6 Best Wooden Toy Tools: WOW a working chainsaw?
Always something to do for the holidays or rainy day?
Play Choice now has the ultimate activity book collection, with over 60 pages of fun coloring pages and educational puzzles.
Get to work and build things, then you want sturdy tools to have. That's why you choose wooden toys.
Take for example this Janod Brico Drill. It looks like a real tool and the drills can be put on with a magnetic closure. Very realistic and that's what makes it fun to play in fantasy play.
In this article, I looked at what to look for when buying wooden tools and reviewed the 6 best toys and tool sets.
Let's take a quick look at all the options. Then I'll dive deeper into each of these choices.
Overall best wooden toy tool
Very sturdy toy and just like the real thing. You can even change two drill bits that click in well with a magnet.
Best wooden toy tool box
Melissa & Doug has a lot of good quality wooden toys like this sturdy wooden box for carrying the tools.
Best real tools for kids
Completely in Montessori style you get a real screwdriver and wrench and you will have to get to work.
Best tool kit
It's an expensive set, that's true. But the tools are beautiful and sturdy. You can see this especially with the pliers that are also really easy to operate.
Best fantasy game
Rotating that rubber bezel is a nice addition. Nice saw through trees or branches from the trees.
Best tool belt
The strap is adjustable to fit all children from 3 to 6 years old and it comes with a hammer, screwdriver, wrench, ruler and saw.
A play theme in your mailbox every month?
Fun play tips, activity books and more, with the first email being our free mini-guide "educational toys"
We will only use your email address for this newsletter and respect your privacy
Wooden toy tool buying guide
With wooden toy tools you have to pay attention to a number of things. For example, is it appropriate for the age of your child.
With small pieces, the age limit is equal to 3+ because they can swallow it otherwise. But you also have to look at whether it fits their level of development.
For example, the Melissa & Doug tool box and belt are more suitable for 2 or 3 years, but the real Panda Brothers tools are more suitable from 4 years and more fun from 5.
It is also better to buy the heavy power tools from Janod for a 4 year old.
We also rated each toy for replayability and durability on a scale of 1 to 5.
This way you can be sure that it is fun to keep playing with and that it will last a long time.
Best Wooden Toy Tool Reviewed
Janod Brico Drill
- Very very sturdy toy
- 2 drill bits click into place with a magnet, just like the real thing
- It's just one tool
If you are looking for one tool and not a whole set then this Janod Brico Drill is really nice.
Maybe you already have a set like the Melissa & Doug or Le Toy Van on this list and want to add to it. A good drill will not be wrong, because this is usually not included in such a set.
Very sturdy toy and just like the real thing. You can even change two drill bits that click in well with a magnet.
The age on the package says 3 to 8, but I think it's nice up to about 5 years old. After that, most children won't pick up toy tools so quickly.
Melissa & Doug Take Along Toolbox
- Good price for a durable product
- Tools and a number of construction parts in one
- Not strong enough for 6 year olds
Melissa & Doug has a lot of good quality wooden toys and this is another one of them. A sturdy wooden box to carry the tools.
The box itself also serves as a means to attach the screws so that they always have something to play with.
It's a back to basics set, but sometimes that just makes it more fun.
This brand has the additional advantage of being very durable. Sure the toys last a long time, but they also plant trees back to be able to continue making their wooden toys.
There are 24 parts included. Tools like a hammer, wrench, and screwdriver. And also wooden nails, screws, nuts and bolts.
Simple tool toys like these are suitable from age 3 and fun until about age 5.
Children older than that can also apply too much force and, for example, unscrew the top of the bolts (they are glued, not one piece).
The workbench we have from Melissa & Doug has this same problem. Sturdy up to about 5 years but after that it is a bit too cheap.
Other than that, there isn't much special about the box. There are several on the market. Hape, for example, also has one.
But you get a lot for a good price and from a sustainable brand.
This set is too the best wooden toolbox we've reviewed
Panda Brothers Montessori board
If you are looking for something more real, this set from Panda Brothers is very nice. Completely in Montessori style you get a real screwdriver and wrench and you will have to get to work.
Metal and wood are perfect Montessori materials because children can really feel nature, more like with plastic.
It says for 3, 4 or 5 years. Some 6-year-olds may still like it if they have never come into contact with real tools.
With 3 years they can turn the various nuts a bit and the tool will probably have to wait a little longer.
I think 4 or 5 years is perfect for this set.
It is made of eco-friendly natural wood and it feels very sturdy and is well finished with no sharp edges.
A very nice set to get to know real tools.
Le Toy Van Tool box
- Very very sturdy toy
- Extra drawer to store everything
- Fun glue for pretend play
- Not much building material included
- Very pricey
Where Melissa & Doug saves some money on the quality to keep the set cheaper, Le Toy Van does not.
It's an expensive set, that's true. But the tools are beautiful and sturdy. You can see this especially with the pliers that are also really easy to operate.
The box also has a compartment that can slide open and of course the large container for all the tools.
It comes with 11 accessories: a cloth bag, pliers, a screwdriver, a wooden board with two holes, two nails, a bolt, a screw, wood glue and a hammer.
Especially the glue is a funny idea. Here's a lot of play with pretending to stick things.
There isn't very much in it. It's also more pretend play than actual building or crafting.
The Kidwill set in particular is more fun for that, but almost every set on this list has more material to build with.
That was clearly not the approach of Le Toy Van. Just very sturdy toys for the construction worker who wants to repair things in and around the house.
Janod Brico Chainsaw
- Really working saw
- Very sturdy wooden toy
- Is very small
- Sound gets a bit annoying
The second Janod Brico tool on this list. Also incredibly fun, although perhaps a little less applicable.
I like the chainsaw better because it actually works. When you pull the cord, the rubbery silicone 'blades' start to rotate and you also get an engine sound.
We taped it up a bit to keep the noise from being too loud. That makes a big difference, otherwise you will get a little crazy at a certain point.
The twisting of that rubber rim is a nice addition and it works really well for pretend play. Nice saw through trees or branches from the trees. Or of course the legs of mom and dad.
Is that still educational?!?
It's a very small saw so don't expect too much from it. Some customers thought it would be bigger, but it is for 3 years and older.
Melissa & Doug Tool Belt
Nice on its own or together with the Melissa & Doug tool box because the pieces also fit together.
Of course, a construction worker needs a belt to store his tools.
The strap is adjustable to fit all children from 3 to 6 years old and it comes with a hammer, screwdriver, wrench, ruler and saw.
The 8 building pieces are not very many so that will get boring quickly, but this set is not really intended for that.
The belt and tool are very sturdy. Those will last for a while. As with the toolbox, the bolts are also glued, so that is a little less for older children.
Conclusion
There is so much to buy, I didn't even know about the Janod sets before I started researching. But what a great toy and good for hours of fun!
Also read: these are the nicest toy brands with sustainable wood
Always something to do for the holidays or rainy day?
Play Choice now has the ultimate activity book collection, with over 60 pages of fun coloring pages and educational puzzles.
Joost Nusselder, the founder of Speelkeuze.nl is a content marketer, father and loves trying out new toys. As a child he came into contact with everything related to games when his mother started the Tinnen Soldaat in Ede. Now he and his team create helpful blog articles to help loyal readers with fun play ideas.