Waldorf Toys – A New and Unknown Concept for Parents that you should Explore!

Playing is the heart of early childhood and the key to creative thinking later in life. As parents, our ultimate goal is to keep our children safe and sound. We buy them toys to play with, but did you know that most of the plastic toys that we buy for our children to play with are toxic, unsafe, and dangerous. They contain a chemical called ‘BPA (Bisphenol A)’, which causes harmful developmental effects in infants. But now, with parents being more aware and concerned, there are a lot of “Made in India” brands that have come up with good quality wooden toys that are fun, imaginative, and most of all, SAFE! Here, we bring to you all you need to know about Waldorf toys that will help you make a transition from those mainstream plastic toys to natural and wooden WALDORF TOYS!

Waldorf is a new and unknown concept for most of the parents, but once they understand it’s benefits, it is hard to stop following! First, let’s understand what ‘Waldorf Education’ means! Waldorf education is an educational philosophy founded by Rudolf Steiner in the 1920s. It is focused on the student’s developmental picture and creating an environment for the child that allows his creativity and intellectual abilities to thrive. Waldorf teaching focuses more on learning through fun, art, and creativity rather than following a specific curriculum. They involve academics in their teaching, but only when the child is ready for it!

All Waldorf Toys!

(You don’t need to follow the Waldorf education system in order to introduce your child to Waldorf toys) Waldorf toys are natural, simple, creative, and imaginative, which pushes the kids to think harder! Waldorf toys are simple to play with, and there is no right or wrong ‘this is how to use the toy’ type of thing. It is left up to the imagination of the kid. It allows the child to explore, be artistic, and work the thoughts. We don’t want to raise children who are dependent on technology. We want them to grow as creative thinkers, intellectually curious, and inventive! The Waldorf toys are handmade and made of natural materials like cotton, wood, silk, and wool. They are good for the child as they help them stay connected to nature, and they are also good for the environment. Also, natural materials give them a calming and warm feeling. Some Waldorf toy examples!

1.Waldorf Dolls!

The Waldorf dolls are handcrafted and have no face or minimal features, just two embroidered eyes and a little mouth. You must be wondering why. It’s because when you give your child a plastic doll to play with, it has a rigid face that is usually smiling, and that smiling picture of the doll is fixed in the child’s head. It is hard for the child to imagine for that doll anything other than smiling and happy. But, if you hand your child a Waldorf doll, he can use his inner picturing abilities to imagine that doll to be happy, sad, laughing, or crying. It encourages the thought process of the child according to the situation.

2.Rainbow Stacker

The rainbow stacker is made entirely of wood, and they use non-toxic colors. It is an open-end toy, and there are endless ways with which your child can enjoy this toy. It can be a cave or a tunnel for your child’s trains to go through, or a garage for the little cars your child owns, or a cradle, or houses, or just a tall structure by piling the arches one above the another. It is a great toy that fosters creativity in the child!

3.Play Silks

A basket full of scarves made of silk or nylon can be used in so many different ways. It can become a belt or a cape, or they can be laid on the floor to become landscapes for your child’s play, or it can be used volcano or lava coming out of a mountain made up of clay. There is so much you can do with play silks and help strengthen the sensory abilities. When your child is playing with Waldorf toys, the never-ending imagination and the creative abilities of your child grow, and since the Waldorf toys are made of all-natural materials, it’s like the child is surrounded with natural beauty, which is a soothing and inviting feeling for a young mind. Less is more! How many toys are the right number of toys? Toddlers don’t need a whole lot of toys to engage themselves in. The fewer the choices are given, the calmer your child will be. Simplify as much as you can. The less the toys, the more neatly organized the playroom! A few well-picked playthings for your child will always encourage more imaginative play than a closet full of toys. And remember, it is going to take a while before your child starts taking an interest in all these new toys. Have patience and let your child unravel this Waldorf journey on his own!

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