Before we proceed, it’s important that we discuss the very concept of eco-friendliness and what is it that can make a toy eco-friendly. First of all, any toy that’s made out of natural, eco-friendly or bio-degradable material can rightfully be considered eco-friendly. Second, a toy that helps kids develop consciousness about the environment and environmentalism is definitely eco-friendly. They say that you should be the change that you want to see in the world, well, there’s nothing more meaningful that you can do, than pass on the right set of values onto the next generation. With that in mind and without further ado, here are the top five eco-friendly toys you should get for your kids.
1. Eco-dough
The first thing you could get your kids is some eco-dough or kinetic sand. What this does is provide them with an opportunity to express their creativity and put their play in a literal sandbox mode. This means that you’re giving them full freedom to explore their own creativity or even develop their own character. They’ll make anything that comes to their mind, which means that you’ll get to make an estimate of their character, as well. Plus, while this is an incredibly fun project, it’s also quite simple to handle.
2. Wooden toys
Another thing you need to consider is getting your kid’s wooden toys instead of plastic ones. First of all, they’re biodegradable. Second, the wooden toy industry is the one that’s generally less polluting than its plastic counterpart. Then, there’s the fact that wooden toys are incredibly diverse. You can get them the traditional wooden blocks that act like eco-dough and similar substances but, then again, you can get them traditional toys like wooden animals and similar items. In this scenario, the eco-friendly part comes from the material itself, not the shape or the type of the toy.
3. Green recycling truck toy
The one thing you need to keep in mind is the fact that sometimes all it takes is for a toy to teach your kid the importance of recycling. What better way to do so than through role-play? Simply give them a gift of a recycling truck toy and try to explain to them what they are supposed to do with the truck. This way, they’ll start to develop a deeper understanding of the societal role of recycling and people who are put in charge of it. Needless to say, this is one of those scenarios that we’ve previously described, where you get to raise their awareness through play.
4. 3-D pen
One of the items that should find its way into suitable educational products shop packs is a 3-D pen. This high-end toy can help your kids express their full creativity and learn along the way. When it comes to environmentalism, technology is often portrayed in the negative light, which might send the wrong message. Sure, a growing need for technology is growing the industry but it’s also something that provides sustainable solutions and methods through which the earth can be restored. It’s vital that our kids learn that technology is but a tool and that its use can be either ethical or unethical and that it’s completely up to them to make this decision.
5. Wooden musical instruments
So far, we’ve talked about how toys and creativity should always go hand in hand. Well, creativity is often synonymous with art and is, as such, something that you should heavily focus on. Even though they still may be too young to write, they’re never too young to play around with a musical instrument. A natural rubber drum, a wooden set of drums and a guitar made with strings out of natural rubber are just some of the examples of natural, wooden, creative, art-based toys that you could get for your kids.
Conclusion
Sure, sometimes, it’s enough for the toy to just be entertaining or fun for a while; however, what if you could also make it into a lesson of sorts? What if, aside from being entertaining, it could also have a didactic value of sorts? The thing is that with the above-listed five toys you truly have it all. This means that you don’t have to make a compromise of any kind or have to make a tough choice, seeing as how it’s completely avoidable.
