The right toys do more than entertain a child—they further their development and education by stimulating their minds. You can buy your child different types of toys to activate various parts of the mind and what works best at one age isn’t the case for all.
While infants do best with sensory play, an active toddler may prefer something more physical. As you learn how educational toys affect a child’s development, you can begin drafting a list of need-to-buy toys!
What Are Educational Toys?
Educational toys help your child’s intellectual, social, motor development, and more! They are toys that promote development as your child plays with them. The best educational toys make learning fun for your child—it doesn’t feel like school. When play feels forced, kids tend to lose interest. Don’t let this happen. Here at Legacy Toys, we have the best toy options for children of all ages.
Remember, play is how they explore the world we live in and is natural for children. If play feels like a lecture or chore, they won’t want to do it, and who can blame them. Educational toys vary from:
- Building blocks
- Chemistry sets
- Musical instruments
- Flashcards
How could flashcards be a fun toy for a child? Easy, make a game out of it. If you’re using math-based flashcards with your kiddo, keep it fun by encouraging them. Or illustrate the problem with their toys or food.
Toys like puzzles help a child optimize fine motor skills by requiring them to fit different shapes together to create a picture. Your options are endless, but what’s important is that you keep the experience fun for your child.
How To Find the Best Educational Toy
You can’t just go out, buy any toy for your child, and call it educational. Likewise, you can’t use the same educational toys for all children.
Motor toys like trucks and shape sorting are wonderful for a child. These help them learn how to make discoveries as they entertain themselves. They also require children to use their hands and improve their motor skills. However, these toys may bore a child in elementary school.
Toys for Infants
Early in life, sensory play allows an infant to explore their senses. Because of this, they need to work on their grasping skills to begin developing in other areas. Some great toys to help shape this include:
- Playmats
- Toys with light and sound
- Music mobiles
Each of these toys captures a baby’s attention and keeps them entertained. Remember that babies grow fast and need different toys throughout their growing months. Toy choices depend on what stage they are in, and all babies develop differently. Some babes are ready to crawl at nine months, and these babies do great with toys that utilize motor skills.
These options aren’t just educational because they help develop motor skills; for example, shape sorters teach them form. And youngsters begin exploring the basics of physics when they push their favorite truck into another toy! As they grow into curious toddlers, these skills are vital to the development of other skillsets.
Toys for Toddlers
In toddlerhood, children dive into the world of literature as they begin looking at books and reading with their parents! Since kiddos become increasingly active and curious about the world, you must find various toys to feed their growing interests. If you’re looking for some great educational toys for your child, try:
- Puzzles
- Books
- Food set toys
Building blocks are another classic toy for this age group and are perfect for kids of all ages since they’re fun and versatile. Children can build whatever they want with them!
Toys for School-Age Children
The best educational toys for school-aged children depend on where they are developmentally. While some are old enough to learn chess, others may want to explore their creativity with an art kit. When determining which educational toy is best, think about your child’s age, capabilities, and what they’re learning in school.
If you’re looking for ideas, some popular educational toys for elementary-aged children are:
- Musical toys
- Crafting kits
- Science kits
Conversational cards are like flashcards, but they help develop a child’s awareness and social understanding—they open a conversation. By understanding different behaviors, children learn how to react to different scenarios.
The Benefits of Educational Toys
Education is vital at all ages, especially when we’re young and our minds start taking in knowledge. Play is a means of exploration. Children develop problem-solving skills, understand cause and effect, and practice conflict resolution through playing.
As your child begins playing with others, their toys help them polish social skills and learn to communicate with their peers. This teaches kids how to interact with both those similar and different from them.
The best educational toys also help a child develop:
- Cognitive skills
- Awareness of their senses
- Hand-eye coordination
- Encourage imagination
They inspire admiration for learning, which is key to expanding knowledge later in life. When children are young, they begin forming opinions, shaping them into who they will become. Because of this, you must inspire a love for learning in your child during their formative years. It keeps the future bright!
An educational toy keeps a child entertained and engages their mind, but these toys could also encourage creative skills and help them learn to see the bigger picture. There are countless ways in how educational toys affect a child’s development. They don’t just mentally prepare them for the classroom; they also learn life skills. So, optimize play and expand your child’s opportunities by making play educational and fun!
Children can only learn so much from apps on their tablets; they can understand the world in a new light when they have physical toys. They get first-hand experience. Even better, they get to play alongside other kids as they choose the perfect toy. Nowadays, you can easily buy children’s toys online. If you’re looking for the best educational toy for your child, shop at Legacy Toys. We’re play experts with toys for all children. Start making play educational and fun!
