Painted Acorns in a Bowl

In a world of plastic battery operated toys, wooden play materials are sometimes found less attractive.  Although wooden toys are being marketed more and more, the benefits of wooden toys—both financial and educational—are often overlooked. Yes, the plastic toys are cheaper, but they are not as durable! When you add the cost of the batteries it often takes to make plastic toys function, the amount of total money spent quickly adds up, surpassing the cost of wooden toys. The primary difference between plastic and wooden toys is that wooden toys encourage your child to explore their imagination and creativity. Wooden toys, like puzzles and blocks, develop fine motor, hand-eye coordination, problem solving skills, and aid with numeracy whereas plastic toys simply require the pressing of a button. Playing with wooden toys opens up a world of imaginative play where children can explore role-play and develop social skills!

You can easily make beautiful wooden toys yourself! All you need is unfinished wood and some paint. I suggest using tempera paint and sealing it with Mod-Podge. You will need to apply two coats of paint and let the first coat dry fully before applying the second coat.