Toys. There are a plethora of bright, plastic, loud, flashy and shiny plastic toys out there bombarding our children’s toy boxes. I do see the benefit for some of these toys, after all, I grew up with plenty, many of which I have had the luxury to pass on to my own children. But there is also a point where enough is enough. The more we buy new, the more that will be manufactured and inevitably, break down and end up in landfill. So I’d like to share with you my favourite plastic-alternative toys that have been a huge hit with my three and a half year old, and my baby too. Next time you’re after a treat for your children, or a gift for their friends, please keep these wonderful alternatives in mind.

Mindful kin

These little activity cards are a perfect go-to when you’re stuck in a rut of what to do. They’re great for nipping tantrums in the bud. I love them for starting, and ending our zero plan days. Designed by a qualified teacher, these mindfulness activities for children are always worth keeping to hand.

https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/MindfulKin

Story stones

Type ‘story stones’ into Pinterest. Go on, I dare you. You won’t be short on a bit of inspiration. You’ve probaably seen the growing trend of hiding painted rocks around places of interest. It’s geochaching without a phone. But when my daughter asked me where our painted rock had gone, we made up a story - and soon, that story evolved until I found myself sitting up one evening (or three) painting a set of simple story stones for us. It cost nothing as the stones were collected from one of our flower beds and the paint and PVA (to seal the stones) we already had too. If someone went to the effort to make some as a gift for my daughter, they would be priceless.

Seeds

Cress. Mustard seeds. Cornflowers. Even grass seed will do! We’ve all seen the ‘eggy head’ idea - use an empty, clean egg shell filled with damp cotton wool to grow ‘hair’. It’s marvellous the excitement a packet of seeds can make. Gardening is a hopefully optimistic experience and it teaches children the true value of patience and magic.

Tangrams

Watching the BBC’s gender neutral school programme with Dr Javid Abdelmoneim left me with a longlasting impression. At the time of its first airing, I think my daughter was maybe two. My husband and I had agreed to on a gender neutral parenting style, but we were already battling against a never ending stream of gender specific rhetoric. This programme showed shocking results in the way girls and boys consider themselves - at just seven years old. Girls are often not encouraged to develop their spacial awarness - lego and other building-type toys being the reserve of boys (in the examples of the show). Dr Abdelmoneim used tangrams to show how it was possible to ‘even the gap’ between the genders. And it worked.

Grapat

Grapat is a Spanish, family-run business who design and make truly beautiful wooden toys. What we love most about Grapat’s Nin’s are their soft shapes and beautiful colours. I see them as real heirloom gifts and whilst I haven’t bought any for my own children, I’ve felt very pleased to give them as special gifts.

Grimm’s wooden toys

Grimm’s toys make natural, high quality and safe wooden toys guided by the principles of Waldorf education and other educational approaches, like Montessori. We bought one of their little land yachts as a special gift for our son. We subsequently used it to top his humanist naming day cake. He loves watching the yacht zoom across our parquet flooring. What I also love is that the peg doll is the ideal shape and size for his little hands so I often give it to him to make fussy nappy changes a little more fun.

Plan Toys

You’ll see a bit of a theme her, but we do love to choose toys for our children that encourage self discovery. When I saw my daughter’s delight in the Plan Balancing Cactus it was wishlisted! Watching her work out how to keep the cactus balanced whilst trying to use all the pieces was really wonderful. I’ve bought her the travel size one, as I can see it being an excellent toy for road trips and holidays not just now, but for her brother when he’s old enough too. Another sustainable company, Plan Toys prove that making beautiful, fun and educational toys can be made whilst being mindful of people, planet, and profit.

Chalk

When my husband and I got married, we bought a second-hand guilt frame from a charity shop and painted the gaudy print inside in chalkboard paint and wrote our vows in chalk pen. That frame (six years on) now lives inside our children’s wendy house in the garden, our vows sketched all over. But chalk isn’t just for the board. We let our daughter draw on anything in the garden - the fences, the patio, the raised veg bed. It brings me such joy to see her creations alongside the flowers. But chalk shouldn’t just be reserved for boards and boarders at home. Taking chalk out with you is a great way of talking about where it’s ok to sketch, and where it’s not. Playgrounds are brilliant, and a fantastic way to make friends - children just gravitate to chalk! Particularly helpful if you have a nervous or shy child (or parent). I will truly miss the day when I no longer have broken chalks in my handbag.

I hope you enjoyed my list. If you have another alternative idea for plastic free play, please share in the comments below. ♥

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