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There's no doubt in my mind that wooden toys are much more aesthetically pleasing than their brightly coloured plastic counterparts. However, with that being said there are so many more advantages of wooden toys than just their appearances.
Jaques of London, a specialist when it comes to traditional wooden toys sent us their Four in a Row game to add to our daughters wooden toy collection.
Who are Jaques of London?
Established in 1795 Jaques of London is the oldest games manufacturer in the world. Passed down from father to son for eight generations, Jaques of London have been responsible for inventing many well known games such as snakes and ladders, tiddley winks and ludo.
They're a firm favourite when it comes to childrens toys as they have so many different wooden toy variations available. It's also really easy to shop with Jaques of London as they differentiate between ages, going right up to toys for five year olds. This makes things easier not only as a parent, but if you're gift giving for somebody else's child.
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5 Advantages of wooden toys.
1. Environmentally friendly.
Wooden toys are generally a much more environmentally friendly option compared to plastic toys. As an organic, renewable substance, wooden toys are biodegradable and can be recycled. The production of wooden toys, especially hand crafted ones offer a stark comparison to mass produced plastic toys.
2. Educational.
Some of the classic staple wooden toys can be highly educational for your young child. Classics such as puzzles and building blocks can help with numeracy, literacy, motor skills and problem solving.
3. Durability.
It's undeniable that toys can take quite a battering from young children. They get bashed up, thrown around and left outside in all kinds of weathers.
Plastic toys can be quite brittle whereas their wooden counterparts will endure harsher treatments. They can also be passed down and handed through different generations. Durability is just one of the advantages of wooden toys & I feel much more confident the Four in a Row from Jaques of London will stand the test of time; Especially over some of the plastic toys she has.
4. Imaginative play.
How many toys does your child own that either bleeps, whistles or has a screen attached to it? They're all great and have their own advantages, however sometimes simplicity is best.
Wooden toys are often a blank slate for children to project their imagination onto. Less is more. Simplicity inspires imaginative play.
5. Safety.
Unfortunately plastic toys can be quite cheaply made and can break pretty easily. They can be especially dangerous if your child is at the age where everything ends up in their mouth. One of the advantages of wooden toys is that they're much safer than plastic ones down to being built better.
Although Four in a Row comes with small parts, my daughter is at an age where she can be trusted playing (supervised of course). I have no worries about her putting the discs in her mouth. In terms of the quality of the product again, I have absolutely no worries when it comes to safety and her Jaques of London toy.
Have you heard of Jaques of London? What are your thoughts on wooden toys vs plastic toys?
I'm obsessed with wooden toys and much prefer them to plastic ones! I can't wait until my nephew is old enough to buy him some wooden toys xx
These are very sweet. I love the idea of wooden toys for little ones!
Rosie
I love the idea! I never heard of the company but will surely look into them when making a present! I really love how durable and timeless wooden games are x
I don't even have children but I agree, wooden toys are DEFINITELY more aesthetically pleasing and they seem to have so many benefits. So I think I'd definitely try and get as many wooden toys as possible if/when I have kids
Hi Claire. I completely agree. We decided a few years ago that we were only going to buy wooden toys (where possible) as presents, simply so that we weren't adding to the world's mounds of plastic! And I think that they are a lot more tactile than their plastic counterparts.
I always think wooden toys look so much nicer than plastic, and definitely better for the environment. There's something retro feeling about them too! x
I prefer wooden toys over plastic ones as you say they are a blank slate so the child can develop their imagination.
I love the idea of wooden toys, I actually bought my friends baby some wooden toys for when they're older!
I love the idea of wooden toys, especially because they are much better for the planet! Brilliant post x
Where I work, we have wooden toys and I love the durability and sustainability of them, they last so much longer and end up being the kids favourite toys! x
Lucy | http://www.lucymary.co.uk
I love this so much! Wooden toys are so fab. I rented 4 different jumbo games for my wedding like this connect 4 and my guests had so much fun during cocktail hour! Great post x
Is it bad that I want the toys for myself? I agree with you and come comments about wooden toys being more aesthetically pleasing. I'd love some as little set pieces around the house. Nice post
I LOVE wooden toys! we got a lot of Grimms wooden toys when my youngest was born and to this day she still plays with them, she’s 5 now. I love the texture of them I find plastic gets old fast and wooden just has this amazing style. Plus our rainbows look lovely as decoration haha
I love wooden toys, not sure J does as much! I feel like sometimes they're more pleasing to adults than kids because of the colourways. We really love the solid building bricks from this company, we have loads of them xx