Modern children growing up in today’s world are spoiled by a constant stream of new and more advanced toys with which to keep them occupied, entertained and educated. However more often than not, these toys will just be the latest fad which is quickly forgotten about and thrown the back of the toy cupboard. If you’d like to fight back against the stream of mass produced plastic toys that our children are subjected to, there is another option. Many parents today are choosing to return to a simpler way of playing by providing their children with traditional toys that have been tried and tested through the ages.
Plastic is cheap and colorful and can be washed down easily, but there the advantages stop. Plastic is produced with harmful chemicals that have been linked to cancer and other illnesses and can be dangerous if chewed. Plastic toys are usually not very durable when compared to other materials and can be quickly broken. Your children will get much more long lasting enjoyment from toys made from natural materials such as wood. Wooden toys may be a little more expensive than their mass produced rivals but they will last a lifetime, are environmentally sound and just look nicer than cheap plastic tat. Give a real wooden rocking horse as a gift to your child on their birthday or at Christmas and watch their face light up.
Modern toys also seem to rely too much on complicated scenarios and flashy electronics. The best toys are ones that allow children to use their own imaginations and usually the simpler the better – you may have noticed that babies usually prefer to play with the cardboard box that their fancy toy comes in, rather than the toy itself! There are many simple traditional toys to choose from – dolls, rocking horses, building blocks, the list just goes on. There are several online stores that specialize in these ‘back to basics’ toys so start by having a browse around and it may just change your children’s lives for the better.
