Toys are important as they help children to learn about the world around them. Toys and play are used to help learn cause and effect and to practice the skills that they will need as adults.
The first toys were made out of natural materials such as wood, stone and grass. Archaeologists have discovered wooden pull toys from Egypt from about 4000 years ago. Ancient toys were mostly made by the parents or family of the children who used them, or by the children themselves. Children in ancient Greece played with wooden spinning tops, hoops and rocking horses. Girls are recorded as offering their toys to the gods as a rite of passage into adulthood.
The children of ancient Rome played with wooden dolls, hoops, carved wooden horses and chariots. Wooden puppets have been popular since the Middle Ages. They were used in street shows by ventriloquists. The most famous wooden puppet comes from the story of Pinnocchio. In the sixteenth century children still liked to play with wooden dolls. The dolls commonly available were known as Bartholomew babies as they were sold at St Batholomew's fair, London.
In 1760, the first (wooden) puzzle was created by John Spilsbury, a mapmaker, who glued one of his maps to a thin wooden board and cut it into pieces, initially as an idea to teach geography.
Before the twentieth century children didn't have many toys and the ones they did have were precious. Poorer children had no choice but to make their toys. The Industrial Revolution allowed toys to be manufactured in bulk and they also became cheaper.
New materials were available to toy manufacturers and plastic toys flooded the market.
Wooden toys endure though because they are made from natural materials. Skilled workmanship on handmade pieces make each toy unique. Even mass produced wooden toys have a natural beauty, smell and texture that makes them special and the grain of the wood adds to their beauty. Wood is also a naturally germ-free material, therefore safe for teething babies to chew on.
By Rebecca Twigg
Great wooden toys can be found at Why Wood Works, a company who specialise in eco friendly wooden toys and furniture for children and babies.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Rebecca_Twigg
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