When children are very young, we just want them to be happy and relaxed. You might get them a rattle toy for fun or a teddy to help them fall asleep. But as they grow, the focus isn’t just on fun—you want your child to develop physically, socially and even mentally. Learning as they play becomes paramount and you might, therefore, start searching for educational toys. 

Fortunately, educational toys are plenty and you’ll be spoilt for choice. However, that also means that choosing the right educational toy for your child might be challenging. 

Worry not though. Before we share some amazing toys to help your children learn, let’s look into some important factors you must consider when choosing an educational toy for your little one.

4 Things to Consider When Getting Educational Toys For Kids

Before you get that toy your best mummy friend recommended, make sure it’s the right fit for your child. Remember that every child is different and there’s no one-size-fits-all with children's toys. 

Keep in mind these factors while shopping for children’s educational toys.

1. Age

A one-year age difference might seem like a small one but trust me, it’s such a huge gap in children. Just because your friend's three-year-old loves a certain toy doesn’t mean that your four-year-old will enjoy the same. Their interests might be very different, so you need to ask yourself if your child will enjoy and learn from the toy you intend to buy. 

Again, you don’t want to overwhelm your child with a toy that’s too complicated for their age. If it’s too complex, it will only make it harder to achieve the goal—learning.

2. Interests

Educational toys are like cleverly adding broccoli to your toddler’s spaghetti. They enjoy the saucy pasta but also get the benefits of the not-so-yummy vegetable. So, for your child to get the best out of their toy, you need to get one that sparks their curiosity. The more they love the toy, the more time they’ll spend on it.  Hence, more learning! 

3. Safety

Before buying any toy, always have your child’s safety in mind. You want to be sure that the toy won’t harm your child in any way, in the long and short term. Watch out for toys with hazardous sharp edges or snappable projectile pieces as these can cause injuries. 

The size of the toy is also an important aspect you can’t afford to ignore. You might want to stay away from small toys or toys with small components that can be harmful. Toddlers are curious in nature and might be tempted to put these small toy pieces in their mouths which could lead to choking.  Small toy parts can even find their way into noses and ears!

4. Toxic Material

Plastic toys have been found to contain toxic elements that pose serious health threats to children. Unfortunately, most toys don’t mention the different materials that make up the toy, making it hard for parents to decide which toys to choose and which ones to avoid. 

That said, a 2021 study suggests that hard plastic toys are safer than soft plastic toys. So, unless you’re sure that the plastic toy you want to buy doesn’t have toxic materials, you might want to stick to harder plastic toys for the sake of your child’s health. If a toy is made of soft plastics, you might consider limiting its use since the longer your child uses it, the more they’re exposed to toxic materials.

Learning and Education Toys For Kids

Now that you know the key factors to consider when buying learning toys for kids, we’ll get straight to the types of toys you might want to buy to enhance your child’s learning abilities.

Building Blocks

Building blocks, like Lego and Duplo, are powerful learning tools for preschoolers and toddlers. As your child plays with blocks, they develop their motor skills and acquire other handy skills like hand-eye coordination, shape and colour recognition, collaboration, and problem-solving skills. 

Kids also learn scientific concepts such as gravity, balance and patterns. Building blocks require children to pay attention while stacking the blocks, enhancing kids’ concentration and attention span. 

Studies have also found that children who play with blocks have improved spatial reasoning, creativity and problem-solving skills.

Children’s Puzzles

Puzzles help younger children to practise their fine motor and colour recognition skills as they play. As a child puts together a puzzle, they acquire life skills such as problem-solving, learn shapes and develop spatial skills.

To allow children to have maximum fun and learn as much as possible, you should let kids play by themselves unless it’s clear that they need your help. This allows your child to be more creative and imaginative as they try to solve the puzzle. 

Re-FUN-able™ Colouring Sets

Colouring helps kids learn about colours and shapes while refining their fine motor skills. When colouring, children develop imaginative and creative skills that can support them in solving a variety of problems in and out of the classroom. Colouring also helps to calm their emotions, which is particularly helpful when a child is anxious.  This teaches them critical emotional regulation skills. 

Little Change Creators’ Re-FUN-able™ Colouring Sets are made from non-toxic silicone, making them infinitely reusable and safe for children. They’re also eco-friendly and feature themes such as Safari, Underwater and Seaside, allowing kids to learn about different parts of our planet and develop their vocabulary in different areas of life.

Musical Toys

Kids generally love music and musical toys. Playing music could be one of the easiest ways to teach kids important educational and social skills while having fun. Playing with a musical instrument not only helps kids express themselves, it also enhances language development and mathematical abilities. When kids play an instrument, they also develop their fine motor skills and learn how to focus on tasks such as counting beats or pressing keys. 

Using Toys To Help Your Child’s Development

While toys are mostly used to make kids happy and keep them busy, it’s possible to get even more from them. If your child can have fun and learn critical thinking skills from a toy, isn’t it worth it? So, if your child has grown to an age where they need to start learning important life skills, you might want to start being more intentional when buying their toys. Focus on toys that offer more than just fun so that your child may have an easier time in school and life.