Last Updated on February 28, 2022 by admin
I usually only recommend toys that my own kids played with at age 2, but I think these wooden animal stacker toys are a solid pick even though I don’t have personal experience with them.
In the photo, you’ll see my 4-year-old playing with a set we came across at a local coffee shop. Outside of that experience, I’ve also noticed wooden animal stackers at well-curated toy stores in my area, and listed with a lot of enthusiastic reviews on Amazon.
I think these toys are good for toddlers for a few reasons:
- They satisfy several different developmental needs. These animal stackers require kids to use building/motor skills to stack them. However, kids can also play with the animals in an imaginative way. There’s also a logic/math/puzzling aspect to the stackers for older kids, who can have fun trying to get all the animals in a single stack.
- They look great in the playroom. Most of us prefer wooden toys to plastic toys when possible, because of their tactile and aesthetic qualities as well as their eco-friendliness. That makes these wooden animal stackers a good alternative to plastic miniatures or plastic blocks. Plus, they can get pretty cute, which is a nice perk for parents who typically have to wade through plenty of ugly primary colored plastic.
- They’re easy on the conscience. Most gift-givers feel more comfortable buying toys made in countries with robust human rights protections and fair pay laws, as well as strict practices about manufacturing safety. Le Toy Van, the brand that makes the cutest and most popular line of animal stackers I’ve come across, is based in the UK and purports on its website to “only partner with ethical manufacturers.” The Amazon product page describes these toys as “ethically produced from sustainable, legal rubberwood and finished with water based paints.”
Le Toy Van does sell on Amazon, and it looks like the prices may fluctuate a bit based on the availability of each of these sets. Below, you’ll see all of the brand’s themed options for animal stackers: Forest, Andes, Africa, and Ocean. (These themes even make the toys slightly educational, as each group of animals is part of a distinct ecosystem.)
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