This is the question I was asked at a business forum recently. It is not needed to stress the point as already for over the last decade wooden toys have continued to gain popularity. With more awareness towards environment and education about safety concerns related to toys, more and more people are returning to wooden toys as their choice for children’s play. Quite simply, wooden toys are safe for your babies; offer unlimited options for open-ended play, and will last for years to come.

But I believe that we have more reasons to stick with wooden toys than above mentioned benefits and that is most importantly to keep our ties stronger with Mother Nature. 

We live in a world where children are conditioned through TV, environmental documentaries and national geographic to think that nature is exotic and awe-inspiring and is far, far away places they will never experience. The virtual is replacing the real. Richard Louv called this newly occurring phenomenon, ‘nature-deficit disorder’ in his book.  

Having wooden toys allows them to connect with nature in a realistic way. They are able to appreciate what nature is able to give us and understand all of its elements when they are given the opportunity to explore with wooden toys.

We never had this problem in our childhood days as we were offered the space and freedom around the sidewalks, streets, playgrounds, parks to explore our world. To play, to create and to interact, to just ...be. 

Another challenge put forth by modern toy makers in electronic and plastic form is neglecting the very basic attribute of learning i.e. Children thrive in calm and peaceful settings. 

Today, our children are given toys with all the bells and whistles, the noises and electronic features which let them use their imaginations less than ever. The battery run devices are doing more harm than good, which interrupt a child’s thinking process or limit how far a child’s imagination can go by boxing them into specific ways to play with the toy. It’s a crisis in the making.

A peaceful environment is important for a child’s development and wooden toys are conducive to such settings. Too many choices and too much stimulation cause stress and indecision in children. By introducing natural, quiet toys with room for interpretation and creativity, kids naturally feed more at easy and in control of their playtime.

Generally, wooden toys have fewer stimuli. They are usually basic shapes as well, and the simplicity of them allows for kids to use their imagination to figure out how to play with them. Without a clear intention as to how to use the toy, children are forced to use their brains to come up with a way to use the toy. Thus going for quality investment of wooden toys is always beneficial, you’ll see your kids focus more, be more imaginative, and ask for less because they appreciate what they have. 

A good-looking set of blocks or a few stacking toys will always look great in your playroom. They blend in with room decor and can almost be an accent to any room. There’s not argument that a child playing with timeless wooden blocks is an adorable sight. Do it for your Instagram.