I love having eco-friendly toys for my kids to play with. Not only do I like knowing that they have green toys that are safe for them and the environment but I like knowing that they are learning eco-friendly values at a young age. Plus, I don’t run out of batteries every two seconds or have to listen to annoying electronic sounds over and over! These green toys are mostly for kids between 3 and 12 years of age. Here, I will make a few suggestions for what I think would be that perfect, special wooden toy for endless creative play.
This post is sponsored by Oh! Toys <- click that link to see more cool toys that are hard to find.
7 Awesome Eco-Friendly Toys For Kids:
Cugolino is an awesome green toy that is good for children three and over. It consists of lots of wooden shape blocks that can be built into whatever marble run your child can imagine! This is an eco friendly toy that introduces kids to spatial relationships, kinetic movement, cause-and-effect, and that they can use in more complex ways at older ages. Cugolino blocks are made from Swiss beechwood, harvested by approved, eco-friendly techniques, and with FSC certification.
2. Cuboro
Cuboro Wooden Marble Run is much like Cugolino but is designed for children five and over. It also consists of wooden building blocks but the ways you can build with the blocks are even more complex as the tunnels run through different levels of the blocks. Cuboro Wooden Marble Run can be challenging even for adults as you can build more and more complex runs. Part marble run, part puzzle and part developmental and educational marvel, Cuboro is truly a “heritage toy” that can be passed from one generation to the next and enjoyed by generations together! Cuboro blocks can be used in conjunction with Cugolino blocks and they make great eco-friendly toys. Cuboro blocks are made from Swiss beechwood, harvested by approved, eco-friendly techniques,and with FSC certification.
3. Tsumiki Blocks
From the rich architectural design heritage of Japan comes a unique set of 34 wooden building blocks in a wooden box case. Unlike the simple geometric shapes of standard kindergarten blocks, these have unique angles, notches and curves. Younger builders will find them unique embellishments to castles or fantasy creatures. Advanced block-builders will discover many unexpected ways the unusual shapes can be combined make structures that are true works of art. My kids had fun trying to build all of the creations in the photos that came with the set. They later had fun building towns and cars from their imagination and playing with our imaginary finger people in the towns they built. My kids actually make a whole extra game out of putting the blocks back into the box because they only! My kids really enjoy their Tsumiki blocks and I can see why they won the Parent’s Choice Award!
4. Zimbbos Elephantastic Pyramid
This is a fun building game that helps develop eye-hand coordination while inspiring creativity. It is a great beginner game for kids to get used to taking turns and they love that it is 3D and I love that it really holds their attention because it is suspenseful even when it is not your turn! It is for ages 3 and up and it is really fun for family play! I like to see their faces as they place another elephant on the building pyramid and wait to see if it will topple. Blue Orange, the makers of Zimbbos plant two trees for every toy they use making these cute wooden blocks.
Update 2020: It surprises me that these eco-friendly toys mostly aimed at small children for reinforcing numbers and colors still capture our interest. Ten years later my son and I still like to play an occasional game of Zimbbos. I am not sure if it is just nostalgia for how often they wanted to play as kids but it is still fun for both of us. There is always that moment of holding your breath to see if the tower will stay up! It is a pretty quick game and so we usually play that the winner is best out of 5 games.
5. Wodibow Magnetic Wooden Toys
These unusual wooden toys have magnets inside to make for all kinds of unusual building! A great way to add another element of fun and learning to their eco-friendly toys play time.
A Truzzle is a 3D wooden puzzle with soft harmonious curves and beautiful wood grain. It is said to be challenging and rewarding. I know my son loves puzzles and I love it when he works on them because I think it is good for his problem solving skills. The Truzzle wooden puzzles are both a game and a beautiful decorative object. This is really a unique toy that you won’t mind sitting out on your coffee table.
7. Kellner Familie Ubermut
You are probably wondering what gibberish you just read or you understand German. Familie Ubermut means high spirited Family and this bunch of unique characters is just that! Like all Kellner Stick Figure toys, these leave the play to the child and encourage the child’s imagination. Complete with 8 different character heads, the wooden and plastic pieces can be combined in any way that one’s creativity dictates — even with other household items! For over eighty years, Kellner Steckfiguren toys have entertained children and families in Europe!
The toys on this list are all educational and tested by my kids to get their seal of approval. The wood used in all of these toys is harvested in a sustainable way so you can rest easy knowing they are eco-friendly toys. What are your child’s favorite eco-friendly toys?
Related Posts: