I’m sure you know this already but when children are playing with toys, they aren’t just keeping busy; they’re doing some serious learning, too. Many studies have found that unstructured playtime (e.g. open-ended, simple wooden toys, for example) is both valuable and favored over structured play.
Let your children’s imagination soar as they play with toys that don’t have an obvious, single use.
Wooden toys give your child the permission he or she needs to dream up their own ideas and learn from them!
Developmental issues aside, many plastic toys can be harmful to your children (as well as the environment).
You may be aware of the boatload of reports linking hormone disruption with the chemical bisphenol A (BPA) which is commonly used in plastics. Insert gag reflex here because this is just one of the many chemicals found in plastic toys.
So how do you know if your playroom contains any safe varieties of plastic? Check out these wake-me-up truths in another post I’ve shared about how to green and simplify your playroom.