Maybe it is because I grew up in Germany. Where you can buy beautiful wooden toys nearly everywhere. Maybe because I remember playing with them myself. And actually still have some of the toys that belonged to me when I was a child.

Anyway. It’s a fact that I don’t really like plastic toys. I mean, I still buy them. Don’t get me wrong. I just don’t love them. I still buy them because they are everywhere. Because it is so easy to get them. And because there’s a much bigger variety of plastic toys available here in Dubai.

Having said that, I recently discovered a Dubai-based online store that sells a wide range of toys made from 100% natural hardwood. I got in touch with them as I really liked what I saw on their website. And found out that the wood used for their products is also sourced from sustainable or eco-friendly forests. Nice!

The online store I am talking about is called EcoToys.

EcoToys sells toys for babies and children aged 0 to 6, which encourage creativity and sensory development using natural materials and colours. They are educational. Safe. And leave room for imagination. Pretty much everything I am looking for when it comes to toys.

If you are interested in eco-friendly educational toys, I highly recommend you check out their website. I got a few items for Luca and Maëva and honestly think they are pretty amazing. I actually use the Matador Baby-Architect every time I have to dry Maëva’s hair. Cause I know it will keep her busy. Cause I know it will keep her in place for a little while 😉

Matador Construction Kit

Currently one of my favourites among Luca’s toys. The Matador Construction Kit is for children aged 3+. So, Luca still needs a bit of guidance to hammer, twist and build the different shapes. But he absolutely loves it. To the extent that I had to cancel our afternoon plans and stay at home to build trains, cars and other vehicles with Luca the first time I showed him the kit. He just didn’t want to stop! It’s a great activity to develop children’s manual skills and to inspire them to build their own stories.

Construction ideas: click here

Matador Baby-Architect

So, Luca loves his Matador Construction Kit. The problem is, his 18-month old sister loves it as well. And Luca is getting annoyed every time she wants to join in the fun.

I ended up getting Maëva her own construction kit. One that is appropriate for her age: It is called Matador Baby-Architect and is a simplified version of the construction kit Luca has, consisting of 10 building blocks in various shapes, made from untreated copper beech wood.

The Baby-Architect is one of the toys Maëva is most interested in at the moment. Maybe because she can constantly build new things. I am using it whenever I need her to sit still for a little while;-)

Did I mention that it is only AED 75?!

Construction ideas: Click here

Alphabet blocks

Last September, Luca started FS1. And he loves it. I am quite impressed with how well he already knows the alphabet (I can’t really remember but I have serious doubts that I knew anything about letters at his age… Is it me or are kids learning things much earlier today??).

The only problem is that, so far, we mainly focused on capital letters. Well, it’s not a real problem but, at school, teachers told me that it was good to get kids used to lowercase letters from the very beginning. So, I came up with some activities to practice matching upper and lowercase letters.

These wooden cubes from EcoToys are perfect for this. I particularly like their bright colours and bold lettering. Their size is perfect for Luca’s little hand as well 😉

Shape sorter

The last toy I wanted to show you is this shape sorter, which I also found on the EcoToys website. We already had a shape sorter when I saw it. A plastic one. Of course. But I wanted to get this one for Maëva cause I read that wooden toys were much more effective at helping kids develop fine motor skills. And it’s true that Maëva seems to be more interested in the wooden version than in the plastic version she had before.

To be very honest, for now, Maëva is getting very easily frustrated when she doesn’t manage to push a certain shape through the matching hole. BUT she can already recognise the different shapes very well. She likes to touch the blocks. Feel them. Chew on them (not a problem as the paints are non-toxic and without any harmful substances).

The rest will come. I am sure. Everything needs practise. A lot of practise 😉 And the shape sorter is an excellent toy to teach Maëva exactly that.

I hope you like these beautiful wooden toys as much as we do. They might make a great gift idea for Christmas 😉

Happy holidays and a very merry festive season to you and your family,

Tani xx