If you have been looking for an eco-friendly wooden toy range that is not only incredibly beautiful but that is creative and open-ended then our newest range, Grapat ticks all those boxes and more.
Grapat Wooden Toys are from Catalunya, Spain, started by a husband and wife team, Casiana and Jordi after they moved from the city to the country. They were inspired by their daughter and her voracious need for play. They realised that open-ended, free play using unstructured materials and loose parts were the key to keeping her play needs fulfilled. These types of materials allowed her imagination to flow, unhindered by instructions or time.
As a result, their toys are natural wooden toys, so simple in design and yet so imaginative that how one child plays with them, will be completely different from another.
They are passionate about the environment using only wood from sustainable forests, with non-toxic, water-based dyes on all of their toys. The toys are then finished with vegetable oils and waxes. As of this year, they have also eliminated the use of ALL plastic from their packaging. I can imagine these are the type of toys that Greta Thunberg's grandchildren will one day own!
As there are so many gorgeous toys from Grapat, it can be hard to decide where to start? How to choose your first Grapat toys?
I thought I would give some recommendations on which Grapat toys I think are great to start your collection.
BabyDonkie Recommends
Grapat Nins Carla
This set is one of the largest available from Grapat and is great place to start your Grapat wooden toy journey. Arriving in a cloth bag and gift box, this set contains 12 Nins, 72 rings and 36 coins in the 12 rainbow colours and is recommended for little ones +18 months.
The 12 Nins have no eyes nor any gender and can be used for creative play, small world play, and storytelling. The possibilities are endless.
However, when combined with the 72 rings and 36 coins, they can then be used for counting games, mathematical play (grouping, classifying, numbers or shapes), colour or language development. You can sort them, stack them, add some wool and even thread them. Utilising the rings and coins alongside the Nins improves your child's hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills not to mention allows their creativity to soar sky-high!
Grapat Nins, Rings and Coins Set
This set is slightly smaller than the Nins Carla set but a great place to start if you want to dip your toes into the Grapat wooden journey but don't want to spend as much as the Carla Set.
Arriving in a cloth bag and gift box, this set contains 6 Nins, 36 rings and 6 coins in 6 rainbow colours and is recommended for little ones +18 months.
This set is great for younger years as they love to play 'hide and seek' and this set allows you to hide the Nins! The Nins can be completely hidden, and then ever so slowly revealed, by the circular rings. Or you can pop one of the coins on the lids so the Nin can't be found. There are so many fun games with this set that you will love to see what your child comes up with each time they play with it.
Like the Carla set, this set also allows for counting games, colour, language development as well as developing your child's hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills.
I hope this post helped you to understand a little more about Grapat and their amazing eco-friendly wooden toy brand. Their ethos which is to create wooden toys that invite free and creative play for your child.
I also hope my recommendations help you to choose which Grapat set to buy to start your open-ended wooden toy journey.
Our gorgeous Grapat toys have been beautifully photographed by Renee from Pearl Pout Photography. I have adored Renee's stunning newborn photography for a while now as I love the light she uses and the way she captures a moment so succinctly. Fortunately, an opportunity to have our products photographed by Renee came up and I jumped at the chance.
Pearl Pout Photography is a leading Gold Coast newborn photographer, maternity, baby, and family photographer. Renee provides exclusive photography services to families throughout the Gold Coast, Brisbane, Logan, Northern NSW, and surrounding areas with a signature style filled with natural soft light and family connection.
Thank you again, Renee, for your incredible photos and to check out her portfolio or to book family photography or maternity session, you can go to Renee's website for more details or check her out on Instagram.
Shop the blog:
