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Best Educational Toys to Stimulate and Nurture Your Kid’s Brain

As much as we may love to see our kids grow into smart and creative beings, this may not just happen by chance. Kids need to be stimulated and nurtured in a way that will spur their intelligence, exploration, and creativity. So what better way to do this than educational toys? As the old adage goes, ‘all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy’. You cannot expect to pressure your young ones with too much information and expect them to enjoy or grasp everything all at once.

So what’s the deal? Well, a prudent parent will see the need to combine education with some fun. This is where educational toys come to the picture. Educational toys can make a huge impact on your kid’s development and comprehensiveness. Currently, however, the market is full of educational toys, and it may be a challenge trying to pick out the best toys that will appeal to your kid. Luckily for you, we have taken the guesswork out of your search process by reviewing ten of the best educational toys.

Top 10 Educational Toys of 2020 Reviewed

 

1. Scientific Explorer My First Mind Blowing Science Kit

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2. ThinkFun Gravity Maze Marble Run Logic Game and STEM Toy

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3. Anki Cozmo

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4. LeapFrog My Own Leaptop

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5. Insect Lore Butterfly Growing Kit

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6. Fisher-Price Laugh & Learn Smart Stages Chair

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7. National Geographic Break Open 10 Premium Geodes

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8. VTech KidiBeats Drum Set

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9. Musical Rhymes Book

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10. Kidizoom Smartwatch DX

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How to Choose the Right Educational Toy for Your Kid –  Buying guide

Educational toys are very important for your little munchkins. Buying educational toys for your kid is not just about getting your shopping cart and going for anything labeled ‘educational toy’. There is so much that goes into choosing the most appropriate toy for your kid. As you aim for fun, laughter, and playfulness for your kids with these toys, it is also important that you consider the fact that these toys ought to help them master new skills and improve their cognitive ability.

When looking for the best educational toys, therefore, several factors have to be considered. The most important aspect, however, should be the abilities and age of your kid. Go for a simple toy that makes it much easier for your kid to learn with ease while having fun at the same time. So what should you consider?

Educational toys focusing on activity

The main aim of any toy is to make the kid as active as possible. Naturally, kids detest being idle and you would always find them involved in some form of activity. So, as you seek for an educational toy, ensure that it also spurs the active nature of your kid. This will help improve brain activity as well as the motor skills of your kid.

Educational toys that focus on reading

Since you will be looking for toys that will be suitable based on the age of your kid, reading should be one of the focus points, especially for toddlers. Kids who already are at the preschool stage would find it much fun working with toys that guide them on how best to improve their reading skills. This is especially so in terms of their familiarity with numbers and the alphabet.

Go for educational real toys

As much as toys may be considered as playthings, they also help the kid understand how best the real world works. As such, it would be important to go for toys that give your kids the real image of the world. This may be in the form of real car toys, real baby dolls, real computer toys and so on. With this, the kid will not only have fun but also learn how the real world works out there.

Focus on imagination

Imagination is everything for your kid. With toys that spur the imagination, your kid will grow into one creative and innovative learner. In fact, the real purpose of toys for a child is to help them improve their imagination skills. Research has shown that children love making their own rules and would often imagine themselves in certain scenarios and situations while playing. Usually, they would mimic the adult lifestyles and imagine themselves in everyday situations that happen around them. As such, you must go for educational toys that also meet this requirement.

The color and sound effect

Naturally, kids get attracted to something colorful and have some type of sound. As a parent, it is, therefore, your responsibility to take advantage of this fact and go for educational toys that have one or both of these features. This ensures that the kid gets hooked at all time, and by doing so, they will be learning in the process. The sounds in the toys may be in the form of simple songs that narrate numbers or the alphabets.

Interests and growth

Growth in your kid is a fact that you cannot run away from. As a parent, it is important to monitor your kid through their growth process. This will help you understand their interests in terms of what they love doing most and what keeps them happy. Through their growth path, you should be able to discern the best educational toys based on their interests, age and even gender. This will ensure that you always go for toys that meet the needs and expectations of your child.

Safety

At the end of the day, you would like to see your child play safely even as they have fund and learn at the same time. As such, the safety of the toy used should be tops priority. Talking of safety, age should be one of the top guiding factors on which toys to go for. For instance, toys that are too small may not be suitable for infants as they keep putting everything in their mouth.

It is also important to consider the materials used. It should be washable and not toxic. This will give you the peace of mind that even if the kid put it in their mouth, their safety in terms of hazards and health is guaranteed. You should also ensure that the material is no flammable to avoid hazards in case of an accidental fire. They should also be free from pointy or sharp parts as these may become injurious to the playful kid.

The age factor

Through the course of their growth, kids will use different types of toys. This is because as the kids grow, the comprehension and developmental ability also improve. As such, with time, the design, material and complexity of the educational toys should change. The following are some of the possible toy specifications based on age groups:

1. Toddlers

Educational toys for toddlers should give them a chance to communicate with the world out there. Since this is the first experience for the kid in terms of facing the world, these educational toys should focus more on making them accustomed to the real world.

On the other hand, educational toys for toddlers should focus more on helping them improve their problem-solving skills. Educational toys for toddlers are, however, divided into three distinct groups:

  • 12- 18 months – At this stage, the baby is beginning to stand on their feet. As such, they need toys that will not only facilitate their walking efforts but also help them explore the world. This can be any toys that a baby can ride on or help them move forward.
  • 18 – 24 Months – At this stage, the kids are getting more explorative and inquisitive. As such, you will need to get toys that will help them learn much faster. In most cases, the kid will turn to the parent for questions and as such, the toys should be appropriate enough to go hand in hand with parental instruction. These may include puzzles, blocks and decorative balls.
  • 2 – 3 years – Research shows that at this stage, the kid is beginning to build confidence and independence. Go for educational toys that the kid can comfortably use on their own without much interference from an adult. This is the time they are beginning to combine words and making sentences. As such, you may need to go for toys with alphabets and simple words.

2. Educational toys for preschoolers

Research shows that preschool children (4-6 years) at this stage have the brain and mind growing rapidly. As such, it is important that you get them toys that will help spur their cognitive skills by stimulating their brain activity. This age group can be further divided into 3 basic groupings:

  • Age 3-4 – At this stage, the kid starts to develop their own personality. As such you will need to get them toys that will spur their own sense and thought. As such, you are better of getting them toys that they can use their imagination and hands to play with.
  • Age 5 – This is the time, the kid is already destined for school. As such, you will need to get them toys that will introduce them to basic learning like numbers, colors and alphabets. They should also help the kid get creative while spurring fun at the same time.
  • Age 6 – At this stage, the issue of gender becomes apparent since boys and girls begin to show different interests. It is, therefore, important that even as you seek for educational toys, consider the gender of your kid. You may notice that boys will get more attracted to balls and cars while girls will lean towards dolls and specific colors like pink. These toys should also help improve the social nature of the kid as it prepares them to meet with new people out there.

Final Verdict

The growth and development of your kid should come as the first priority when looking for educational toys. Even as you do this, however, it is important to take caution not to fall into the temptation of hype and pressure. Always ensure that the toys you go for lives up to the expectations of your kid. In most cases, you may find toys labeled educational, only to realize later that they promote other unwanted vices in your kid.

Talking of vices, one aspect you should remain vigilant about is the potential of some toys to promote gender-based or racial stereotypes. As much as you may want to get toys specific to the gender of your kid, your options should not be based on traditional stereotyped of ‘what girls should do’ or ‘what boys should do’.

All said and done, at the end of the day, children will always be children. As such, they should be let to grow up in their pace without so much pressure to perform adult duties or behave like so. While seeking the best educational toys for your kids, do not deprive them of their right to remain kids. Go for educational toys that will keep them growing up just like any other kid.

Written by Adrian Dimakis

Adrian Dimakis loves writing about everything tech, gadgets, travel and leisure as a full time editor at LearningRegistry. Adrian graduated from UCLA with a degree in journalism and marketing, and his work has appeared in publications including USAToday and The Boston Globe. When he's not testing gadgets and accessories, checking different online services, you can find him planning his next trip on a big paper world atlas with lots of pins. Adrian is also an avid consumer with an oddly deep love for finding amazing deals on amazing products.

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