The Best Educational Toys

Buying Guide

All parents love to see a big smile on their child’s face when they open up a gift. But if you’re looking out for those kids, it doesn’t take much more effort to find an educational toy that will give them just as much joy — and help them hit those crucial development milestones.

These days, it seems like half the toys you see are touted as being educational in some way. Not all of them are going to be appropriate for your child, especially if they never want to play with them in the first place. The trick is to find them something that fits an interest they already have. Assuming you know what those interests are, every age group has a few reliable go-to gifts.

For babies and young toddlers under 2, almost any toy can be an educational toy. In fact, anyone who has watched a baby play knows that they can sometimes be more interested in the wrapping paper than the gift. That’s because they’re still developing motor and sensory skills at this age, so they often focus on objects that let them do that. Brightly colored blocks are always a hit, and nesting toys will also help them fine-tune those tiny muscles. Once it’s time to start walking, toys they can pull up on will help them build balance.

While you may not think of them as toys, electronic books that talk are also great educational playthings. These books are a great choice for kids of any age, and the earlier you start reading to kids the sooner they are likely to read themselves. (For very young children, you’ll want to make sure the pages are made of plastic or some other material that can’t be ripped.)

As children get into the preschool years, dolls and puppets can help them develop their social skills, and simple puzzles are great for spatial recognition and problem solving. Around this age, you can also start introducing STEM toys that promote learning in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. Interlocking building blocks and marble runs are hits with many kids around this age, and interactive globes can teach them about distance and geography. Believe it or not, it’s never too young to start developing basic computer literacy and coding skills, and there are screen games that can impart those skills in a fun and sneaky way.

Once kids cross over into grade school, the options for STEM open up dramatically. You can now buy everything from interactive books to programmable robots that you child can build from the ground up. Don’t feel like you have to stock up on batteries, though. Analog toys like ant farms and telescopes can spark a child’s creativity just as effectively, and they can also provide a great opportunity to bond with others.

There is no shortage of electronic toys on the shelves, and those blinking lights and bright screens can be just as enticing to parents as they are for little eyes. But, before you fill up your child’s room with computers and other tech, remember that a toy isn’t necessarily educational just because it’s complicated — even if it claims to be. Yes, kids will clamor for anything that looks like a video game, but research conducted by the American Academy of Pediatrics has shown that those screens can stunt emotional and social development. They recommend no solo TV exposure for children under 2 years of age, and limiting viewership to one hour a day for kids from 2 to 5 years old.