Educational Toys for Toddlers are a wonderful way to help your child learn new skills while they play. Your child, during their toddler years, is a little sponge that learns so many amazing things – speaking, walking, colouring and helping themselves get dressed are just a few of the skills your toddler will learn, and if you provide wonderful wooden educational toys for your toddler you are giving them the best possible start to their early education. Using the best educational toys to enhance and develop their love of learning is one of the most beneficial things you can do to help them soak up so many new skills.
There are a range of educational toys for toddlers that we have here at CleverStuff – from puzzles to pretendplaytoys, wooden blocks to art and craft supplies – the options are endless, butwhy should you give your child educational toys to play with?
When your toddler plays with wooden educational toys they are learning about the world around them, how they can manipulate and interact with objects that they are near. When they build a tower out of blocks and knock them down they are learning about physics (unbelievable but true) and gravity. When they complete a puzzle they are learning about distance, shape and developing hand eye coordination. Playing with animal figurines or pretend cars and trucks will help them engage in pretend play which will help their imagination, creativity and help them understand the world around them.
When looking for educational toys for your toddler there are a few things to consider. Let’s look at them now.
First, is it age appropriate? I am a firm believer in giving your child toys and activities that challenge them and push their learning – BUT always ensure the pieces you provide are not too small or a choking hazard. This is obviously important for safety reasons, but also, if your child is completely unable to complete a task it can lead to frustration. Extend your child by providing a safe space to complete a task, but one that is achievable to encourage a love of learning for years to come.
Second, is it engaging? Is your child a space lover or more into trucks? Do they love animals or is dressing up more their go to activity. Although some children genuinely enjoy almost all themes, over time, your child will start to gravitate towards some themes in their play. When they do extend on this and the play will be more engaging. If your child loves playing with their kitchen set start asking them what colours the fruits in their fridge are. If they love to hammer and play with a tool set, get them to count the pieces as they go. You can turn even pretend play into a guided learning opportunity – which is always easier when your child is engaged in the play actively already.
Third, is it affordable? This is obviously very personal, but I believe that play should be fun, and although some expensive toys are stunning and Instagram worthy, they are just as entertaining and educational as some more budget friendly versions. When providing the best educational toys to your toddler always make sure they are made to a strict standard and use kid-safe materials. Quality is still important, even when affordable, because sometimes it’s better to purchase one high quality, more expensive puzzle for example rather than a cheap version that will break after only a handful of play times. We have a great range of affordable toy options here at CleverStuff.
Last of all, do you like it too? You are your child’s first and best teacher. If you enjoy playing with the toy, you are modelling enjoyment and happiness to your child. If you are bored, disinterested, playing on your phone while they are building in front of you, they aren’t going to learn nearly as much. While the child’s interests are foremost, at CleverStuff, our mission is to bring fun to FAMILIES, not just the kids, so try and choose toys that YOU like too. I promise it will make play time more fun for everyone involved and lead to a deeper connection between parent and child.
Plus, who said toys are just for kids! Enjoy play time too.
