10+ Top Wooden Toys For Kids Under 6

KiwiCo’s Panda Crate

KiwiCo is an age-range based subscription box. Every other month, you get toys, books, and other items shipped to your house. It’s a great gift. The youngest group is KiwiCo’s Panda Crate, for ages 0 to 36 months. I’m not sure if every single product in that box is made of natural materials, but when my friend Michelle got it a few times, everything was.

Each crate is a different theme a focus on skills your child is learning at that stage of life: tummy time, gross motor skills, cognitive skills, and more.

Part of her review: “My 3 year old was over the moon excited to play once we opened the boxes. … My 1 year old tried to hulk stomp the toys before seeing his brother playing. The 1 year old sat down, watched his brother, then took a turn. Some of the toys were too advanced for him the first go around, but I was amazed watching his progression from just slamming the toy to actually trying to use it correctly.”

Hape Shape Sorter Xylophone and Piano

If your kids love musical toys, this Hape Shape Sorter Xylophone and Piano is the perfect toy for them. It’s seven pieces total: five wooden puzzle pieces, a xylophone/piano base, and a baton to play the xylophone’s keys.

The Hape Shape Sorter Xylophone and Piano has really bright colors, so your child will definitely keep going back to play it. 

But wait, there’s more. When your kid sorts the shapes correctly (which is great for hand-eye coordination) and pushes on them with their hands or the baton, they’re like piano keys and will play notes too.

Hape My First Block Set

This Hape My First Block Set is an upgrade to the previous set, which only had 50 building blocks. What’s really great about this set is the lid is actually a shape sorter. The six different block shapes are up top, so your child can sort the blocks as he or she puts them away. That’s perfect for building problem solving skills.

The surfaces have non-toxic finishes and are coated in a wear-resistant paint, so you don’t have to worry about them if your little one decides to use one as a teether (although I would really try to avoid that).

Jumbo Peg Puzzle

So, at first glance, my real knee jerk reaction is to say a peg puzzle with few pieces is absolutely not worth the money.

Except this is for tiny children. Like, kids who are 1. And five pieces are plenty for one year olds.

What’s really cute is each piece in the one above is a different shape. So you can teach your child about shapes while they’re working on the puzzle.

Wooden Activity Cube

I’ll be very honest. Activity cubes always remind me of doctor’s office waiting rooms. But there’s a reason they’re there. They really hold a kid’s attention.

This Wooden Activity Cube is great for kids 12-months and older. There are gears to twist, shapes to sort, a bead maze, and a clock to tell time. Sure, 1 is a little early to learn to tell time, but it will give your child familiarity with a clock face.

It’s made from natural wood, with polished edges, and non-toxic paint, so you can feel confident about your child playing with this wooden toy.

Hape Dante Push And Go

I absolutely love this Dante Push And Go by Hape. The cat is adorable and, as your child pushes him, the “feet” roll. So if you’re trying to encourage your child to start walking, this toy helps with that.

Just show your child how Dante can roll across a tabletop. As your child is rolling Dante around the table, he or she will end up walking with Dante. And before you know it, your child will be walking without Dante too.

You can push Dante and he will roll on his own too, so that’s a fun way to play with this wooden toy as well.

Rainbow Stacker

A stacker set is one of those classic toys that has become one of my go to Christmas gifts. I always buy the plastic version because until I put this round up together, I had no idea there was a wooden version. So from now on, this Fisher Price Wooden Ring Stacker will be my go-to gift.

This stacker has 10 rings in rainbow colors. The dowel in the center of the toy is curved, so even is this is not put away properly, you don’t have to worry about someone banging into a sharp, exposed stick.

Wooden Race Track Play Set

This Wooden Race Track Play Set is perfect for kids ages 18-months and older. There cars, painted to look lie bananas, glide down the brightly colored tracks with a tiny push, making it really easy for young kids to play with.

The tree track is super colorful, with adorable animals painted on it, so it will really catch (and keep) your little one’s attention.

Melissa & Doug Blockables

If you’re looking for some cute building blocks for your little one, the Melissa & Doug Blockables line is really great.

The pieces are all chunky wooden blocks with smooth edges that snap together. That snap action makes it really easy for young kids to put these together and play with them without much supervision.

There are a ton of sets too, from animals to cities, vehicles and more. So you can find a ton for whatever your kids are into.

Wooden Emergency Vehicles

These Melissa & Doug Emergency Vehicles are perfect for the little boy in your life who loves cars.

These are four in the set: a fire engine, an ambulance, a police car, and a helicopter. Each comes with its own removable driver too.

This is a great way to teach your little one about the helpers in our communities.

ABC/123 Block Set

I feel like everyone had some version of the ABC/123 Block Set. Pete actually has 1×1 wood and we were going to make a set for my nephews, but we only have pressure treated wood and that’s not safe for toys. So keep that in mind if you’re planning on making homemade wooden toys.

Each set comes with a different number of wooden blocks and some have letters and some have letters and numbers, so just double check before you order.

Shape Sorting Cube

You can’t fit a square peg into a round hole, the saying goes. Kids who never played with this Melissa & Doug Shape Sorting Cube will never understand what that means. So, for sake of the idiom, this is a great gift idea.

It’s also great because it comes with 12 easy-to-grip shapes. The shape sorting cube is great for developing problem solving skills, plus each piece is a way to help kids learn colors and shapes.

Colorful Shape Puzzle

This colorful shape puzzle has great reviews online because of how much the chunky puzzle helps fine motor skills, plus color and shape recognition.

There are nine puzzle pieces, all with rounded edges, so you don’t have to worry about your child getting hurt from any of the pieces. Still, though, the recommended age is 2, not younger than that.

Pounding Bench

A pounding bench is definitely a classic toy. But this Melissa & Doug Deluxe Pounding Bench is a step up from the pounding benches of the past. This version is made with non-removable pegs, so there’s absolutely no chance of losing any of the pegs (unless you lose the entire bench itself).

The most fun feature is the pegs are placed in a way that when your child is pounding down one, the peg on the other side will pop up smiling. Adorable.

Fisher-Price Wooden Balance Tree Stacking Activity Toy

This Fisher-Price Wooden Balance Tree Stacking Activity Toy is probably the cutest one on this entire list.

The tree sits flat on a table, then your kid can place the rest of the pieces on the branches of the tree. The larger wooden animals can’t be placed on the small branches, so this is a good way for your child to learn about trial and error and paying attention.

Fisher-Price Wood Herb Garden

If you have a garden, there’s a good chance your child wants to help. The best part about gardening, though, is the harvest. And your child might wanna harvest before your fruits and vegetables are ready.

Enter the Fisher-Price Wood Herb Garden. It comes with pots, plants, a shovel, and other tools needed to plant and harvest herbs. It’s so cute and really great for imaginative play.

Take Along Tool Kit

If daddy or mommy has a tool kit, there’s a good chance that a child will want to build things too. But kids under 6 and real tools might not be the best combination. To get kids ready for real tools, though, get this wooden Melissa & Doug Take Along Tool Kit.

It’s a 24-piece pretend play tool kit, filled with a play hammer, wrench, screwdriver, wooden nails, screws, nuts, and bolts. The child can carry it to the garage (or wherever the grown up tools are) and work side-by-side.

Wooden Stamp Set

Little kids love artwork and coloring and stamping, so this Melissa & Doug Wooden Stamp Set is pretty perfect.

It comes with nine wooden stamps, two stamp pads, and colored pencils.

Just make sure to buy some drawing paper to go with this or your kids will be stamping all over themselves.

Fruit Cutting Set

It’s great if your kids want to help you in the kitchen. But young kids and knifes aren’t the best pair. So, while you’re chopping veggies for dinner, bring out this Melissa & Doug Fruit Cutting Set for your kids.

There are magnets holding the fruit slices together, so when they get “cut” with the wooden “knife,” the wooden play food breaks into sections. That’s so cute.

Purchase Wooden Toys Online:

Of course, these aren’t all the toys out there, just the ones we consider to be the best wooden toys for kids. We had to leave a bunch off the list, like the Personalized Name Puzzle above.

For more natural wooden toys, check out the online retailers below:

• Amazon
• Etsy
• Hape Toys
• KiwiCo (check the top of the site for non-exclusive deals as well)
• Target
• Walmart

Be mindful of a store’s minimum cart total to qualify for free shipping. Also, consider instore or curbside pickup to avoid shipping charges.

More Kids Toys To Gift:

If you’re looking for more educational gift ideas for kids, check out our list of the Top 10+ LeapFrog Educational Toys To Gift.

And if you want more fun toys, our Hot Wheels Gifts list is for you.

Which of these Top Wooden Toys For Kids Under 6 is your favorite? Be sure to let us know in the comments.