With so many mass produced things on the market these days, handcrafted wooden toys really stand out as extra special gifts. I am not talking about just handmade wooden toys for toddlers. I am talking about a range of super cool, handmade wooden toys that are great for older kids and even adults! These hand-crafted European toys even double as stunning accent pieces for a shelf or coffee table because they are just that clever and cool to look at and play with. This entire collection of wooden toys qualifies as “heritage toys”- toys that can be cherished and passed down from generation to generation because they last. I hope you enjoy these awesome toy gift ideas.
Best Wooden Toys For Kids
Handmade wooden toys have a timeless appeal due to their durability, craftsmanship, and often eco-friendly nature. Wood toys offer several benefits, especially when compared to their plastic or electronic counterparts. Here are some advantages of wood toys: durability, natural materials, encourage open-ended play, environmentally friendly, and timeless appeal.
These educational wooden toys can be cherished and passed down from generation to generation because they are quality toys that last and because there is something universal in their appeal. Additionally, these best wooden toys are the types of toys that all the generations will enjoy playing with so they are great for engaging the adult with the child for family play time. They all feature high-quality sustainably-harvested wood.
1. Cuboro Marble Track System
Cuboro was developed in 1976 by Matthias Etter from Switzerland when working with special-needs schoolchildren to promote attention and focus, spatial and kinetic awareness and improve fine motor skills. It became a family game in 1985. Cuboro is centered around using wooden blocks with different elements to create marble runs that run on top of the blocks or through the blocks. The Swiss craftsmen accomplish masterstrokes such as a horizontal curve drilling which astonishes even experts. Supplemental sets have been realeased offering ever-increasing possibilities with the new elements. Today the cuboro program comprises 82 different elements. Cuboro is not “only” played for pleasure, but is also used as teaching material and in scientific studies on spatial imagination. It encourages creativity and problem solving and it is fun played all by ourself or as a family.
2. Lessing Blocks
The Lessing building “blocks” are anything but normal. From German designer Christian Lessing, you will be impressed by his “Build-a-Wall” and “Little Woodman” sets. All about finding the perfect balance, you will satisfy your urge to create and build, whether in the playroom or on the desktop. These make a great introduction to design for kids. Toys that inspire children to build, create, problem solve, and rebuild are a beautiful thing. These unique wooden toys are sure to inspire your child in creative play.
3. Mader Wooden Spinning Tops
While these are the simplest of the handmade wooden toys on my list, there is something fascinating about wooden spinning tops for toddlers and adults. These sophisticated wooden spinning tops range from a polished natural look to various bright tones and they come in all sorts of shapes so you can see what spins longest or fastest or wobbliest! Unique wooden toys are a great way to keep kids entertained with creative play. Mader tops are usually only available through local specialty toy stores since they are imported from Austria. You can find similar wooden tops through my affiliate link.
4. Truzzles
These are just gorgeous. Move over kids, mama wants to play! Truzzles are unique, 3-D hardwood puzzles designed and created by French artisan Frank Paris and his company, Variation Bois. These combine a love of puzzles with beautiful woods they end up as art that you can play with over and over. It is pretty tricky matching up just the right undulations and wood types. Pretty trick and pretty fun if you love a good challenge.
5. Wodibow
These ingenious wooden animal puzzles are from Spain. Internal magnets allow assembly of each puzzle and allow a bit of movement. The Wodibow Mastodonts’ and Nanodonts’ simple lines, beautiful woods and elegant designs have garnered both Europe’s prestigious Red Dot Award and A’Design Award. These are so cute and so fun.
6. Pyrom Geometry Blocks
These Pyrom blocks are like modern art. Designer Fred Voss lets you experience the beauty of geometry and design, all while playing. A little imagination and playfulness will yield countless shapes, structures and designs. 40 wooden rhombic dodecahedrons blocks in red, black and unstained colors along with the wooden base create stunning artistic designs.
The environmental standards with which all of these handcrafted wooden toys are made is very high and they all use FSC certified sustainable wood. I hope you enjoy these toy suggestions that are both unique toys and just plain fun! Which one was your favorite?
7. Wooden Toy Train
If your kids are a little on the younger side, the best wooden toy for toddlers is a wooden toy train. These are a classic that will never go out of style. From the kind of wood toy train they pull behind them on a string to the small hand held wooden trains they can drive on tracks, my kids had both. These were some much loved natural wooden toys. Trains always captivate children and encourage imaginative play, allowing children to create their own stories and scenarios. Playing with wooden trains can also help develop fine motor skills as children manipulate the trains and track pieces. Wooden train sets can even teach children about concepts like spatial awareness, cause and effect, and basic physics through hands-on play.
Store Them All In A Wooden Toy Box
A wooden toy box can be a wonderful addition to a child’s room, providing both a functional storage solution and a decorative element. Whether homemade or purchased, a wood toy box provides a charming storage solution that keeps toys organized while adding aesthetic value to a child’s space. Wooden toy boxes can be easily customized or painted to match a child’s room décor or to add a personal touch. Additionally, wooden toy chests are typically more durable than plastic or fabric options, providing long-lasting storage solutions for toys.
Where To Buy
All of the handmade wooden toys above as well as the solid wooden toy box are available through my affiliate Amazon Link.
These are the best wooden toys. They will even look great when your kids leave them strewn across your house! In fact, it just may be you that leaves them out on the coffee table, because they are that cool.
Conclusion
I love cool wooden toys for my kids to play with. Wooden toys have a special feel and they look more appealing in my play room. Wooden toys also have the added benefit of being very durable and they usually last a long time. Cool wooden toys invite open-ended play that fosters creativity and keeps the child interested in the toy for many years. I hope you enjoyed these suggestions for cool wood toys.
These wooden toy suggestions are great for open-ended play and repetitious play where children are figuring out how things work. These toy suggestions by age are just meant to be a guide but some kids may be ready for certain toys later or sooner than others. In fact, some grown ups (like me) may still enjoy playing with many of these cool wooden toys themselves!
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Tara says
These toys look so fun, for kids or for adults. What is even more important about these toys is that they demand that children use their imaginations, since there aren’t flashy lights, sounds, and shiny parts to contend with. At the same time, the things in this list, especially the marble track are such simple ideas, but so many hours of fun. Who doesn’t love marbles? Besides that, the truzzles, looks like something I wouldn’t even begin to be able to put together, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Thank you for showing us these toys. I really like that they are made of natural materials and that they have the capability to be in a family for a long time. I would add wooden toy cars to this list.