For generations, the words ‘educational toys’ have caused children everywhere to step back with a disapprovingly raised eyebrow and the firm belief that such toys can’t possibly be fun. Luckily, finding good kids’ toys that pull double duty to be both fun and educational isn’t nearly as hard as it used to be. With all the creative and innovative learning toys out there, learning can easily be just as fun as playtime. Classics kids’ toys like card matching and flashcard games help teach young children skills like color and shape recognition and even phonics as they help improve memory skills. Magnetic letters can provide hours of play while teaching the alphabet and, with a little creativity, can last for years. For those kids just learning to read there is a wealth of fun Leapfrog and other book based kids’ toys that create an interactive experience with a kid’s favorite books and characters. Besides the obvious introductory reading skills, these kids’ toys can instill a love of books in kids as young as 2 and help prepare them for future reading. For the picky 5 and up crowd, toy personal computers and electronic games are a must. With a variety of games and levels of difficulty, these learning toys can last years and teach basic math skills and spelling in fun and exciting ways. Science kits are another great way to teach kids about the world around them. They inspire creativity and critical thinking skills that are sure to come in handy later.Good educational toys do more than just teach a certain set of skills; they can help foster a love of learning that will follow a child through school and to adulthood.

Creative toys are a wonderfully positive thing to bring to your kid’s life, and sometimes they can be overlooked in favour of TV and movie themed toys or video games. Creative toys are a much more productive prospect for children, stimulating their creativity and their minds and helping them learn while having fun. They can help to develop important coordination in young children as well as being great fun to use. Offered here are a few creative toys to be on the lookout for this year.

Glow Doodle is a child-sized drawing toy that allows children to draw and trace in three bright colours, by use of either a finger or the included stylus. The surface can be re-used and boasts an instant erase function. For more drawing fun there’s the In the Night Garden Aquadraw. Tomy’s Aquadraw has been a large hit with small kids, allowing them to draw and paint just with water. The In The Night Garden edition features all of their beloved characters from the television series and comes with a pen, roller and stamper!

A different idea for creative kids would be the Crayola Glow Station, that allows children to make all manner of marvellous designs on the glow surface, using the ‘light wand’ that is part of the package. Children can even create designs with the stencils that are provided, and will then see them glow in the dark. Toys such as these, along with traditional crayons, paints and other such things are a wonderful idea for Christmas, offering both education and fun for children.

Read the rest of this entry

Engaging The Young Minds

As most parents would agree, young children can be quite a handful. It often proves to be quite a task keeping them engaged for long hours at a stretch. A lot of companies have come up with numerous toys that not only attract the attention of the kids, but also eggs them on to discover new things and learn in the process.

Educational toys are a particular favorite of parents as they come as the perfect foil to keep the kids busy and educate them at the same time. A wide range of quality educational toys are available for children as young as 3 months. These toys are not only fun, but can also be quite unique. Here are some suggestions that might help you choose from the different educational toys available in the market.

Wooden Toys

Read the rest of this entry