Choosing an Educational Toy

Jan
30

by Susan

A recent article out of Singapore briefly discusses differences among children’s learning styles and development. According to Dr. Ong Hian Tat, quoted in the article, “Any toy can be used to stimulate learning…The toy must also match the development and individual needs of each child.”

That statement is in accordance with Howard Gardner’s theory of Multiple Intelligences. Consider that children learn in different ways. Some are very active, some are drawn to musical expression, and others are excellent readers. (For more information on Multiple Intelligences, see our library, which has several articles on the subject.)

When purchasing an educational toy for a child, try to consider what learning styles appeal to them. They’ll enjoy the toy much more if it draws out their natural abilities while still stimulating their intellectual development!

What makes for an educational toy or game?

Jan
26

by Susan

I’ve been asked the question how do you find educational toys or what criteria do you use for judging a toy’s educational value.
it’s quite simple actually. Just ask yourself first and foremost is the toy/game interesting? Will my child find it enjoyable to “play” with this particular toy? Second, is this toy something that my child and I can engage in together? I have found that ANYTHING can be fun and enjoyable from our children’s frame of mind if WE are enjoying it with them. For instance, the other evening, my son was playing with some of our WonderBrains stock as he often does, much to my chagrin and he grabbed a hold of our puzzles and wanted to open them.

I explained to him that the puzzle had a purpose that it would help him learn to add, subtract, multiply and divide numbers…Well, while I believe my children to be advanced, this was a bit of a stretch for a 3 1/2 year old to appreciate. So, I told him that if he REALLY wanted the puzzle we could work on his numbers and adding and subtracting and once he got that down his reward would be the puzzle.

That evening, we set about to create some “flash cards” — just cutting up some construction paper and on one side of the card we wrote the numbers themselves (1, 2, 3, and so on) on the other side, we placed little stars representing pictorially the number on the reverse side. Simple, right…took 10 minutes. Then we created some operator cards for adding (+) and subtracting (-) then we start working 1+2 is what? At first, my son did not get it, so I said, well turn the cards over and count the stars…very quickly he began to appreciate the additive property. This was incredibly exciting for both us. We fed off of each other’s enthusiasm for his learning.

And THAT is the final rule for selecting an educational toy…if YOU and your child can enthusiastically use a toy while it teaches him something you have a good working definition of what an educational toy is.

Top Selling Educational Toys of 2005

Jan
03

by Susan

If you are still in search of the perfect gift—whether a late holiday present, and upcoming birthday gift, or even something for yourself—then check out our best selling educational toys from 2005.

Snap Circuits Junior SC-100

The smallest Snap Circuits kit was our #1 seller of 2005. The variety of projects in this electronics kit, combined with the great price, made it popular among gift-givers.

Butterfly Garden

The Butterfly Garden, the smaller of our two live butterfly hatching kits, was the second most popular purchase. This kit comes with a certificate for 5 painted lady caterpillars.

Butterfly Pavilion

The Butterfly Pavilion is the larger version of the Butterfly Garden, with a certificate for 10 caterpillars. Both are great products for teaching about insect life cycles, ecology, and more.

Wooden Slide Whistle

Small musical instruments were also popular, especially this classic and well-made wooden slide whistle.

Maraca Shakers

Another popular small music toy was these Maraca Shakers in a variety of colors. They are great for ages 3 and up. Our Gripper Shakers are similar and suited for infants and older children.

Pennywhistle

The pennywhistle is a great way to begin to teach melody and has a great price. It comes with a song sheet.

Snap Circuit Pro Model SC-500

The Pro model of the snap circuit kits offers more parts and experiments and is popular as both a gift and among parents searching for toys for their own family.

The Original Magnetic Poetry Kit

Turning your refrigerator into an ever-changing poem continues to be a popular pasttime! The original kit is the classic assortment with 440 word magnets.