We wrote a couple of weeks ago about many peoples concerns with toys contributing to the vast amounts of plastic ending up in landfills and the ocean. Choosing plastic-free toys instead of plastic ones can be a way of making a small difference by reducing the amount of plastic you are buying (and eventually disposing of)

We were really impressed to see that there’s plenty of brilliant options of plastic free toys for young children out there. Have a look at our favourite here.

But what about Plastic Free Toys for older children?

Skip to our recommendations all in one place on our Amazon Store Front here

Whilst we found it’s not as easy to find plastic free toys/games for older children, we did discover some absolute gems! Many of the toys we found also focused on construction and developing fine motor skills, concentration, hand eye coordination- which are useful skills for all children but in particular some children with special educational needs.

Here are our recommended plastic free toys for older children

• Melissa & Doug Butterfly Friends Bead Set We love these gorgeous wooden bead sets. The beads and carry case are wooden and free from plastic. It’s a fun activity for older children and a great opportunity for developing fine motor skills (what are Fine Motor skills? Click here to find out)
  

• Cheatwell Games Engenius ContraptionsWow! This marble run is brilliant. With some adult support, children can build their very own (absolutely stunning) wooden motorised marble run. A lovely family project that is brilliant fun to play with after! It even won ‘Best Children’s Gift’ at the ‘Gift of the Year Awards 2019’!

• Timberkits Bi Plane

We adore timberkits. If you’ve not come across them before, they are mechanical model kits made from wood and (in our opinion) they are amazing. Theres lots of different models to choose from, at varying difficulty level. We had a go at the Biplane- which is in the ‘confident’ range. But there are lots of great models for beginners too.

• Wooden Map Of The World Atlas Jigsaw Puzzle Handmade in Ireland In my opinion , puzzles can be great for all ages and this gorgeous one is a brilliant choice. Not only is it wooden but it also helps teach children geography skills through play.

• Baker Ross Wooden Birdhouse Kits (Pack Of 2) For Kids To Make & Decorate This pack of two wooden birdhouses to build and then paint are beautiful and a lovely creative activity.

• Bigjigs Toys Children’s Wooden Guitar – Kid’s Musical Instruments Music can be incredibly therapeutic for so many children and this wooden guitar is a brilliant way of introducing musical instruments to kids.

*Please note we received some products for reviews. This post also contains amazon affiliate links, for more information please read out ‘about me’ section from the menu.