Let’s be honest folks, the one thing a kids room cannot be without is toys. While these days you can certainly choose from the many fancy-made and appealing plastic toys, it seems that more and more parents are relying on the good old wooden toys. Why though? Why wooden toys?
Made of a natural material, wooden toys are considered the safest and healthiest choice. When compared to plastic, they are impossible to break (especially not by children) which means they are durable as well. Besides, they are also beautiful, appealing, smooth and easy to grip. Out of all types of wooden toys, it is the Montessori toys that have become the most popular and reliable choice among parents. They are specially designed for children of all ages, enhancing their development.
Benefits of Montessori Wooden Learning Toys
Sensorial Exploration Improvement
Given the fact that wood is a natural and warm material, toys made of wood are warm and pleasant to touch. As their size and shape changes, the weight of educational wooden toys changes as well, which will help children get familiar with the different shapes and weight. This shift in perspective, dimension and weight can help children better understand the varying toys’ shapes and sizes from an early age.
Safe to Use
Maybe the most important benefit of all is that today’s wooden learning toys are healthy and safe to use. Not only is wood healthy to use, but the used dyes on it are also safe and eco-friendly. The used dyes on Montessori wooden toys are safe to use because they’re water-based and don’t contain any toxins and chemicals. This means that even if your little one decides to put the toy in his mouth, you can have peace of mind that the toy would leach any chemical or toxin when in touch with saliva.
Additionally, the most commonly used type of wood for these toys is Birchwood which is a hardwood and almost impossible to splinter and break. This is considered as another benefit of using wooden toys because your kid can play safely and without any concern of injury.
Great for the Environment
Considering the fact that more and more Australians are concerned about the environment, it’s no wonder that a great number of them are investing in eco-friendly and safe to use toys for their children. And since Dr Montessori had a deep respect for the earth, she chose to use wood as the one and only material for her wooden educational toys.
Wooden toys are meant to last extremely long, a lifetime in fact if taken good care of them. And, even if thrown away in the landfill, they will biodegrade, posing no danger to the environment.
Additionally, well-known companies like Montessori can choose to use sustainably produced wood in order to reduce the negative effect on the environment. This is considered as another benefit of using their toys.
They Are Stylish and Appealing
Plastic toys might be lighter and more eye-catching, but the truth is that nothing can beat the beauty of wooden toys. If you would offer your little girl to choose between a plastic dollhouse and a wooden one, she will certainly choose the wooden one as it is more realistic.
The thing that makes these toys one-of-a-kind and appealing is their grain and their natural pattern. Even if the toys are painted, the texture of the woods can still be seen. This will add more depth to the colour which is something that cannot be seen in plastic toys.
The most important thing you can achieve with these toys is teaching your children to care for the environment. The main fact that you are introducing them to wooden toys and explaining to them the reason for this decision of yours (once they start to understand things) will help them love the earth and care for it from an early age.
How to Clean Wooden Toys?
Although it might seem that plastic toys are easier to clean, this is not true at all. Just like plastic, cleaning wooden toys is not difficult at all as all you need is a clean cloth and a gentle cleanser.
If you want to keep things natural, you can clean them with a natural vinegar cleaning solution. For this purpose, you will need 1 part of alcoholic vinegar to 10 parts of water.
In case, you can’t stand its smell (even though it disappears within minutes), you can use a water solution mixed with eco-friendly dish soap or a non-toxic multi-purpose cleaner which also needs to be diluted with water. In order to clean them promptly and effectively, make sure to follow the cleaner’s cleaning instructions.
