Toys

16 Wooden Educational Toys For Babies & Older Kids

Updated on
wooden educational toys

 

Are Wooden Toys Better For Development?

Wooden educational toys can be valuable for children because they can promote focus and creativity.

A 2017 International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health study showed that touching wood with the palm can have positive effects, such as inducing physiological relaxation. (1)

Aside from helping promote calmness, wood can also help with cognitive development. As a bonus, wooden toys usually last longer than plastic or silicone.

These are also among the reasons why Maria Montessori chose wood for Montessori toys instead of other materials.

We’ve prepared this list of 16 educational wooden toys to help you choose the best for your little one.

 

The 16 Best Wooden Educational Toys

Wooden Toys By Age Group

Wooden Baby Toys

Templeton Educational Wooden Montessori Shape Sorter & Object Permanence Learning Toy (newborns & older)WALMART BUTTONAMAZON BUTTON
  • Pros & Best Features: Versatile object permanence box with puzzle pieces
  • Product Safety: Sturdy wood and non-toxic paint
  • Materials: Wood
  • Age Range: Birth to elementary age (as rated by the manufacturer)
  • Educational Value: Fine motor skills, STEM learning (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics), color and shape recognition, problem-solving, and logical thinking
  • Extra Features: Interchangeable top that converts the toy into a shape sorter
  • Certification: US standards
  • Made In: Imported (exact country of origin not indicated, according to Target)
  • Product Recall: None
  • Cons: No reviews yet to check before buying
  • Customer Reviews: None yet

 

Wooden Toddler Toys

Hape Fantasia Blocks Train (18+ months)EBAY BUTTONWALMART BUTTONAMAZON BUTTON
  • Pros & Best Features: Wooden train and stacking toy
  • Product Safety: Water-based, non-toxic paint
  • Materials: Wood
  • Age Range: 18+ months
  • Educational Value: Problem-solving, fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination, and logical thinking
  • Extra Features: Train can also separate into three individual cars with peg stackers
  • Certification: Passes toy safety tests
  • Made In: Not indicated
  • Product Recall: None
  • Cons: No reviews yet to check before buying
  • Customer Reviews: None yet
B. toys Wooden Activity Cube – Zany Zoo (1+ years old)EBAY BUTTONWALMART BUTTON
  • Pros & Best Features: Wooden activity center with different learning activities
  • Product Safety: Smooth and sturdy surface
  • Materials: Wood toy
  • Age Range: 1+ years old
  • Educational Value: Fine motor skills, cognitive learning, alphabet recognition
  • Extra Features: Includes five activity sides
  • Certification: US, Canadian, and European standards; CPSC (Consumer Product Safety Commission)
  • Made In: Imported (exact country of origin not indicated, according to Target)
  • Product Recall: None
  • Cons: Some safety concerns
  • Customer Reviews:

Was pleasantly surprised at how big it was, my now 1 year old absolutely loves it!” – reviewer on B. toys

“My 11 month old not only got bored of this thing in the first day, he hurt himself multiple times on this toy.” – reviewer on Amazon

 

Wooden Toys For Preschoolers

Plan Toys Build-A-Robot (3+ years)AMAZON BUTTONWALMART BUTTONEBAY BUTTONMacy's Button
  • Pros & Best Features: Wooden robot with interchangeable head
  • Product Safety: Formaldehyde-free glue, water-based dyes, and organic pigments
  • Materials: Solid wood
  • Age Range: 3+ years 
  • Educational Value: Imaginative play, fine motor skills, emotion recognition, and creativity
  • Extra Features: The different heads show varied emotions
  • Certification: ASTM (American Society for Testing and Materials) and EN71 (European toy standard)
  • Made In: Thailand 
  • Product Recall: None
  • Cons: No reviews yet to check before buying 
  • Customer Reviews: None yet

 

Wooden Toys For Older Kids

Elm + Otter Gnomes – Rainbow Colors (4+ years old)
  • Pros & Best Features: Peg doll set with gnome theme
  • Product Safety: Non-toxic, water-based paint and sealed with 100% natural beeswax finish
  • Materials: Natural solid beech wood
  • Age Range: 4+ years old
  • Educational Value: Open-ended play and sensory activities
  • Extra Features: Includes a pouch to keep the gnomes in
  • Certification: Not indicated
  • Made In: Not indicated
  • Product Recall: None
  • Cons: Can be pricey
  • Customer Reviews: None yet

 

Wooden Toys By Category

Montessori-Inspired Wooden Toys

Melissa & Doug Food Groups – Wooden Play Food (2+ years)AMAZON BUTTONWALMART BUTTONEBAY BUTTONMacy's Button
  • Pros & Best Features: Wooden food toys
  • Product Safety: Free from lead (a heavy metal) and other toxic materials
  • Materials: Solid wood
  • Age Range: 2+ years
  • Educational Value: Pretend play, creativity, and fine motor skills
  • Extra Features: Includes boxes to keep the toy food 
  • Certification: US and EU safety standards, FSC-certified (Forest Stewardship Council), and CPSIA (Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act)
  • Made In: China (according to Amazon)
  • Product Recall: None
  • Cons: Some concerns about safety and quality
  • Customer Reviews:

I love the aesthetic of wooden toys, and this set has been a big hit with my toddler! Great variety of foods from different food groups, cute in the play kitchen, and fun for lots of types of play – pretend play, sorting, etc.” – reviewer on Amazon

Shocked to find the paint is CHIPPING off of some of the painted wooden fruit! This cannot be safe for young children!” – reviewer on Amazon

Wonder & Wise Path To Math (2+ years old)Maisonette ButtonEBAY BUTTON
  • Pros & Best Features: Peg-style Math activity set with different colors and parts
  • Product Safety: Free from heavy metals (such as lead and cadmium), phthalates, BPA (bisphenol-A), BPS (bisphenol-S), PVC (polyvinyl chloride), and formaldehyde
  • Materials: Solid hardwood with non-toxic, water-based inks
  • Age Range: 2+ years old
  • Educational Value: Fine motor skills, coordination, hand-eye coordination, and learning STEM concepts
  • Extra Features: Includes 80 pcs of sticks for counting and 48 pcs color rings for stacking
  • Certification: Not indicated
  • Made In: Not indicated
  • Product Recall: None
  • Cons: Can be pricey; some complaints about quality
  • Customer Reviews:

This is a great toy for toddlers. They love the pieces and it provides a good toy for parents to teach kids to do math. My 3 year old nephew liked playing stacking with the pieces, little by little, he understood that it was a math toy and smiles when he gets the addition correct. The pieces are a good weight and well constructed.” – reviewer on Bloomingdales

A good math set conceptually; however, there’s a manufacturing error as the 5-ring stackers/slots aren’t made consistently. Only 3 of the rods fit and the other two are too wide for the pre-made holes.” – reviewer on Saks Fifth Avenue

 

STEM Toys Made Of Wood

Petit Collage Wooden Apple Run Play Set (3+ years old)EBAY BUTTONAMAZON BUTTON
  • Pros & Best Features: Wooden roller and track set
  • Product Safety: Water-based inks
  • Materials: Wood
  • Age Range: 3-year-olds and above
  • Educational Value: Hand-eye coordination skills
  • Extra Features: Includes rollers and a bell at the bottom
  • Certification: FSC 
  • Made In: Not indicated
  • Product Recall: None
  • Cons: Can be pricey
  • Customer Reviews:

The game design, the packing, the material used… all make me feel this toy is overpriced.” – reviewer on Amazon

 

Montessori & Me Wooden Number Tracing Board (3+ years old)ETSY BUTTONAMAZON BUTTON
  • Pros & Best Features: Montessori toy for learning about numbers and shapes
  • Product Safety: 100% non-toxic safety
  • Materials: Solid rubberwood
  • Age Range: 3+ years
  • Educational Value: STEM learning, fine motor skills, and cognitive development
  • Extra Features: Reversible kids toy (numbers or shapes)
  • Certification: Not indicated
  • Made In: Vietnam
  • Product Recall: None
  • Cons: Some complaints about the size
  • Customer Reviews:

I love the simplicity of this tracing board not to mention the durability.” – reviewer on Amazon

Smaller than expected.” – reviewer on Amazon

 

Wooden Toys For Cognitive Learning

Quercetti Farm Wooden Puzzle (2+ years old)WALMART BUTTONAMAZON BUTTONEBAY BUTTON
  • Pros & Best Features: Unique tubular wooden puzzle 
  • Product Safety: Smooth wood
  • Materials: Wood
  • Age Range: 2+ years old
  • Educational Value: Fine motor skills, sensory and cognitive development, hand-eye coordination, imagination, storytelling, STEM learning, logical thinking, and problem-solving skills
  • Extra Features: Puzzle pieces create four different animals
  • Certification: Not indicated
  • Made In: Italy
  • Product Recall: None
  • Cons: No reviews yet to check before buying
  • Customer Reviews: None yet

 

Uncle Goose Classic Wooden Alphabet Blocks With Canvas Bag (2+ years old)EBAY BUTTONWALMART BUTTONAMAZON BUTTON
  • Pros & Best Features: Wooden block set for learning the ABCs
  • Product Safety: Child-safe, toxin-free inks
  • Materials: Wood
  • Age Range: 2+ years old
  • Educational Value: Learning ABCs, numbers, and some common words
  • Extra Features: Stacking blocks can be used for spelling words; also includes a bag
  • Certification: Not indicated
  • Made In: USA
  • Product Recall: None
  • Cons: Letters are only in uppercase, not lowercase; also, some complaints about the drawstring bag not being included in their order
  • Customer Reviews:

These blocks are Heirloom quality and will definitely be enjoyed for generations!!!” – reviewer on Oompa

I got the blocks but not the canvas bag I paid extra for! Disappointed.” – reviewer on Amazon

 

Wooden Toys For Balancing, Stacking, & Sequencing

HABA Creative Stones 3D Wooden Arranging & Building Blocks (3-7 years old)WALMART BUTTONEBAY BUTTONAMAZON BUTTON
  • Pros & Best Features: Rainbow stackers and wooden building blocks
  • Product Safety: Water-based, solvent-free stains
  • Materials: Wood
  • Age Range: 3-7 years old
  • Educational Value: Problem-solving skills, STEM learning, and spatial understanding
  • Extra Features: Includes sturdy, double-sided cardboard template cards
  • Certificate: PEFC (Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification)
  • Made In: Germany
  • Product Recall: None
  • Cons: Some complaints about quality; can be pricey
  • Customer Reviews:

These may seem pricey but are very well built and finished; they feel like they’ll last for generations.” – reviewer on Amazon

A piece of the game is damaged. It’s a manufacturing problem. I want a game that is not damaged.” – reviewer on Amazon

 

Wooden Toys For Imagination & Pretend Play

Miniland Doll Wooden Medical Set (3-6 years old)Macy's ButtonAMAZON BUTTONEBAY BUTTONWALMART BUTTON

 

  • Pros & Best Features: Pastel-colored wooden medical-themed play set
  • Product Safety: Free from heavy metals (such as lead), phthalates, BPS, BPA, PVC, and formaldehyde
  • Materials: Solid hardwood with cloth and non-toxic, water-based inks
  • Age Range: 3-6 years old
  • Educational Value: Social skills, pretend play and imagination, role playing, and talking skills
  • Extra Features: Includes a bag
  • Certification: Meets formaldehyde emission standards: TSCA Title VI (Toxic Substances Control Act)
  • Made In: Not indicated
  • Product Recall: China (according to Amazon)
  • Cons: Can be pricey; contains small parts that can be choking risks to smaller or younger children
  • Customer Reviews:

Delighted with this doctor’s kit!! Wooden utensils with good finish.” – reviewer on Amazon

The elements are quite small, but made very solidly.” – reviewer on Google Shopping

 
Grimm’s Seven Friends in Bowls (1+ years old)AMAZON BUTTON
  • Pros & Best Features: Multicolored peg color sorter and stacking toy
  • Product Safety: Non-toxic, water-based color stain
  • Materials: Wood play toys
  • Age Range: 1+ years old
  • Educational Value: Pretend play (also ideal as a Waldorf toy) and color recognition
  • Extra Features: Includes cups and a tray
  • Certification: Not indicated
  • Made In: Europe
  • Product Recall: None
  • Cons: Can be pricey; some complaints about the quality
  • Customer Reviews:

My 1.5 year old loves this toy! It’s super simple and a little smaller than I was expecting, but he plays with it truly every day in a variety of ways.” – reviewer on Amazon

For the price, I am very disappointed in the quality of the material. The wood is incredibly light weight and the dye used is already fading.” – reviewer on Amazon

 

Wooden Toys For Gross Motor Skills

LOVEVERY The Pull Pup (18+ months)LOVEVERY BUTTONAMAZON BUTTONEBAY BUTTON

 

  • Pros & Best Features: Wooden pull toy
  • Product Safety: Free from heavy metals and phthalates
  • Materials: Wooden blocks and strings
  • Age Range: 18+ months
  • Educational Value: Imaginative play and gross motor skills
  • Extra Features: Toys and tails can be moved
  • Certification: Meets global regulatory safety standards; FSC
  • Made In: Suppliers in Asia (specific countries not indicated)
  • Product Recall: None
  • Cons: Can be pricey
  • Customer Reviews:

The quality of the Pull Pup is superb!” – reviewer on LOVEVERY

We bought this for our 15 month granddaughter because she is into pull toys…especially dogs. She does not care for it because it topples over a lot and does not right itself like her other pull toys. Well made and looks cute but is not functional.” – reviewer on LOVEVERY

Coco Village NANO – Balance Bike (1+ years old
  • Pros & Best Features: 2-in-1 balance bike
  • Product Safety: Child-safe materials that meet safety standards
  • Materials: Premium birch plywood
  • Age Range: 1+ years old
  • Educational Value: Mobility, pretend play, and gross motor skills
  • Extra Features: Suitable for indoor and outdoor use
  • Certification: ASTM
  • Made In: Not indicated
  • Product Recall: None
  • Cons: Can be pricey
  • Customer Reviews: None yet

 

FAQs

Are Wooden Toys Safe For Toddlers?

Yes, wooden toys can be safe for toddlers as long as they are rated for this age group. Always check the manufacturer’s instructions.

Be wary of huge, heavy toys that might topple over and injure your little one.

If you’re getting musical instruments and jigsaw puzzles or creating DIY wooden toys, always check that the edges and different parts are smooth and don’t have splinters.

 

Which Is Famous For Wooden Toys?

The Montessori method is famous for wooden toys and natural materials. 

 

Why Does Montessori Use Wooden Toys?

Montessori toys are made of wood because these toys are based on the real world and are designed for repetitive play.

 

Other Learning Toys For Different Age Groups

 

Toy Recalls To Monitor

 

References

(1) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5551239/

 

 

– Motherhood Community is reader supported. When you buy through links on our site we may earn an affiliate commission. Learn More