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Why Wooden Toys Are Better Than Plastic Toys For ChildrenAuthor: Andrew Bailey
Are wooden toys betters than plastic? In order to answer this question we would need to define ‘better’. I have to admit to being biased towards wood so I’ve been pondering why this is the case.
When it comes to your children, nothing's too good for them, although some things are certainly too good to be true. These days, literally well over 99 percent of the toys offered for sale to your children are made of plastic and metal. Natural wood toys are nearly non-existent. That's sad really. They're an important part of our heritage and culture, and chances are they're safer than plastic toys as well.
How many times have we been told that a plastic or painted toy is safe, only to see it recalled or find out it has lead in the paint or plastic body or is unsafe for any number of other reasons? This holds especially true for very small children and babies. These little ones will be putting whatever they play with in their mouths, and plastics, painted toys and metals probably aren't high on the list of things you want in your baby's mouth.
If we are considering the environment and the ultimate destination for many toys (which is landfill) then wood is clearly the better material. If we are thinking about robustness and the resilience of the material to the treatment that toys receive at the hands of their owners then both materials can perform well, depending upon the toy.
When it comes to plastic toys and wooden toys, there is more of a chance that plastic toys will be purchased. However, consumers don't seem to consider buying a wooden toy for their kid instead. In a few ways, it would be more worth the while to get.
Let's think of a few differences between the two. Plastic toys: they can break easily and the edges could harm the little children. Wooden toys, on the other hand, are more durable. If you were to stand on a toy truck made of plastic, there is a great chance that it will break, possibly leaving sharp edges that could cut your child; and be fit only for the rubbish.
Wooden toys on the other hand encourage your kids to use their creativity, when either they make the toys themselves or play with them. Simple activities such as making cookies at their own toy kitchen, or riding a wooden Arabian horse and so on, boost a child’s creativity and visualization.
You probably wonder why parents opt to offer their children the common wooden type of toys instead of the cheaper plastic toys commonly produced in China. Many consider that having plastic toys is more practical than wooden toys because of the cost factor. Although plastic toys are cheaper compared to wooden toys, long term consideration proves that the latter is better than the former.
Wood is a natural made material which can be subjected to recycling. This means that aside from providing entertainment for your child, you can also pro actively help in preventing further degradation of the environment. Moreover, children appear to be more attached to playing with wooden toys.
Play is an essential part of a child's learning and emotional development. Wooden toys are a sensible choice for the very young. Children's wooden toys include toys such as miniature farm animals sets for infants and doll houses for young girls and boys. Many wooden toys are also educational toys for young school children, such as puzzles, building blocks, and more.
Wooden toys are also more durable than their plastic or metal counterparts. Thus with proper care, it is possible to make these toys last a child's entire childhood and maybe even hand them down to their children.
How are wooden toys invented? Wooden toys are invented because wood is the only easily available materials where one can make toys from with simple tools. Sad to speak, it's hard to find wooden toys in toy stores these days.
Online toy stores offer a wide variety of wooden toys to choose from. And sometimes, it's easier to find what you want because modern toy stores these days mostly sell plastic toys.
Have you ever seen a child in a room full of the latest toys and found the child to be playing with old fashioned children’s wooden toys that were a big hit when you were young? What is it about this sight that is so comforting? Is it because the child’s wooden toy makes us feel nostalgic or is there something else at play here? In our world of plastic throw-away goods it is comforting to see lasting goods lasting. It is especially comforting to see goods which are felt to be worthy enough to be passed on from generation to generation. The latest gadget on the latest toy has not made traditional children’s wooden toys any less desirable to children, or even to adults for that matter.
Children’s wooden toys are toys which are made using a natural product as opposed to a product like plastic which is a product that we are trying to recycle but nevertheless remains a product which costs less to produce new than to recycle. If a child’s wooden toy is made from a sustainable forest that’s even better as it is actually helping out our troubled environment. This is only one of the reasons we feel better towards wood than towards plastic. There are also many emotional reasons why wooden toys feel better.
To touch and explore is often considered as one of the most important aspects of most educational programs that help a child develop different capabilities. Letting your kids play with wooden toys would unmistakably encourage them to learn by touching and exploring. Moreover, you could even purchase wooden toys and games specially meant to educate the kids.
Plastic toys come in all shapes and sizes so there are bound to be lots of brightly coloured playthings that attract the attention of your child, no matter how old they are. They are durable, washable and usually pretty safe, but as with all toys there are toy safety checks to watch out for when you are buying the perfect toy for your child.
The most important toy safety check for all toys, including plastic toys, is that they have the appropriate safety marks. Although the CE Mark is not in fact a consumer symbol, it does mean that the toy you are looking for will have passed stringent safety tests and conform with a list of essential safety requirements. If any plastic toys that you are thinking of buying don’t have the CE Mark, you should avoid them because you can’t be sure whether they will be safe for your child to play with. About the Author:The Best Toys R Us retail Free Wooden Toy Plans, Children Wooden Swing Sets & Toys, Wood Toy Box Chest, Dollhouses, Rocking Horses, Play Kitchen, Airplanes, Trucks. For the Best Top 10 Selling Toys, Characters & Games, Ben Ten, Transformer, Terminator 2, Toy Story, Bakugan, Japanese Bandai Toy & 6” Godzilla 2000 Action Figures. Article Source: ArticlesBase.com - Why Wooden Toys Are Better Than Plastic Toys For Children Educational Wooden Toys - Why Children Will Love ThemAuthor: Brooke HaylesAll parents want their children to play and learn in safety, but sitting in front of a television is not the alternative most parents seek. Rather than simply watching a screen and being "spoon-fed" a constant stream of input, children benefit from the use and manipulation of real, tangible educational wooden toys. Numerous studies have shown viewing excessive television to be deleterious to children's development and many pediatricians suggest minimal TV exposure for toddlers. Physically tangible toys, as opposed to television or computer screens, establish the sense of touch and stimulate neural growth. Further, the child's ability to manipulate his toy as he wishes builds creativity and decision-making skills, as the child is not simply absorbing what is being broadcast over the airwaves. The dexterity required to play with and manipulate educational toys also stimulates the imagination and builds hand eye coordination. Different educational wooden toys are suitable for different developmental stages; for tots, large, brightly colored objects may suffice, while a five-year old might benefit from the alphabet and numbers painted on wooden blocks. Another benefit of wooden toys is their relative durability and safety. Plastics can become brittle with age and have a tendency to break into sharp shards, whereas educational wooden toys rarely break up beyond a splinter. Still older children have delighted themselves for years with the ever-popular "Lincoln-Logs" that allows the child to build a variety of miniature log buildings. Many educational toys aimed at teens and preteens build critical lateral thinking and problem solving skills. The benefit of wooden toys does not lie solely in the use, however. Crafting educational wooden toys is a hobby enjoyed by parent and child alike, while encouraging intrapersonal cooperation and development of basic skills. Wood, a few tools and an imagination are all that is required to make educational wooden toys. They can range from little more than whittled doodads to elaborately carved and painted heirlooms. Schoolchildren everywhere learn basic woodworking techniques in shop class and, frequently, the object built with these skills is a simple wooden pegboard or similar educational wooden toy. Successful creation of a real object builds confidence in children who are all too often used to success in terms of advancing to the next level of a video game. In the age of Toys-R-Us, Madison Avenue and high-dollar advertising, companies bombard children with ads proclaiming their toy to be the best. However, no mass-produced plastic figure can compare with a custom, handmade educational wooden toy, nor will the plastic toy likely be passed down from one generation to the next. Summary: Although not as prevalent as in the past, educational wooden toys are an important tool in children's development. Many educational toys aimed at teens and preteens build critical lateral thinking and problem solving skills and building educational wooden toys is a hobby enjoyed by parent and child alike, while encouraging intrapersonal cooperation and development of basic skills. About the Author:Brooke Hayles Check Out More Helpful Information About Educational Wooden Toy For FREE! Visit Educational Wooden Toy Vault Now! Article Source: ArticlesBase.com - Educational Wooden Toys - Why Children Will Love Them Wooden Toys - the Most Durable Toys in the WorldAuthor: Gen WrightWooden toys are regaining popularity again. And the main reason for this? It's durability. But first, how did wooden toys come about? Wooden toys exist because that's the most readily available material, and toys can be produced simply with a carving knife. The price of a wooden toy depends very much on its age and general condition. The older it is, and the better the overall condition, the more valuable it will be. In terms of price, wooden toys cannot match plastic toys upfront, as it's cheaper to produce plastic toys. However, wooden toys often last much longer, resulting in substantial savings in the long run. Wooden toys traditionally started out to be cheaper than all other toys. But as technology evolves, plastic eventually starts to replace wood when it comes to making toys. Hence, many toy makers switched to plastic. So if the decision to buy a toy is based on price alone, then perhaps plastic toys will win this battle. But often, toys mean more than just money alone. Today, the price of a piece of wooden toy rises in proportion to the time and skill required to make the toy. In other words, the more time and skill needed, the higher the price. Still, people continue to buy wooden toys because they are suitable for everyone. Whether you are an adult or a young child, you will fall in love with tiny wooden toys, as they are just too adorable to resist. Wooden toys are also suitable for both boys and girls. There are toys like toy cars and toy furniture that are suitable for both genders. Children love wooden toys because they can play with them both indoors and outdoors. To preserve a wooden toy, clean the surface with a wet cloth before putting it away. Regular cleaning will make the wooden toy last longer. Some children like to use wooden toys for pretend play. Pretend play stimulates a child's imagination. Simple wooden toys engages children and motivates them to think. The secret to improving thinking and motor skills is to use simple wooden toys to play simple games. For example, use wooden blocks for counting games, or use puzzles to help encourage thinking. But for most toy collectors, they like to collect wooden toys because wooden toys can last for a very long time, they are often kept for sentimental reasons. For an avid toy collector, there are many different types of wooden toys to choose from. But what makes a wooden toy a desirable artifact to collect? For one, as wooden toys last so long, they are often still around even when their owners have grown up. And despite having grown up, the owners often refuse to give away their wooden toys as these toys bring back many happy memories. Also, one does not have to worry about harming the environment with wooden toys. In terms of durability, wooden toys can outlast any plastic toys with ease. They are also popular because of their versatility. Case in point: skilled toy makers can create more complex wooden toys such as puppets. Pinocchio is a wooden puppet in a fairy tale, and he wants to become a boy. Puppets are interesting toys that can move. Simple wooden blocks can be used as educational toys. They can be used to playing counting games, or to build shapes. Such wooden toys can be used many times over. So whether simple or complex, wood can be made into all sorts of different toys. That means, surely, there must be some wooden toy out there suitable for everyone.About the Author: For more information on children's wooden toys or wooden toys for children, please visit our toy resource site. Article Source: ArticlesBase.com - Wooden Toys - the Most Durable Toys in the World Three Simple Reasons for Owning Wooden ToysAuthor: Gen WrightSometimes, people shun wooden toys because of their prices. They forget that bigger wooden toys that require more time and skill to produce are usually much more expensive than plastic toys. Despite that, More and more people are collecting wooden toys again. What makes a good reason for owning a wooden toy? Why would anyone want to own a wooden toy? Firstly, there is variety. Many people like to collect wooden toys because they come in many forms. The different forms of toys made from wood include soft toys, puzzles, pedal cars, and so on. That also means there must be something for you. You also will not have to worry about harming the environment with wooden toys as all wooden toys are environmentally friendly. Secondly, wooden toys are often used for child development. Some children like to use wooden toys for pretend play. Pretend play stimulates a child's imagination. The secret to improving thinking and motor skills is to use simple wooden toys to play simple games. For example, use wooden blocks for counting games, or use puzzles to help encourage thinking. Playing simple games with wooden toys such as building blocks encourages development of motor skills and thinking skills. It doesn't matter if the child is a boy or girl. There will be wooden toys that is ideal for them. For example, boys can choose to play with wooden horses, while girls can choose to play with miniature wooden toys. Wooden toys can also help to stimulate a child's imagination. A quick word of caution: If the wooden toy is made for young children, make sure that the paint on it is non-toxic. Thirdly, wooden toys are ideal as gifts. Small little wooden toys are the ideal candidate for gifts. Both adults and children will love them. Buying toys online would be a good place to start as most toy stores these days don't sell wooden toys anymore. Some people buy wooden toys for investment purposes. From a toy collector's perspective, wooden toys that are hard to find and well preserved are worth more. For these people, it makes sense to preserve the general condition of the toy, though you also want to allow it to age gently. Wooden toys that display a sure sign of age but is still well preserved will attract many potential collectors. Preserving a wooden toy is easy and straightforward. Simply clean it regularly with water or if you like, use a mold inhibitor. Wooden toys can be protected by layers of weather resistant paints, and made suitable for outdoors. Wooden toys often pass the test of time with flying colors, as they never seem to fade away. Due to its well known durability. many wooden toy owners want to keep their wooden toys because they grow up with these toys. They mean something to the owners. Although plastic toys may be cheaper, wooden toys are far more durable and can last for a long time. In the longer term, wooden toys will save you more money. They last longer than plastic toys, and have greater replay value. In summary, you can witness for yourself the many benefits of wooden toys. They can be collected for investment purposes or as souvenirs, they can be used for educate children, and they last longer than most other toys. About the Author: For more information on traditional toys or old fashioned toys, please visit our toy resource site. Article Source: ArticlesBase.com - Three Simple Reasons for Owning Wooden Toys |