Educational toys are designed to encourage children to have fun while learning things. Most are themed around some academic subject, which makes them suitable for schools and after-school clubs and at home. As parents, you want toys that will provide your child with educational benefits without demanding their attention span.
The best educational toy depends on your child’s age, abilities, interests, and personality. Here are a few ideas for each age group:
Under 3s – Find baby toy that encourages development in all areas, including sensory development or physical skills such as hand-eye coordination. There are lots of upbeat music figures that help teach young children about numbers through counting and the lights or sounds they make. Some musical toys also have flashlights that help stimulate visual development.
3 to 4s – From around three years old, you can introduce them to imaginative play toy such as figures, dolls, and costumes which encourage role-playing. Toy for this age group should be brightly colored and have a high sound level to explore the effects of sounds on their environment.
5 to 6s – Around this age, children become more interested in learning how things work, so look out for building or construction toy and those that require simple assembly skills. Games are an excellent way of encouraging your child’s mental development from six years old because they develop logic and reasoning skills and improve their general knowledge. Any games that involve computer strategy help improve hand-eye coordination skills and quick reactions.
7 to 8s – On the cusp of their teens, children’s educational toy need to be more about imparting knowledge and less focused on physical development. Games that develop logical reasoning skills such as chess or bridge are ideal for this age group, but you can also find lots of other board games that teach different subjects such as mathematics and geography.
9 to 10s – As they enter puberty, young people grow increasingly self-conscious so finding educational toy which make them feel at ease is significant. Outdoor things like bicycles or sports equipment encourage socialization and aerobic fitness, while computer games help improve hand coordination and visual sharpness. Many companies now produce educational computer games designed explicitly for subjects including maths and language learning.
13 to 14s – Teenagers are still developing mentally, so educational toy are essential for their lives. You can encourage them to work independently with computer games or board games, which require strategy skills that are good for the mind. The internet is also an excellent resource for finding places to participate in online games that allow them to interact with other people.
15 + – Once children have grown up, and you might be able to introduce more challenging subjects into your home through toy that help develop their critical thinking and reasoning skills. Art supplies like paints and canvases encourage creativity. At the same time, books provide an opportunity for young people to improve their language and communication skills and broaden their general knowledge on different topics.
