Slow Toys and WoodenToyShop

We were very encouraged earlier this week as the Slow Toy movement was given national newspaper coverage when the 2012 Slow Toy Awards were announced. Although we were disappointed that none of the toys we stock won any of these awards, we were heartened to read about a movement that celebrates the enduring properties of toys that are made to stand the test of time and to educate and entertain children as they grow up. So we decided to take a look at the criteria used by the judges of these awards and see if they could be applied to the wooden toys we sell at WoodenToyShop.co.uk.

The first requirement we looked at was “encourages traditional play.” So many of our toys fulfil this requirement, starting with shape sorters and building and stacking toys through to dolls’ houses, wooden farm toys and play food.

A classic wooden toy that encourages traditional play.

The second quality the judges examined was “boosts creative thinking”. Our children’s easels, musical toys and hobby kits certainly encourage children to think and play creatively, as do toys such as the Melissa and Doug Deluxe Puppet Theatre. We are passionate about helping children to develop creatively and we believe many of the toys available at WoodenToyShop do just that.

Click on the image above for more information and to buy the Deluxe Puppet Theatre.

Thirdly, the judges were seeking toys that “inspire the developments of one’s own imagination”. Again, we firmly support the idea that toys should inspire young imaginations and we think traditional wooden toys such as toy castles and pirate ships, toy kitchens, hobby horses and wooden train sets give children free rein to use their imaginations without limit when playing.

A simple toy or a passport to hours of imaginary adventures?

The fourth principle that the slow toy judges examined was quite simple: they judged toys that were “not made of plastic”. That was clearly music to our ears. There is a reason we are called WoodenToyShop and that is that we are a shop and we sell wooden toys. Of course we recognise that plastic in itself is a wonderful material with many incredibly important and convenient uses, but we believe that the best toys are often made of basic, organic materials such as wood. We love the way that wood offers children the opportunity to connect to the natural world around them and we know that our customers love the durability and sustainability of wooden toys.

A WOODEN toy farm.

Only toys “without batteries” were judged in the Slow Toy Awards. Enough said!

No batteries required.

The judges offered support to retailers like us by selecting toys that were “sold in independent toy shops”. We are fiercely proud of our independence and answer only to our customers!

The seventh yardstick was that the toys should be durable and should “stand the test of time”. The toys available at WoodenToyShop are naturally sturdy and robust and stand the test of time in two ways. Take the Le Toy Van Cherry Tree Hall as an example. This is a very well made dolls’ house which is robustly constructed from solid materials which will withstand the usual knockabout nature of toddler play. So it will literally stand the test of time. On a different level, it is a classic and timeless wooden toy that will never go out of fashion. Many of our toys share these attributes and we often talk about toys which will be passed between siblings before being passed on to the next generation of children in the same family.

Cherry Tree Hall will stand the test of time.

Finally, the judges sought out toys that did not have “thousands of different functions”. We salute this particular standard because we think that what children gain from our toys will be what they put into them in terms of imagination, creativity, energy and concentration. Children can invent thousands of different functions for any toy. They don’t need a button to do that – they can do it with their imaginations!

So we welcome any publicity for the Slow Toy Movement and hope in some small way that we are contributing to a rise in the popularity of toys that give children the chance to learn, grow and develop through play.