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*Updated August, 8, 2022
Are you on the hunt for the best eco friendly toys, natural toys, and wooden toys for your little ones? This list of epic wooden toys for toddlers is going to blow your mind!
p.s. you may also want to check out our list of 21 best organic children’s clothing brands to keep your little ones safe!
This post is about natural toys for toddlers
Let’s face it. So many kids’ toys end up broken, in the bottom of a toy chest, or in the garbage and landfills- either they were a bust or simply outgrown too fast. The plastic packaging alone can make one’s head spin. Eco-friendly toys & presents (whether secondhand or new) are a great way to avoid this.
We’ve created an eco-friendly children’s toy guide with all of our favorites that are sure to please everyone (kids, parents, and the earth). So whether you are shopping for your own children, nieces, nephews, grandchildren, or friends, purchasing off of this list is a way to make a difference. Each toy treats the planet and the toymakers with love and respect.
In order to create a list of Eco-Friendly Toys for kids, we had to ask a few important questions...
- What is the toy made of? It must be easy on the planet.
- Who made the toy? They must be fairly compensated for their work.
- Is the toy engaging and thought provoking? Not just bells and whistles.
- Is this toy something they can use for years? It should be loved for years and potentially passed down.
A sustainable toy will meet all of these expectations. Luckily, our team is here and we are more than happy to build these guides to support the amazing eco-friendly toymakers doing the work.
This post is about best wooden toys for toddlers
Eco Friendly Toys For Kids
This wobble board made by Bunny Hopkins Toys will keep your kids entertained for hours. It can be used to improve kids’ balance or turned upside down to use as a slide or ramp. They will think they are playing but will be improving their gross motor skills the whole time.
Price: $62.00
Ethics: Handmade from Sustainable Maple Wood Sourced in the USA, responsibly made by local artisans
Location: USA, ships worlwide
Shop Wobble Board Here
Kids love to play ‘grown up’ with the classic camera from Waves of Grain. It is the perfect size for little hands to point and shoot throughout their daily activities. And you might just learn what your little one loves if you pay close attention. It is a plastic-free toy that can be enjoyed for years to come.
Price: $14.99
Ethics: Polished in organic coconut oil and beeswax paste
Location: USA, ships worldwide
Shop Toy Camera Here
With this sustainable toy from Panda Brothers Toys, kids will learn some practical skills such as using a screwdriver and holding a key. They can safely practice removing and re-inserting the 7 different insert screws while improving their hand-eye coordination as well.
But the best part is that they will just think it’s fun!
Price: $27.99
Ethics: Handmade, Environmentally friendly natural wood
Location: USA, ships worlwide
Shop Wooden Carpenters Set Here
Handmade personalized trains make a great sustainable toy and decoration. The trains made by a Wooden Name Canada do just that! Adorable enough to set on a dresser or shelf, but an amazing toy when the child is ready to engage. These alphabet letters encourage learning, coordination of movement, attentiveness, and memory. Children will also build fine motor skills and master the spelling of their names. Yes, they are magnetic!
Price: $65.00+
Ethics: Handmade from Canadian Maple. Water based paint for the colors.
Location: Canada, ships worldwide
Shop Wooden Train Set Here
Thrill your little musicians with this beautiful, colourful music table! This is made of solid wood and encourages children to learn through sound and explore the world of music and rhythm. From small foot designs.
Price: $80.00
Ethics: Handmade with sustainably sourced wood and water based paints
Location: U.K., ships worldwide
Shop Wooden Music Table Here
This sustainable toy from Handcrafted Buffalo proves to be fun for kids and adults! The slingshot is made from solid wood and the balls are felt- all of the competition, none of the pain. Whether you’re chasing loved ones around the house or engaging in a little target practice, this is a fan favorite.
Price: $8.50+
Ethics: Slingshots are made from sturdy, solid wood and are non-toxic. Felt balls are handmade in Nepal out of 100% wool and measure roughly 2 cm
Location: USA, ships worldwide
Shop Sustainable Sling Shots Here
Little ones almost always want to help in the kitchen but are often limited in kitchen utensils. However, Karpatenwolle has come up with a solution. They handmake this adorable (yet functional) Montessori knife for little hands to do some big work. It is made from Oak and coated with beeswax and linseed oil for an all-natural product that is able to cut some fruit, cheese, and cooked vegetables. Cooking time can now be bonding time.
Price: $34.00
Ethics: Handmade with sustainable oak, beeswax, and linseed oil
Location: Germany, ships worldwide
Shop Montessori Cutting Knives Here
Need a way to get some of that energy out on rainy or cold days? Ta-da, here is the perfect sustainable toy by Avenlur Kids for the youngsters to use up all that energy productively. This indoor gym has a mini-rock climbing wall, a swing, monkey bars, a rope ladder, a wood ladder, and a wooden slide. Good for hours of fun movement!
Price: $400+
Ethics: Solid wood, non toxic finishes
Location: USA, ships worldwide
Shop Climbing Gym Here
This sustainable toy is a classic. I can not imagine any kid growing up without it. Wood Fun Wood Shop crafted a plane that is perfect for little hands to fly. Their imaginations will soar. Made from natural wood/premium pine and birchwood.
This wooden acorn sorting set by Three Sunshine Shop is one of my favorites on this sustainable toys for kids list. The bowls and coordinating acorns are the perfect way to practice sorting and fine motor skills while learning colors. The pieces can also be used separately to engage in pretend play as well.
Price: $35.00
Ethics: Sustainably sourced wood, non toxic paint
Location: USA, ships worldwide
Shop Color Sorting Acorns Here
Let’s be honest…sometimes those little people feel less than helpful in the kitchen. This sustainable toy is crafted by Monarch Studio Shop is a great solution. Place the toy kitchen indoors so they can let their imaginations run wild with pots and pans. Also, it’s perfect for outdoor mudpie making.
Price: $400+
Ethics: Sustainably sourced pine and cedar wood, non toxic finished
Location: USA, ships worldwide
Shop Mud Kitchen Here
Triple the Joy Boutique created a fantastic stacking rainbow to be enjoyed by a wide range of ages. Older kids will enjoy stacking the rainbow (while unknowingly working their fine motor skills and spatial awareness), while the tiny ones can teethe away on this FDA-approved silicone. And moms can feel great about all of it. Eco-friendly toys that can be decorative and highly playful!
Price: $24.00+
Ethics: Sustainable materials, handmade
Location: USA, ships wordlwide
Shop Rainbow Stacker Here
These sustainable building blocks encourage children’s creativity, teach shape and size recognition while helping them to develop fine motor skills such as eye-hand coordination. When playing with friends, they encourage cooperation and teamwork.
It comes with 24 pieces in a wooden box for easy transport and cleanup. This sustainable building block set makes a wonderful gift for kids of many ages.
Price: $29.99
Ethics: Handcrafted with organic rubber and sustainable wood
Location: USA, ships worldwide
Shop Wooden Blocks Here
Improve your child’s dexterity and color recognition with this wood Montessori bead lacing learning toy from Legacy Learning.
Artistically designed to perfection, it comes with 12 hand-stained wooden beads and matching shoelaces for stringing. Your pint-sized learner will love grasping each bead and stringing it on the shoelace where it belongs.Â
Price: $29.99
Ethics: Handcrafted with wood beads
Location: USA, ships worldwide
Shop Wooden Sewing Game Here
The wooden garage is not just a shelf. It can teach children creativity, taking initiative, develop imagination and fine motor skills, and of course will help to teach tiding a room with pleasure. The best thing is that it is personalised!
Price: $115.00+
Ethics: Handcrafted with eco friendly plywood
Location: Latvia, ships worldwide
Shop Wooden Car Garage Here
Colourful ribbons on a smooth wooden ring. This toy has bright colours and different textures. Sensory ribbon rings are inspired by Waldorf toys and are similar to those used in sensory classes.
These can be used from various ages for sensory, visual, dancing, make believe, and more!
Price: $5.00+
Ethics: Handcrafted with wood & ribbon
Location: UK, ships worldwide
Shop Montessori Ribbon Rings Here
Dollhouses continue to be an enchanting and popular toy valued by both children and adults. Little homes filled with furniture and dolls have been around for thousands of years. It is not just the acting out scenes that delight children; it is also rearranging the dollhouse furniture in such a way that it pleases their personal tastes and also allows them to create the scenarios they want.
Price: $500+
Ethics:Made of a natural alder-wood and safe wax.
Location: Ukraine, ships worldwide
Shop Wooden Dollhouse Here
Free play builds the foundation for a lifetime of learning. It makes learning fun, natural, and self-driven. And these dinosaurs by Arks and Animals are the perfect addition to any toy box. It comes with 7 dinosaurs and a fiery volcano. Kids can travel to prehistoric earth with this box and a little imagination. Eco-friendly toys never looked as good!
Price: $33.00+
Ethics:Â Handmade with hardwood, ash, walnut, cherry, and oak
Location: USA, ships worldwide
Shop Wooden Dinosaurs Here
Ahh, the joys of a good maze. Mazes make you think, make you reason, and make you remember, and make you focus. What other toy can do all of that?
Drapela WoodWorks have crafted a maze that is quite stunning as well as easy to take along for car rides or quiet time. Great for kids and adults!
Price: $49.99
Ethics: Handmade from red oak, mineral oil, and acrylic
Location: USA, ships worldwide
Shop Wooden Labyrinth Here
This super fun wooden magnetic fishing toy is great for hand-eye coordination, motor skills, concentration, and just good old fun! Made with eco friendly wood and non toxic paint for your child’s safety.
Price: $30+
Ethics: Handcrafted with birch wood
Location: Lithuania, ships worldwide
Shop Fishing Toy Here
This post was all about eco friendly toys!
Hopefully this full guide to wooden toys and best natural toys for toddlers helped you to find exactly what you are looking for! Quick tip: if the item above isn’t the exact eco friendly toy you were looking for, click it anyway and Etsy will show you tons of similar items to help you find your exact match. Woo hoo! You can also filter for location and shipping costs. Enjoy!
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