Wooden toys are classic for a reason: They're made to last, and built to inspire a child’s imagination. At Melissa & Doug, wood is in our roots! Our first hit product was the Fuzzy Farm wooden puzzle. We use wood whenever we can because it’s both natural and renewable. In fact, Melissa & Doug is the #1 preschool brand for wooden toys. And we’re working with One Tree Planted to help us reach our goal of planting 10 million trees by 2030. (Read more about our commitment to sustainability here.)
We believe in the power of well-crafted, durable, safe, imagination-inspiring toys. Check out some of our favorite wooden toys, from blocks and puzzles to kid-sized kitchens and play centers to arts and crafts kits and everything in between.
Our Top Wooden Toys for Kids this Holiday (and Why They're Great)
Food Groups
Ages: 3+
Why it's a great wooden toy gift for kids: Planning a well-balanced meal is child's play with this adorable wooden food groups set. The collection includes items from each of the five food groups, including watermelon, a milk carton, cheese, fish, a hamburger, eggs, and much more.
Fun feature: The high-quality items are crafted of solid wood and come with four wooden baskets for sorting as well as easy storage.
Skills: Introduce your child to meal planning and food groups, while they learn about dairy products, meat, carbs, fat, and fruits and vegetables. Encourages fine motor skills, creative expression, and storytelling ability.
How to wow: Serve up more pretend play fun with additional play food-themed toys from Melissa & Doug.
Bake & Decorate Wooden Cupcake Set
Ages: 3+
Why it's a great wooden toy gift for kids: Be sure your little baker uses the pretend oven mitt to remove these 4 delectable-looking wooden cupcakes from their cupcake baking tray. This special set has 3 dry-erase markers shaped like icing tubes to decorate the smooth, removable, wipe-off cupcake tops. With colorful baking cupcake sleeves and decorative wooden candles, these pretend play cupcakes will be the hit of birthday and tea parties!
Fun feature: The multi-step activity works toward a specific goal (completing a decorated cupcake), which keeps kids engrossed and enhances focus. Lots of options along the way (Which topping where? What should I draw?) encourage creativity and problem solving, too.
Skills: This "sweet" introduction to pretend-kitchen play encourages hand-eye coordination, fine motor skills, creative expression, and imaginative play.
How to wow: Help your little pastry chef look the part with the Chef Costume Role Play Set.
Wooden Cool Scoops Ice Creamery
Ages: 3+
Why it's a great wooden toy gift for kids: Scoop up cool pretend play creations with this full-service ice cream shop! The sturdy wooden counter features an ice cream and soft serve dispenser. Use the scooper to lift wooden scoops and fill a soft, fabric, roll-up waffle cone. This 42-piece play food set offers kids 3+ countless opportunities to develop early learning skills and to create, imagine, and role play as both the customer and the server. All the pieces are stored on the counter for easy cleanup!
Fun feature: Add toppings like sprinkles and hot fudge for an extra special treat!
Skills: Helps kids develop fine-motor, sorting, and counting skills and promotes imaginative play and storytelling.
How to wow: If your child is an ice cream fan, pair the Cool Scoops Creamery with our Wooden Magnetic Ice Cream Puzzle Play Set, which doubles as both puzzle and magnetic wooden play pieces in a delectable ice cream theme.
Deluxe Grill & Pizza Oven Playset
Why it's a great wooden toy gift for kids: Fire up pretend play with this perfectly kid-sized wooden barbecue grill, smoker, and pizza oven play set! Budding young chefs 3+ will love creating make-believe barbecue favorites -- and even play pizza! After mealtime, the more than 60 accessories and play food pieces all store neatly on the grill and storage shelf for easy clean-up.
Fun feature: Grill includes built-in timer, dials to raise and lower “flames,” a smoker box with chimney for play wood chips, movable utensil rack, side burner, storage shelf, lid with safety-close hinge; removable thermometer can press into holes in wooden play food to test if they are “done.”
Skills: Promotes hand-eye coordination, fine motor skills, sorting and counting skills, storytelling ability, and imaginative play.
How to wow: Introduce kids to a healthy balanced pretend diet by pairing their pizza and grilled offerings with some raw veggies from our Slice & Toss Salad Set.
Take-Along Railroad
Ages: 3+
Why it's a great wooden toy gift for kids: Built-in tracks, colorful scenery, and fun play pieces let kids take their imaginations for a spin…and take playtime anywhere they want to go! Unfold the sturdy wooden case to create an illustrated play surface with built-in train and road tracks for the three wooden wheeled trains and a park ranger vehicle.
Fun feature: All the wooden pieces are stored in the fold-up case with a convenient carrying handle for easy cleanup and travel.
Skills: Keep playtime rolling for kids 3+ and encourage independent play and motor skill development.
How to wow: If trains are not your child's "thing," Melissa & Doug also carries other Take-Along toy options.
Disney Snacks & Popcorn Wooden Food Counter
Ages: 3+
Why it's a great wooden toy gift for kids: Get playtime popping with pretend play popcorn and treats inspired by Disney’s Mickey Mouse and friends! There’s a Mickey-shaped wooden pretzel that hangs on a display hook, Mickey and Minnie Mouse-shaped wooden ice cream treats and cupcake, a cookie, a pineapple ice pop, popcorn, and drinks. Put four durable jumbo popcorn pieces into the compartment and turn the knob back and forth for real popping action. There’s a magnetic menu board for matching activities, an ID badge to personalize for role playing, and play money to pay. All the pieces in the 33-piece play set store in the counter for easy cleanup. This is the perfect way for Disney fans three and older to satisfy their hungry imaginations!
Fun feature: A see-through window lets the customer see the popcorn jiggle and jump while the vendor pops!
Skills: Encourages imaginative role playing, sorting, counting, and other developmental skills.
How to wow: Check out more Disney-themed toys available at Melissa & Doug!
Wooden Cafe Barista Coffee Shop
Age: 3+
Why it's a great wooden toy gift for kids: This 35-piece play food set offers kids 3 to 7 countless ways to perk up playtime with this full-service wooden coffee shop.
Fun feature: Use the coffee maker with a flip filter and “steamer” and the drink dispenser with frother to prepare pretend espressos, whipped cream-topped lattes, tea, and cold drinks.
Skills: Social-emotional, language
How to wow: Add the Slice & Bake Cookie Play Set for more tantalizing treats!
Fresh Mart Grocery Store
Age: 3+
Why it's a great wooden toy gift for kids: Kids will love going to the grocery store with this sturdy, wooden, over-sized, free-standing play space where they can take turns being the grocer or the shopper.
Fun features: Pretend play reaches a whole new level with these realistic features: a beeping "scanner," a hand-crank conveyor belt, a card-swiping machine, a keypad/calculator, and a cash drawer.
Skills: Social-emotional, language development
How to wow: Make the market complete with the 70-piece companion collection (including an apron, conveyor belt divider bar, and play money), this grocery basket with play food, and a shopping cart!
Safari Chunky Puzzle
Age: 2+
Why it's a great wooden toy gift for kids: If we're thinking of things that kids love, animals and puzzles generally top the list—so this chunky puzzle with wild animal pieces is sure to be a favorite.
Fun feature: The eight easy-grasp animal pieces also stand upright for when they want to leave the safari for other pretend play locales.
Skills: Problem solving, fine motor
How to wow: Combine it with some other chunky puzzles to a) make a mega puzzle party and b) mix and match the standing-upright pieces for some imaginative pretend play (personally, we're loving the idea of dinosaurs and Disney characters like Mickey, Minnie, and Goofy hanging out with the safari animals).
Standard Unit Blocks
Age: 3+
Why it's a great wooden toy gift for kids: Wooden blocks are standard for a reason—they're classic toys that inspire kids to build towers, castles, and anything else they want.
Fun feature: This set of 60, natural finished, smooth-sanded hardwood blocks is packaged in a wooden crate for easy storage.
Skills: Gross motor, fine motor, and early math concepts (shapes and sorting)
How to wow: Have a different kind of block party when you gift these with this colorful, 100-piece set—kids will have a blast mixing them together to create natural and primary-colored structures.
Wooden Shape Sorting Grocery Cart
Age: 12M+
Why it’s a great wooden toy gift for kids: This rolling cart is filled with exciting skill-building activities. With puzzle pieces to sort, a roller drum to spin, and plenty of fun accessories, kids can engage in imaginative play while practicing important skills.
Fun feature: Realistic coffee cup with removable lid
Skills: Fine and gross motor, problem-solving, sorting and sequencing, shape and color recognition
How to wow: Place a favorite stuffed animal friend or the Pineapple Stacker Toy in the cart for company.
Chef’s Kitchen - Cloud
Age: 3+
Why it’s a great gift for 3-year-olds: With stovetop dials that turn, a revolving plate in the pretend microwave, and a moving faucet and handle on the sink, this modern play kitchen is ideal for a multi-kid playdate. The sturdy wooden construction can handle all of the pretend meal-making that will go on in this model kitchen, and assembly is easy and straightforward!
Fun feature: The kitchen’s innovative ice maker dispenses two pretend ice cubes, which are included with the set.
Skills: Fine motor, social-emotional
How to wow: Take pretend meal prep to the next level with the Slice & Toss Salad Set!
Stacking Train
Age: 2+
Why it’s a great wooden toy gift for kids: Load up the train with bright, colorful shapes and get learning off to a rolling start! The 15 easy-to-grasp wooden blocks slot onto rods on the flatcars, providing a great opportunity to practice fine motor skills. For even more play value: The blocks can also be used for stacking, building, and sorting.
Fun feature: The smooth-rolling train cars detach to shorten the train or let children play with the cars individually.
Skills: Fine motor, color & shape recognition
How to wow: Go big with a jumbo version that also doubles as great decor for a nursery or playroom.
Top & Bake Pizza Counter
Age: 3+
Why it’s a great wooden toy gift for kids: Kids can serve up the best slice in town with this all-in-one pizza-making set! Start with felt sauce and cheese on the wooden crust, choose from wooden toppings (pepperoni, olives, mushrooms, and peppers), then "bake" in the pizza oven built into the storage and serving counter.
Fun feature: There’s a reusable menu card for taking orders, play money, and a delivery box to make the ordering experience even more realistic!
Skills: Counting, sorting, social-emotional development
How to wow: Add the Slice & Toss Salad Set to create a well-balanced meal.
Wooden Fold & Go Barn
Age: 3+
Why it's a great wooden toy gift for kids: Young MacDonalds will enjoy “down on the farm” fun with this fully assembled, wooden barn. The two-story bright red barn is stocked with seven realistic plastic farm animals, a wooden ladder and a folding corral.
Fun feature: Chunky handles lets kids take their bit of "country" wherever they go!
Skills: Language development, creative thinking
How to wow: Pair it with the Take Along Show Horse Stable.
Vroom & Zoom Interactive Dashboard
Age: 3+
Why it's a great wooden toy gift for kids: Kids will love taking the wheel with this interactive, sturdy wooden dashboard that has a horn, signal, hazard, gas tank countdown timer, gas cap, and GPS.
Fun feature: It's equipped with a phone and radio that plays clips of music from four stations!
Skills: Hand-eye coordination, creative thinking
How to wow: Bundle this with any of these car-themed gifts for the little car aficionado in your life!
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These are just a few curated picks from selection wooden toys. Check out more of our favorites here!
Looking for more of the best holiday gift ideas for kids of all ages?
Top Toys for Babies and 1-Year-Olds
Best Holiday Toys & Gifts for Kids By Interest
Happy Holidays!
