Educational Toys For Your Child – Do You Have Them?

Educational toys, activities to keep our kids busy or channelise their energy is a constant worry for all of us. Here I am trying to share my thoughts on the type of toys / stuff we should buy or invest in for our kids.

Many a times we shower our kids with a variety of toys and feel very happy when they properly play with one toy. But buying a toy must be age appropriate to the child’s interest and skill. Here is a list of my segregation of toys and types. :

1. Talking Toys

These toys are those which have lights and sounds and play music / rhymes / alphabets/ colours etc. Kids love to press buttons and enjoy sounds and listen to music. These are mostly the first toys we buy for kids.

2. Sports stuff

If you kid likes sports then you could get them toys related to whichever sport they show interest in. From cricket, football, badminton, different types of balls, frisbee, skates, dart board, bow & arrow and more. All these help kids in building concentration and also indulge in lot of physical activity.

3. Board games

These can be anything as simple as Ludo, Snakes and ladders, to puzzles. You can start from simpler versions like 2-piece puzzles to match things that come in all topics; fruits, flowers, body parts to memory games. These help in memory development and also kids learn a lot. This you can start when kids start understanding things.

4. Books

If your kid loves books and shows interest in reading and listening to stories, buy books as many as you can. My son is not interested in reading but he likes to see new images. So for someone like him I got a set of 10 picture books that talk about vegetables, fruits, colours, numbers, birds animals. etc. Books are good for all age groups.

5. DIY toys

These are toys where kids get to explore the product. Like my son has a truck and some tools with it. He unscrews every nut and bolt and takes off all its parts and then puts them back in place. More such options are available depending on the age group.

6. Messy stuff

Messy stuff as in playdough, kinetic sand, painting brush colours and or even gardening. Kids surely make a mess around house when they are playing with any of these but these are good to for their creativity. Gardening with parental supervision is a great activity. Involve them in watering plants or taking off dry leaves. They enjoy plain water.

7. Building blocks

This is suitable for all age groups, just the block sizes may vary. The tiny ones can pick up big blocks and for toddlers you can get them their choice (Legos or similar). I love these personally as you get to see your child’s imagination in building as he builds a tall tower or a robot. Worth investing money on them.

8. Soft toys

You find them all shapes and sixes, all colours, patterns and even the favourite character from the toon world. They are good for infants but great companions for kids on their travels. Kids feel they have someone with them. Many moms are more fond of soft toys than their kids ;).

9. Miscellaneous

This part is the stuff which I just buy as a part of impulse shopping for my kid. My child either outgrows them or loses interest in them very soon. Things like plastic figurines, happy meal toys, all these fit in this section. If you throw them out, out of a blue one fine day your child will ask you for it and you won’t remember where it is. So keep them safe!

Hope this is helpful for all of you… Happy Parenting.

Also read: How Those Animal Toys Can be Turned Into a Simple, Fun Science Activity For Toddlers

Explore the entire collection of articles: Early Learning & Brain Development

#toddlerfun #learning #toddlerlearning #toddlerfun #learning #toddlerlearning