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For kids, and in fact for most people, the best way to learn something is to have fun doing it. Children have a natural knack for exploring and discovering new things – and they enjoy doing so. To them, playing and exploring are just one and the same! Kids learn through play.
Many toys and games are made to be educational or help with a child's development. And why not? All toys – in one way or another – foster imagination, exploration, and motor activity. That’s how young kids begin their learning! Interestingly, there are some toys that are geared to be more instructional and developmental than others. These toys have a specific focus on developing a particular skill, knowledge, or talent – like maths, sciences, spatial skills, creative art, and music among many others.
We call them educational and developmental toys! The STEM (science, technology, engineering, and maths) category fall under this department. In this week’s blog post, we feature the most popular and highly searched products that encourage education and development for children through fun playtime experiences.
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Best Educational and Developmental Toys for Infants 6-12 Months
For babies aged 6 months to 1 year, experts recommend toys that can be touched and held by their little hands, objects that they can manipulate using their still developing fine motor skills – allowing them to explore on their own without overwhelming them with too much stimulation. Luckily, there are developmental toys designed for their age!
Infants need toys that will help them explore and discover the world around them through experience and experimentation, at their own pace. Developmental toys allow their young minds to make sense of the world they just came to know only recently.
1. Peterkin Popsiboxi Shape Sorter
This developmental playset by Peterkin encourages babies to experience imaginative play everyday. It’s a great tool to help your child develop their fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination. It also teaches infants to recognise simple colours and shapes. The pieces are easy to grasp and hold by babies’ little hands.
2. Peterkin Eggster Count and Match Eggs
The Eggster Count and Match Eggs by Peterkin are great for teaching babies about colours and shapes. A fantastic toy set for everyday imaginative play, the Eggster pack contains 6 colourful and easy-to-grip toy eggs that help infants practice their motor skills and hand-eye coordination.
3. Peterkin Bloxsters Soft Blocks
With 36 colourful soft blocks, the Peterkin Bloxsters help babies and toddlers in developing their motor skills, shape and colour recognition, and hand-eye coordination – through everyday imaginative play.
4. Tummy Time Roll-a-Pillar Play Pillow
Bring your little one’s tummy time to the next level! With 3 ways to play, this soft caterpillar encourages your baby’s development from tummy time to crawling to rolling play. When your little one enjoys tummy time on the rolled-up caterpillar, neck, shoulder, and back muscles are strengthened as they look in the peek-a-boo mirror and reach for the leaf rattle and owl teether toy. Unroll the caterpillar to reveal an attached playmat with soft padded fabric and ribbon tags to explore and crawl on. Roll the caterpillar up again to make an inviting object to reach for, and as your child pushes the caterpillar, it rolls across the floor with sounds and music.
5. Fisher Price Baby's First Blocks
These chunky, colourful blocks help introduce colours and shapes as babies sort, stack, and drop the blocks through the slots in the bucket lid. All that block-grasping and put-and-take play helps strengthen your baby's hand-eye coordination and dexterity. Babies will exercise their problem solving skills as they figure out how to sort and drop the blocks in the correct spots. All the bright colours and fun shapes help to engage your baby's natural sense of curiosity during playtime.
See more baby learning toys here!
Best Educational and Developmental Toys for 1 to 2-Year Olds (Toddlers)
Little kids, especially those who are 1 to 2 years old, are easily fascinated with things that stimulate their sensory and fine motor skills. Toddlers are particularly sensitive when they get a hold of something that excites their visual and auditory senses – not to mention their sense of touch as well. During this age range, they will babble their first words, attempt to stand up and do their first steps to walk on their feet. There will certainly be some falls along the way – but it’s OK, because that’s all part of their growth and development.
We encourage you to give them gifts that are both fun and educational – toys that will not only promote motor, sensory, and speech development but will also thrill their hearts out and make them giggle with delight. Don’t they look oh-so cute when they smile and laugh as they play?
6. Little People Large Vehicles
Expand your toddler’s world with exciting vehicles that will help them learn about kindness, working together, politeness, friendship, and other good values through exciting hands-on play, fun songs, and realistic sound effects – with the Little People Large Vehicle toys! Little ones will be encouraged to learn about the great BIG world around them.
Explore classic nursery rhymes with the Musical Rhymes Book by VTech! Your little one will build motor skills by sliding and twisting the fun play pieces while exploring each easy-to-turn page. Then they'll play piano sounds with the 5 colourful piano keys that introduce colours and instruments. Two fun modes include learning mode that introduces age-appropriate vocabulary, and music mode that plays music and instrument sounds. The interactive storybook provides visual stimulation with brightly coloured pages and a light-up star that flashes along with the sounds.
At 15 inches tall, the Fisher-Price Giant Rock-a-Stack takes classic stacking play to new heights! Your toddler can grasp and shake the 6 colourful rings, then stack 'em up high on the wibbly-wobbly base. The littlest ring in the stack has swirling beads inside for your tot to shake and explore.
9. Learn & Play 3 in 1 Activity Walker
Little Tikes encourages babies and toddlers to walk in a whole new light with the Learn & Play 3-in-1 Activity Walker! When they begin pushing the walker, fun engaging lights activate and project on the ground in front of the walker inspiring them to keep moving. The walker easily converts to an activity table packed with fun and unique features. Your little one can sit and play since the walker folds in half, moving the activity panel close to the floor.
10. Laugh & Learn Smart Stages Puppy
Say hello to your toddler’s new best friend! Puppy is soft, cuddly, and he's ready to make sure learning fun never ends. He responds to your child’s touch with exciting sing-along songs and phrases that introduce more than 100 first words, parts of the body, colours, shapes, and more! And because every child develops at their own pace, Puppy comes with Smart Stages technology, so you can choose the level that is best for your little one.
See more educational toys for toddlers (1 to 2-year olds) here!
Best Educational and Developmental Toys for 3 to 6-year Olds (Preschoolers and Kindergarteners)
Children who are 3 to 6 years of age are fascinated by toys that have more visuals and colours, emit riveting sounds, allow them to build and assemble, and engage their growing young minds in a thrilling adventure of discovery and learning. Their growth and development will become more noticeable and accelerated – not just physically but mentally and emotionally as well.
At this stage, children are more curious, more inquisitive, and more explorative. We encourage parents to give their preschoolers toys that will introduce them to the joy of learning – even before they set foot on their first day of school.
Assemble the ingredients you want to prepare. Trim the stems and use the play knife to chop the vegetables. Bring the chopped ingredients together in a dish. Do you want a healthy salad or maybe a French ratatouille? There’s nothing healthier than fresh vegetables!
12. LeapPad Ultimate Get Ready for School Green
It’s the perfect first tablet for kids! The LeapPad Ultimate is tough yet friendly for young children – right out of the box. It contains pre-loaded content that teach core skills in mathematics, reading, science, music, logic, and creative art. It has extensive parental controls and exclusive access to educator-approved learning materials that prepare kids for school and beyond.
Promote spatial awareness and develop your child’s inquisitiveness with the Track Maze Toy Bricks! The bricks can be assembled together to create a maze for a marble race, a good training tool to enhance logical thinking and hands-on dexterity. Cultivate your child’s creativity and see them build their own maze from these colourful bricks!
14. Roo Crew Eco Wood Learning Magnets
Let your little one learn number and letter recognition with ease! Roo Crew’s learning magnets feature clear labels of uppercase and lowercase letters, while the numbers have corresponding amounts of animals for easy counting.
15. Melissa & Doug Wooden Number Magnets
This number-themed set is a newly re-designed learning playset that includes plenty of colourful, generously-sized wooden magnets with numbers from 0 to 20. Also included in this magnetic number set are 5 maths signs that will help teach simple mathematical operations to preschoolers.
See more educational toys for 3-year olds and up!
For young children, there is nothing more fun and exciting than playing with toys! Playing is their way to get to know more about the world they live in. Even childhood learning experts believe in the educational power of play. These best educational and developmental toys will make them want to explore and discover, keeping them in awe of the world around them.
For more choices of kids’ educational toys, visit any Mr Toys retail store near you or click here!
