Like the velveteen rabbit who was loved so dearly that he became real, each household has a few beloved toys. While most toys pass through our homes without us truly noticing their arrival or departure, every once in a while a toy captures our imagination and inspires in us the desire to pass it on through the generations.
Are there toys that have been lovingly passed down in your family? As I grew up I loved visiting my grandma and playing with the tiny cast iron stove she had kept from her childhood. Today my own children hold that same fascination, and on special days we bring it down from the special shelf and play together. Looking through your child’s playroom, which are the toys you would like to imagine your grandchild enjoying? Today I like to imagine that our grandchildren will enjoy the same wooden chef’s kitchen as our children play with today.
We spend a lot of time here at Natural Pod considering the qualities that make a toy special, and have come up with the following possible criteria:
It Feels Good
An heirloom toy is nearly always pleasing to the eye and hand. How does it feel when you play with it? Do you want to hold it? Explore its potential? The beauty of an object is part of what initiates our relationship with it. We enjoy having it in our home – contributing a very different energy than the toys that only feel like clutter.
Makes Everyone Want to Play
Certain toys summon the creativity out of all of us, no matter what our age. Children young and old are drawn to these toys, intrigued by their possibilities. Even adults respond, often getting down on hands and knees to join in the fun. You might even find yourself playing with it after bedtime!
It Changes Over Time
As your children age, the way they play with an heirloom toy will change and grow. Our Stacking Rainbow is a perfect example of this adaptive quality. Over the past five years in our home, these colourful arches have been used as building arches, fences, boats, cradles, car tracks, circus rides, animal corrals, parking garages, crowns, and more. By inviting imaginative interpretation, these toys offer endless potential.
You Just Can’t Let it Go
An heirloom toy has that magic something that gives it staying power. You just can’t let it go. It survives one playroom cleanse after another. You like having it around, even if your child truly has outgrown it after all these years. One day you will finally gently pack it away in a carefully labelled box, to be rediscovered when it is time to play again.
We at Natural Pod strive to bring you toys that have that potential – unique, enduring, quality toys that you might just fall in love with. This holiday season consider choosing a toy that has that special something - one that you hope will be enjoyed for generations to come.
We’d love to hear from you too. What is that special something that transforms a toy into an heirloom?
4 Responses
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I think good quality is another characteristic. So many toys today are so junky they barely last a few months, let alone long enough to be handed down from one generation to the next.
Toys that are handmade by someone special also become heirlooms. I still have the wooden cradle my father made for me one Christmas. I brings back warm memories to see my two little guys enjoying it.
Enjoying your new blog!
I think that knowing where your toy comes from is another good quality. I know where most of my daughters toys are made, and it makes me feel good that I know most of the people that have made them. I hope that one day she will pass these on to her chldren and they will know their hostory as well.
I agree with the Wool Family and Leanna of Poot and Boggie. I am striving for my children to have toys that they play with but that my grandchildren and their children will play with. Toys that will last but can also transform and serve many purposes. The stacking blocks, they’re a great example but the one stand archway…it has served so many purposes in my home. I’m constructing a video and post on this currently. I am so impressed with the quality but also with the different ways my children transform this piece. It’s inspiring.
Continuing the Discussion