Posted by Tammy Tilley, contributor | Mar 11, 2024 | 1
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Whether you're 5, 15, or 85, you'll enjoy owning made in USA wooden toys for all kinds of reasons. Namely, they last forever. My mother-in-law is in her mid-90s and has a traditional wooden pull toy her 70-something-year-old son played with when he was a baby. That toy has survived three more children and numerous grandchildren, and now it's making its rounds through the 15 (and counting!) great-grandchildren.
Reasons To Buy Wooden Toys
In a day and age when toys are slick looking and technology-driven, you may never have considered buying traditional wooden toys for your kids. Plastic toys line the shelves of local big box stores where you can just grab and go. Some of those so-called “interactive” toys create the illusion of developing the imagination when they're only providing entertainment without cultivating the mind. After all, there's a reason why kids pick up and play with tree sticks: they can make those sticks into anything their little minds can conjure up.
There are dozen of reasons to consider buying wooden toys as opposed to the easier-to-grab toys off the shelf:
- Wood toys are very tactile, so they engage the senses.
- They foster the imagination.
- They last forever.
- Many wooden toys are endorsed by educational associations like Montessori, Waldorf, or Reggio Emilia. Nearly all of our preschool-age and elementary-age wood toy selections fall into one of these categories of learning-by-playing.
- Toys made from wood encourage creativity.
- They make great gifts!
- They're affordable.
- Wooden toys are safer to play with. And last but not least…
- You won't run out of battery power!
Why Buy Made in the USA Wooden Toys?
Not all wood toys are made in the USA. We recommend choosing American made wood toys for several reasons, and maybe the most important reason is safety.
Most of the family-based wooden toy manufacturers on our list started making toys out of their personal desire to find safe toys for their own children. They use wood from sources that are free from formaldehyde or other dangerous chemicals. You get simply the natural ingredient: wood. If any oils are used, they, too, are natural and safe, such as flaxseed or jojoba oil, or natural beeswax. Contrast these wooden toys to plastic toys made from breakable plastic or plastic made with harsh, unsafe chemicals. Do you know where your baby toys are made and do you know what is used to make that teething ring?
Many of the wooden toys we recommend are toys the makers' own little humans play with. If these toys are safe enough for the craftspeople's children, they're probably safe for our children, too.
Another reason for buying made in USA wooden toys is because you're supporting American workers and our local economies. Many of our workers are moms and dads, Amish and Mennonite folks who aspire to live simply, grandpas, and even curious kids with a penchant for making things. I remember my father-in-law who loved working with wood and made a massive barn for my kids to crawl in and out of. That memory holds a very special place in my heart.
Wood Toys Are Eco-Friendly
Honestly, I hadn't stopped to consider how wood toys made in the USA are eco-friendly until I started researching for this article. Selecting wood toys is one way to care for our planet because many businesses prioritize the planting and re-planting of trees, making wood a sustainable product. Makers use local wood sources, so less fuel is used to transport the material. Also, wood is a natural, biodegradable resource. Just as importantly, because wood toys last forever, you're not throwing them into the landfill.
About Our List
Our Ultimate Source List covers wooden toys for kids of all ages. Many of the selections focus on babies, preschoolers, and elementary-age kids because those early developmental years are oh-so-important. Many of these same wooden toy manufacturers also make games with wooden boards or pieces your tweens and teens will enjoy, so be sure to check out the websites for other selections these business owners create.
Did we miss your favorite American-made wooden toy company? Let us know in the comments below! We update this list frequently, so please check back!
American Made Wooden Toys for Kids of All Ages
Amish Toy Box
Photo Credit:amazon.com
Amish Toy Box is an online store of wooden toys (and more) made by the Amish and Mennonite communities primarily situated in Ohio, Indiana, and Pennsylvania. We appreciate the vast selection Amish Toy Box offers, including outdoor games and toys. For example, the outdoor game, Kubb is an outdoor game that combines strategies found in horseshoes, cornhole, and bocce. This game is made from solid wood as opposed to small pieces of wood glued together which compromises the quality.
Bannor Toys
Photo Credit:bannortoys.com
Bannor Toys makes modern wooden toys in Iowa. Bannor Toys offers a nice selection of teethers, rattles, woodencars, and pretend play toys that can be personalized with your child's name. What started out as a husband-wife team in 2012 has become a family-related business where all the kids walk together from their school to the workshop.
Beka
Photo Credit:amazon.com
Beka makes its toys in Minnesota and offers more unusual wooden toys such as puppet theaters, weaving looms, and art easels. These larger toys are made to fold and store easily.
Baby Eco Trends
Photo Credit:www.babyecotrends.com
Baby Eco Trends sources eco-friendly children's furniture and toys made within the Amish communities in the USA. This airplane rocker will keep your little one happy for a very long time! It is made from solid wood (no particle board or plywood is used) and will last forever.
Check This Out!
Bunny Hopkins Toys
Photo Credit:bunnyhopkinstoys.com
Bunny Hopkins Toys, located in Georgia, makes the award-winning wobble board, among other wooden toys. Purposefully minimal and open-ended in design, their wooden toys encourage children to engage in creative and active play. The craftsmen make each toy by hand bringing out the inner beauty of American maple wood.
Camden Rose
Photo Credit:www.camdenrose.com
Camden Rose makes natural toys and home goods for environmentally conscious families. The Michigan-based company has an online store, Palumba, where you can purchase wooden toys such as kitchen and other standing playsets as well as baby teethers and rattles. You'll also find handmade wooden chess pieces for chess lovers. Camden Rose supplies toy stores around the USA with its wooden toys.
Eli + Mattie
Photo Credit:www.lehmans.com
Lehman's online store carries several wooden toys from Eli + Mattie that are made in Ohio by Amish crafters. This wooden doll cradle is the perfect addition to a child's room or play area.
Related: American Girl Fail: It Doesn’t Have To Be This Way
Elves and Angels
Photo Credit:elvesandangels.com
Elves and Angels is located in Maine and has been making heirloom quality wooden toys for over 30 years. You'll find playhouses, dollhouses, play stands, train sets, and more!
Fat Brain Toys
Photo Credit:www.fatbraintoys.com
Fat Brain Toys is headquartered in Nebraska where the company offers several wooden toys made in the USA, like this game of Snake Eyes Yard Dice made in Minnesota. The game comes with a set of six oversized wooden dice, laminated cards, and a jute fiber drawstring bag. The Fat Brain Toys company not only sources toys, but their workers also make toys, too. Note: When looking at an item, click "Product Specification" to learn where an item is made. Not all Fat Brain Toys are made in the USA.
Greenleaf Dollhouse Kits
Photo Credit:amazon.com
Made in upstate New York, Greenleaf Dollhouse Kits make fabulous family projects where you build amazing miniature houses. Numerous styles and designs are available. You'll also find accessories to go with the dollhouses.
Guillow
Photo Credit:amazon.com
Guillow has been making balsa wood airplane kits and flying toys since 1926. Located in Massachusetts, the company makes models of both vintage and new planes and jets. Beginner kits are recommended for kids beginning at age 10. More challenging kits are available for older kids through adult ages.
Related: Gifts That Inspire Creativity and Learning in Kids of All Ages
Holgate Toy
Photo Credit:pepperell.com
Massachusetts' Holgate Toy has been making wooden toys since 1789, and many of the wooden toys you played with as a child very well could have been made by Holgate. Pepperell Braiding Company sells several Holgate Toy offerings online, including wooden toy trains and a Mr. Rogers Neighborhood trolley.
Homi Baby
Photo Credit:amazon.com
Made in Utah, Homi Baby offers grasping and wooden teething toys for infants and toddlers. These wooden toys are made from ethically harvested maple and birch woods, then sealed with organic virgin coconut oil and natural beeswax. Homi Baby also has climbing toys for toddlers.
KEVA
Photo Credit:www.kevaplanks.com
KEVA maple constructions sets consist of plank stacking blocks that are all the same size. No connectors or glue is used; designs are made by simply stacking the blocks. KEVA construction sets can be found in museum gift shops around the country. KEVA makes its maple planks in Virginia and wood storage bins in Virginia, where the company is located. Recommended age is 5 years and older. Note: Not everything on the KEVA website is made in the USA.
Labyrinth Balance Board
Photo Credit:amazon.com
Labyrinth Balance Board is made in New England from durable plywood with a non-slip surface. This game develops balance, focus, coordination, and strength. The board is offered in two sizes: "junior" size for kids ages 3-5, and a larger version for older kids.
Lapp's Toys
Photo Credit:clipcloptoys.com
Since the late 1970s, Lapp’s Toys and the Clip Clop brand have delighted families looking for quality children’s toys and furniture.Their wooden toys are made in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and built to be enjoyed from sibling to sibling and generation to generation.
Lincoln Logs
Photo Credit:amazon.com
Lincoln Logs has been a toy favorite for over 100 years. Lincoln Logs aremade in MainebyPrideManufacturing,a company known for being the world's number onemanufacturer of wooden golf tees.Fun Fact: Did you know that Lincoln Logs were invented by architect Frank Lloyd Wright's son? John Lloyd Wright developed the now iconic toy in around 1916.
Lily & River
Photo Credit:lilyandriver.com
Lily & River is a family-operated wooden toy manufacturer located in Arizona. David Stuebe, the creator ofLily and River, is a father, designer, and creator of the Little Climber Experience and a student of the Montessori approach to learning. These toys will help your children develop fine and gross motor skills, hand-eye coordination, balance, and imagination. The company offers many wonderful products!
Louisville Slugger
Photo Credit:amazon.com
Louisville Slugger offers baseball bats from various materials in its Kentucky namesake city, but the company started out making wooden bats and continues to do so today. Whether maple, ash, or birch, their wood bats are versatile sticks that stand out for their balance and classic look of natural wood with black branding. You'll also receive guidance on how to choose your perfect bat with the Louisville Slugger Bat Size Guide, helping you find the best sticks for baseball, fastpitch, or slowpitch. Note: Not everything Louisville Slugger offers is USA-made. Be sure to check the product description to support American companies.
Related: Four Hobbies for Tweens and Teens Featuring American Made Products
Maple Landmark
Photo Credit:amazon.com
Maple Landmark is located in Vermont and makes educational wooden toys, puzzles, and games for all ages. Brand names includeMontgomery Schoolhouse, Schoolhouse Naturals, and NameTrains.
My Unique Wooden Toys
Photo Credit:www.myuniquewoodentoys.com
My Unique Wooden Toys is located near Amish country in Indiana and makes many traditional wooden toys, from fishing poles to barns, push toys to wooden games. Some of the toys have been used as theater props as well.
North Star Toys
Photo Credit:www.northstartoys.com
North Star Toys has been making quality, non-toxic wooden toys in New Mexico since 1970. Recycled materials are used whenever possible and top priority is given to environmental sustainability.
Oliver & Adelaide
Photo Credit:oliverandadelaide.com
Oliver & Adelaide is a Houston, Texas-based online source for several made in the USA wooden toys. Current offerings include a wooden rattle, teething ring, and pull toys. The rattle is made in New Hampshire and the pull toys are made in California.
Our Green House
Photo Credit:ourgreenhouse.com
Our Green House sources numerous eco-friendly products, including these stock rocks made from wood for hours of sensory play. Note: Not all wooden toys on the Our Green House website are made in USA. Those that are are clearly marked.
Papa Don's Wooden Toys
Photo Credit:www.etsy.com
Papa Don's Wooden Toys are made in Oregon where the workshop features traditional wooden toys for babies and toddlers like colorful pull toys, push toys, stacking toys, and more. Papa Don's Toys has been a wooden toys manufacturer since 1973.
Roy Toy
Photo Credit:amazon.com
Roy Toy, located in Maine, makes log sets for kids ages 3 and up. Kids won't know they're using their imaginations, cultivating creativity, and developing reasoning skills: they just know they're having fun!
South Bend Woodworks
Photo Credit:amazon.com
South Bend Woodworks makes personalized wooden puzzles, building blocks, and educational toys in Indiana. These toys are heirloom quality and safe.
TAG Toys
Photo Credit:amazon.com
TAG stands for "Think and Grow," and TAG Toys are made for toddlers and young kids to help them do just that! The Spellmaster helps kids develop memory skills, hand-eye coordination, and writing and spelling abilities. TAG Toys also has a fun ball tracker game that will entertain little ones for hours. Check out all this California company has to offer.
Teaberry Wood Products
Photo Credit:www.teaberrywoodproducts.com
Teaberry Wood Products is located in Middlebury, Indiana, in the heart of Northern Indiana's Amish country. The small, family-run business offers many different wooden products, including toys. Examples include animal puzzles and seasonal wooden toys for Easter, Christmas, Valentine’s Day, and fall or Thanksgiving.
Uncommon Goods
Photo Credit:uncommongoods.com
Type into the search bar, “Wooden Toys Made in the USA,” and Uncommon Goods delivers options! Choose from brain teasers, puzzles, building sets, and more, all made from wood. For example, you can build a wooden bee or butterfly while learning about pollination. This kit is made in New York. Note: Be sure to read each product description, as sometimes other, non-USA selections appear in the "Made in USA" search.
Uncle Goose
Photo Credit:amazon.com
Uncle Goose makes classic alphabet blocks, foreign language blocks, sign language blocks, scientific sets, and more. The company has been manufacturing high-quality wooden blocks in the USA for over 30 decades. All Uncle Goose blocks are hand-made by skilled craftspeople. The wood remains natural and uncoated, and the colorful dye used contains no metals and is sourced from an American manufacturer. These blocks are intended for kids age 2 and up as they are safe enough to put in the mouth. They are not intended to be teething toys. The company is located in Michigan.
Walnut Tree Baby
Photo Credit:amazon.com
Walnut Tree Baby offers this Montessori Wood teether ring that's endorsed by several physicians. Handcrafted from organic sugar maple trees in Maine and North Carolina, the eco-friendly teether is CPSIA certified and has the highest decreasing rate of bacterial growth compared to plastic materials.
Whittle Shortline Railroad
Photo Credit:amazon.com
Whittle Shortline Railroad has been handcrafting wooden toy trains in Missouri since 1996. These toy trains are compatible with all major wooden toy train railways.Choose from train sets or individual train pieces you can connect to trains your child already has. Whittle Shortline Railroad also has a line of national park trains.
Wild Apples
Photo Credit:www.wildapples.com
Wild Apples offers over a dozen different styles of wooden toys. Owner and woodworker Gunther Keil makes the toys out of his Central New York workshop where he also farms. Take the time to read his fascinating story. Keil also offers story boxes that include animals and other items featured in their "natural" habitat.
Check out these other great made in the USA articles!
- The Best Baby Gifts Made in the USA
- Love these Earth-Friendly Baby Shower Gifts! 6 Green Gift Ideas, All Made in America
- American Made Outdoor Toys and Games We Love
- Best Made In USA Toys: Our Top Picks for Baby to Teen
- Made in USA Building Toys for Kids of All Ages
Have you visited ourMade in USA Shopping District?It is the place to start your shopping when you want to find the best of American-made.
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