Less than two weeks ago, we had a guest post from nutrition enthusiast Angela Berry from Ripped.Me. After further conversation with her, it turns out she knows a thing or two about toys as well. As such, our topic today is for those of you who are parents. Enjoy!

Every parent is aware of the fact that play is extremely important for a child’s development, but not everyone thinks about the toys and how they influence and educate kids. If you want your child’s toys to be more than simple playthings, but something that will spark your child’s imagination, creativity, problem-solving and motor skills, then you might think about switching to wooden toys. There are many ways in which your child and you will benefit from wooden toys, and this guide will give you just Here are 5 of many reasons you should choose wooden toys for your kid.

One: Safety first

As wooden toys are generally designed to be safe, you don’t have to worry about your child’s safety when they play. Wooden toys don’t break that easily, so there will be no sharp edges to hurt them or broken off pieces to swallow. Also, they are generally made of non-toxic and natural materials, so young children can freely chew.

Two: Durability

If you are already a parent, then you know how careless and rough kids can be with their toys. You probably have at least two plastic toys laying around the house, that are broken or are missing batteries. Wooden toys are usually made of solid and high-quality wood, and are pretty hard to break and are very easy to clean if they get dirty. This means that your kids and your grandkids, and even their kids, will be able to play with the exact same wooden toy, turning it into a real family heirloom.

Three: They encourage imagination

Wooden toys will allow your kid to be in control of their playtime. Some wooden toys are shaped like everyday objects, vehicles or tools, but they still encourage your kid to use their imagination while playing with them. There are also wooden toys that can spark your child’s creativity, such as the Angus & Dudley Collections musical box. On the other hand, other wooden toys come in basic shapes, such as blocks, circles, triangles and sticks, which really encourage your child’s imagination and creativity as they are trying to build different objects. With them, children can explore different phenomena around them. They can learn about gravity and physics when building structures or explore geometry while arranging shapes and creating new patterns.

Four: They exercise their problem-solving skills

Wooden toys can also improve your kid’s problem-solving skills. Younger children can build structures that are designed to withstand different conditions, and older kids can use them to solve different math or science problems. Wooden toys don’t come with batteries, manuals and voice commands that tell your kid what to do and how to play, so your kid has to use imagination and problem-solving skills to fit different pieces together and create something new or incorporate pieces into the given play scenarios.

Five: They exercise motor skills

Most of the today’s toys are made of light plastic, but traditional wooden toys are made of full wood, which gives them weight. Thanks to this weight children are more aware of what they are doing with toys and their hands. This property of wooden toys is especially beneficial for children with undeveloped motor skills and those with sensory disorders. Heavier toys help them better control their movements and develop fine motor skills. They also demand that a child thinks more and uses more energy while playing. It’s harder to get the wooden car to move or to make a wooden doll move its arms.

All in all, wooden toys come with amazing benefits for your child’s development. Because they don’t have limited use, they can be used in many different ways, and your child will always find new uses for them while exploring and upgrading their imagination, creativity, problem-solving and motor skills. Also, because of their durability, they will become a part of your family for generations to come.

Once again, thank you Angela for providing the guest post and all the images that come along with it. Catch her on Twitter and don’t forget to check out Ripped.Me by clicking on the image below. Cheers!

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Also published on Medium.