plastic break, there are often very sharp edges that can cut a little finger. Plastic toys are susceptible to breaking if they are stepped on, sat on, or tossed aside. If wooden toys get rough around the edges, just sand it off and keep going.
4. Learning Skills - Wooden toys invite your child to play games with them. Your child is more inclined to be interactive and engaged with wooden toys. In many cases your children must be more imaginative with wooden toys. This helps not only stimulate their creativity, but also their problem solving skills. Many plastic toys perform the entertainment features on their own with batteries, moving pieces, and lights.
5. Ecologically friendly - Aside from the batteries so many plastic toys use, plastic toys just don't last. All those broken toys end up in landfills. It takes dozens if not hundreds of years for plastic to break back down into the soil. When a wooden toy gets broken, it just continues to be wood; no problem.
The one downside to wooden toys is if they are tossed across a room they can do substantial damage to furniture, windows, and other people. Of course the same could be said for almost an
4. Learning Skills - Wooden toys invite your child to play games with them. Your child is more inclined to be interactive and engaged with wooden toys. In many cases your children must be more imaginative with wooden toys. This helps not only stimulate their creativity, but also their problem solving skills. Many plastic toys perform the entertainment features on their own with batteries, moving pieces, and lights.
5. Ecologically friendly - Aside from the batteries so many plastic toys use, plastic toys just don't last. All those broken toys end up in landfills. It takes dozens if not hundreds of years for plastic to break back down into the soil. When a wooden toy gets broken, it just continues to be wood; no problem.
The one downside to wooden toys is if they are tossed across a room they can do substantial damage to furniture, windows, and other people. Of course the same could be said for almost any projectile. Also the price for wooden toys can be a little higher than for their plastic counter parts.however the value for wooden toys is much higher if you consider their durability.
Manufacturers of wooden toys have made a point to start producing more variety of toys in recent years. There are wooden versions of kitchen sets, puzzles, tool boxes, dollhouses, food, castles, clocks, cubes and shapes, and tools, trains, cars, trucks and much more too numerous to mention here.
So consider these points if you are thinking about getting wood for your kids instead of plastic. The price may be a bit higher for wood but the value for wood far exceeds plastic. Go ahead, give yourself permission to get a toy you can pass down from one generation to the next.
About the Author:
5. Ecologically friendly - Aside from the batteries so many plastic toys use, plastic toys just don't last. All those broken toys end up in landfills. It takes dozens if not hundreds of years for plastic to break back down into the soil. When a wooden toy gets broken, it just continues to be wood; no problem.
The one downside to wooden toys is if they are tossed across a room they can do substantial damage to furniture, windows, and other people. Of course the same could be said for almost any projectile. Also the price for wooden toys can be a little higher than for their plastic counter parts.however the value for wooden toys is much higher if you consider their durability.
Manufacturers of wooden toys have made a point to start producing more variety of toys in recent years. There are wooden versions of kitchen sets, puzzles, tool boxes, dollhouses, food, castles, clocks, cubes and shapes, and tools, trains, cars, trucks and much more too numerous to mention here.
So consider these points if you are thinking about getting wood for your kids instead of plastic. The price may be a bit higher for wood but the value for wood far exceeds plastic. Go ahead, give yourself permission to get a toy you can pass down from one generation to the next.
About the Author:
Learn more about toys. Stop by this Melissa and Doug affiliate site where you can find a selection of toys with reviews.