The benefits of educational toys cannot be understated, with new STEM toys being added to our website every day. Designed to help develop fine motor skills, encourage problem-solving and rational thinking along with nurturing creativity. These are all aspects of growing up that are critical in ensuring that your child gets the best start in not only their education but also the early years of their life.
The biggest question is, however, what toy is going to hit the sweet spot of being educational whilst also being enjoyable for your child. You want to ensure that the toys you choose are fun and help your child learn vital cognitive skills. Here at BrightMinds, we offer a diverse selection of fun and educational toys to aid with their development. We’ve collated our best tips on how to find the perfect educational toy for your child.
Look to choose toys that match your child’s interests
A very simple point to make, but one that should be adhered to. If your child has ever expressed an interest in a certain toy or has shown a preference towards certain things, then the educational toy you buy should reflect that! For example, if they’ve shown an interest in being in the garden or the outdoors in general, then why not educate them on ecosystems with the help of BrightMinds? We have a wide range of nature toys that will further your child's understanding of the world we live in.
Help them explore the world around them with the Outdoor Adventure Microscope
The Outdoor Adventure Microscope is the perfect toy for those whose children love to explore the land around them. This toy gives a brilliantly clear magnified view of whatever your child chooses to analyse whilst out in the garden! A built-in LED means you can get out at night and examine the creepy crawlers that the nighttime brings!
Match your child with the toy that suits their abilities
Ensuring that you pick out a toy that matches your child's current ability is vital in preventing them from getting bored while they play. But this is also a trap you don’t want to fall into. Finding a toy that challenges them and continues to push their learning forward is key, as something too easy will cause them to plateau and ultimately not benefit them as much.
Encourage creativity and spark imagination with toys that are for pretend play
Pretend play cannot be understated in its importance in a child's development. While it may come across as slightly ridiculous and make absolutely no sense, it actually plays a big part in developing how your child will deal with different situations. As a result of taking on different characters and scenarios, these situations help your child see different perspectives in life. It also helps develop skills such as communication including their vocabulary as different characters will speak differently.
Opt for toys that promote scenarios and interactions that are outside of their current life
Toy kitchen sets and pretend shopping tills, with pretend money, are toys that not only do we recommend to help nurture your child's imagination, but it is also one that they will also love. We have an extensive collection of wooden play kitchens that are perfect to inspire imaginative games in play kitchens, from large free-standing kitchens to play smaller table top kitchens and accessories.
Toys that promote heuristic play are key for younger children
At its very core definition, heuristic play is the sensory exploration of ‘everyday items’ which has proven to be very beneficial for younger children. The best way to find a toy for your child that promotes this is by ensuring that the use of the toy is open-ended and can be used in a variety of different ways. We’d recommend toys orientated around things such as arts and crafts, as this gives your child ultimate license to be creative.
Building blocks to build their creativity
This wooden stacking blocks transport set is one of the best toys we have that promotes heuristic play. These chunky wooden Stacking Blocks are a great introduction to puzzling fun for preschoolers, helping them to learn as they build a colourful picture of their favourite transport types.
Age-appropriate board games are great for furthering your child’s mathematical and language skills
While they are incredibly fun to play and can often incorporate social skills when you play with others, they can also drastically improve mathematical and language skills for young children. From counting spaces as they navigate their way around the board to reading cue cards and comprehending what they mean, they are a valuable tool to help further your child’s learning. It is important to remember that you need to pick a game that is age appropriate, as you want to challenge your child but not deter them because it is too hard.
Educational board games to elevate your child’s learning
Board games often combine quick-thinking, concentration and strategy to exercise little minds. They also place an emphasis on friendship and light competition - great skills that every child should develop to enhance their social skills.
City of Zombies is one of our personal favourites. The aim of the game is to stop your Barricade from being overrun, holding the Zombies off until the Rescue Plane can land, and players win. Players take it in turn to roll and combine dice making a total that matches a Zombie's strength to remove it from play. Multiple Zombies can be defeated this way on one player's turn.
Clear the board of Zombies and you can save human survivors from the City. The more survivors you save, the better your end-game score will be, but beware! Allow Zombies to reach your Barricade and you will lose survivors, and if six Zombies are on the Barricade then it's Game Over!
Discover the perfect educational toy for your child
Here at BrightMinds we have a wide variety of educational toys and games that will help your child with all aspects of their learning. Whether you’re looking to improve their Maths & English or nurture their creativity with Arts & Crafts, you can find what you need here at BrightMinds.
For more information, feel free to contact us or explore our FAQs if you have any questions.
