Learning Toys for Kids

There's a lot to be gained when you get learning toys for kids. Childhood is an essential time of brain growth and development. Every stimulus encourages the brain to form connections and pathways that will be used for later learning. One of the best things that parents can do for their children is to provide experiences that maximize the brain's development, helping the brain to be optimally wired for learning in school and success in life.

There's no shortage of toys on the market, but not all of them help with learning. Certain kinds of toys promote creativity, motor skills, problem solving, reading readiness and coordination.

Infant Learning Toys
Infants are curious and keen observers with all of their senses. They are fascinated by bright colors and contrasts between black and white. They respond to high tones of voice and music, and are often soothed by classical music. They love to be talked and sung to. They like to be warm and cozy.

Think of these qualities when choosing toys. For visual stimulation, choose bright primary and secondary colors, or items with strong black-and-white contrasts. Mobiles are the first toys that give a baby visual stimulation. As your baby builds motor skills, introduce brightly colored toys that are also tactile and auditory. Consider a toy that has different surfaces that the baby can touch and explore, or one that plays soft music when it's pressed a certain way.

Cause and effect quickly become a part of infant learning. Toys that respond to touch, pressing, or shaking with a sound or song are ideal for this stage. When a baby can shake a rattle, he is learning cause and effect and developing motor skills as well. A rattle is actually a toy that gives auditory and motor skill stimuli. Infants who are learning to grasp need big handles or parts to hold, and they should be soft rather than hard, so babies won't hurt themselves if they drop or accidentally hit themselves with a toy.

Avoid toys with bright lights or loud sounds that can be distressing to your baby's sensitive eyes and ears. Make sure that there are no small parts to come loose. Mobiles should only be used while a parent is present and never hung over a crib, as the strings can present a choking hazard.

Baby Learning Toys
Babies who are old enough to sit can explore with their hands, pick things up, put them down, and begin to develop problem solving skills. Trial and error, applying logic and using creative thinking increase the brain's capacity to apply problem solving to new situations.

Toys that help a baby develop these skills include shape-sorting toys, blocks, large Legos, xylophones and toys on wheels that can be pushed or pulled. When you're choosing musical or learning toys, avoid the ones that limit creativity. For example, a musical toy that plays prerecorded songs or music clips is inferior to a toy that plays a note or sound that changes depending on the order in which the buttons are pressed. The more ways a musical toy can be played with, the more it allows the child to develop creativity, problem-solving skills, cause and effect relationships and coordination. The key is to involve multiple areas of development, rather than one at a time.

A manipulative toy that can be twisted, pushed, pulled and rearranged is far superior to one that has only one play option. Wood blocks or building blocks that can be put together in many different ways are a good choice for this age group.

Toddler Learning Toys
Toddlers are mobile. They require toys that can go with them. For this age, consider toys with wheels. Again, the more the child has to do to interact with the toy, the more the toy will stimulate learning. A car that runs by itself when it's turned on has less potential for interacting with a toddler than one that has to be pushed. The toy that has to be pushed is involving the child's motor development and eye-hand coordination, essential skills for a lifetime of learning.

Other toys that develop these skills include blocks and stacking, sorting and puzzle toys.

Toddlers are also developing creativity and imagination. Toy versions of everyday objects are great for encouraging imaginative play. For example, toy phones, pretend foods, dolls and toy strollers encourage imaginative play. The more a child uses his or her imagination to use a toy, the more the child's creativity is developed and inspired.

Think generic when choosing these toys. Wooden trains and simple dolls are far better than licensed characters. A generic toy allows the child to create the script for play; licensed toys come with a built-in script that limits creativity, because children will imitate what they've seen on a TV show or movie.

This is a good age to introduce letters, so alphabet letter manipulatives are encouraged as well.

Children's Learning Toys
Once kids hit elementary school, their choices start to be influenced by their peers. You'll be up against demands for Barbies and Star Wars figures. It's okay to have some of these around, because play at this age includes an element of socialization. Having some of the popular toys helps kids fit in and encourages collaborative play that builds teamwork skills.

What you don't need to do is get every playset and accessory. Instead, give your child the raw materials to make these items. Clay, building blocks, scraps of fabric and art supplies can be turned into environments that help these toys come alive. Building sets and elaborate wooden trains are timeless favorites for most kids.

Electronic toys and computer games can be good learning toys if they reinforce reading, counting, music and coordination. But limit their use so that the child has a range of play opportunities that are rich and diverse.