Wood Toys in Play

"Children who engage in creative play in early childhood tend to do better in all spheres of life as they grow older. They excel not only academically but also socially, emotionally, and physically. They tend to be more harmonious and less aggressive, and they show a better understanding of other people." (Heidi Britz-Crecelius)

Wooden toys have many applications in such play. Used for babies wood toys help in sensory development by stimulating sight, touch and hearing. For infants wooden blocks help them distinguish between two objects, thus developing their sensory perception of sight. As months pass, they reach out and grasp objects that catch their eye. Colourful, easy-to-grasp, smooth-edged wooden toys are ideal for this stage. As part of their sensory development infants and toddlers taste everything. Non-toxic smooth wooden toys are ideal for this purpose. Children at these stage have limited attention spans, so a variety of wooden toys is important.

Simple wooden toys such as wooden farm animals, wooden blocks and wooden trains serve a number of purposes. They relate to the simple things that a child recognizes and thus encourages play. Differing developmental stages can be seen as the same wooden toy gets used differently by each child.

Toys are essential for a child's balanced social and emotional development. Simple wooden toys are an investment, as they get used for several years by children.

When choosing wood toys for children it it important to remember the particular play style that a child enjoys. The Wooden toys on this site encourages use of the following different play styles.

·        Physical play - involves wooden toys that encourage hand eye co-ordination and develop fine motor skills.