There are many benefits of using toys made of natural materials. That’s why, more and more, parents are choosing toys made from natural materials.
But what natural materials can you find in toys? What are their benefits? This article will answer those questions.
Toys and Natural Materials
In the ‘good old days’, most children’s toys were made from natural materials. Cars, trucks, trains, and planes and many other toys were made from natural wood.
Toy guns and swords were also made of wood, as were farm animals, and toy soldiers. Games such as checkers used wooden boards and actually used stones for checkers. Other games used stone game pieces as well.
Dolls, puppets, and stuffed animals were made from cotton or wool with hair made from yarn that was actually spun from the wool of sheep.
But long before any individual or manufacture began making toys to sell to the masses, parents and kids were inventing their own toys from scraps of wood and pieces of clothe. In fact, some of the earliest dolls were made from things like carved wood and even corn husks.
It wasn’t until much later that manufactures discovered that they could make plastic toys cheaper, and that’s when toys made from natural materials became less popular.
But plastic toys have their problems. While almost any toy can be made from plastic, plastic toys can contain toxic substances that are potentially harmful to your kids.
Nowadays we hear all about the dangers of BPA, Phthalates and PVC. As a concerned parent, you may worry about whether the toys you’re buying are safe for your kids.
What Are The Benefits Of Using Toys Made Of Natural Materials?
If you’re searching for and even demanding toys that are safe, you may want to look at toys made from natural materials.
Here are some of the benefits of those kinds of toys:
They Contain Fewer Or No Toxins
Natural materials for the most part they will be chemical free. Sure you can purchase cotton and wool toys that are made with non organic material, but you can also get those same types of toys made from organic cotton or wool where no fertilizers, insecticides, or any other toxic substances have been used.
And you can get wooden toys that have been painted with plant based paints.
They May Lower The Risks Of Allergic Reactions
As our use of chemically manufactured products increased over time, the number of people suffering from allergies increased also.
Some of the chemicals used in kid’s toys can cause your child to have an allergic reaction or sensitivity.
But by using toys made of natural material, you can lower your child’s risk of having an allergic reaction or sensitivity to the toys they play with.
They Last Longer
Toys made from natural and organic materials tend to last longer than those toys made of plastic and other man-made substances.
So toys made from natural materials can often be passed down from generation to generation, providing giving your kids and grandkids a sense of family history and continuity.
It’s fun for kids to connect with a grandparent or great grandparent by playing with a toy they used to play with.
It’s a wonderful way to allow your kids to feel a real connection when they realize that toy that they treasured toy they’re playing with was once owned by their parent or grandparent, especially when they hear stories about how they’re relatives used to play with those same toys.
Toys Made From Natural Materials Can Stimulate Your Child’s Imagination
Many of today’s toys are technical in nature, so they talk, give directions, and tell kids exactly what to do to do and how to play with them.
But many wooden toys have none of these features, so they force your child to use their imagination.
This is a huge benefit because kids who use their imagination to solve problems or complete tasks are building life skills that will help them for years to come.
Learning to use their imagination also helps build self-esteem and confidence.
Environmentally Friendly
Of course, toys made from natural materials are much more environmentally friendly than toys made from plastic or synthetic materials.
So once these types of toys are no longer played with, they can be recycled, once again becoming part of the natural world.
Conclusion
So there you have it! Some of the benefits of using toys made of natural materials.
As parents, you worry about your child’s health and safety, and part of that is making sure that the toys you buy for your child are safe and made from non toxic substances.
Carefully choosing the toys that your kids play with ensures that your child is safe and has wonderful toys to pass down from generation to generation.
It also teaches your kids that it’s important to do what they can to protect our environment.