10 Best Learning Toys for Kids

As a former teacher, I’m often asked what are the best learning toys for kids.  While this list could go on and on, I chose these 10 trending learning toys for kids based on recent sales, reviews, and talk of the upcoming Black Friday deals.  Use this gift guide for educational toys, and give the gift of learning.

Educational Subscription Box for Kids

If you love educational toys, but don’t like the clutter, check out the ToyLibrary subscription box for kids. With ToyLibrary, your kids play, return, and repeat!  Their collection of new and curated toys includes more than 500+ educational & STEM toys (such as LEGO, Disney, Marvel, Vtech etc.) to keep children engaged in learning.

To help you sort through the awesome subscription boxes for kids, I have written separate blog posts that you may be interested in. In my opinion, a monthly subscription box for kids is the best non-toy gift idea.  They promote learning, creativity, and so much more.  You can check out the blog posts by clicking on the pictures below.

 

1. Bead Maze

A bead maze has made the trending toys for kids list year after year. This is the kind of toy that should last until your grandkids are crawling around! Bead mazes are perfect for fine motor, visual discrimination, visual tracking, hand-eye coordination, memory, and early math skills.  This roller coaster bead toy is highly rated from teachers and pediatricians as a top educational toy for kids.

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2. ETI Toys | STEM Learning | Construction Engineering Building Blocks

This building set for boys and girls comes with 172 pieces, and are designed to build your kids’ science, technology, engineering, and math skills. They are washable, come with their own storage tub, and a step-by-step instructional catalog to build 12 designs.  Your kids will love building the examples and coming up with their own designs.

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3. Alphabet Island Board Game

Made by Learning Resources, Alphabet Island is so good it has reached the list for trending learning toys for kids this year! Here’s what one amazon customer had to say about this letter game with a shark named Benny: “This shark has easily become my new favorite part about homeschooling. Unblinking and dedicated, Benny watches over my children as they learn through this interactive and engaging board game. They truly love learning under Benny’s domain, where he commands respect and academic enlightenment.”  

If your kiddo or students are working on identifying letters, you may also be interested in my blog post, 5 Engaging Activities for Beginning Sounds.

4. LEGOS

Legos are one of my favorite manipulatives to keep at home and in the classroom. They promote engineering, creativity, cooperative play, and build fine motor.  Best of all, you can use them to build structures and themed sets, or use them for learning activities, such as sorting, counting, word building, and sight word games.  If you’re interested in how to use LEGOS for sight words, check out my post about 10 Sight Word Activities for Home or the Classroom. 

5 Slime Kits

Some might argue the educational value of a slime kit, but not many can argue the hours of fun they can bring to kids and their families. Slime is a mesmerizing activity that kids can’t get enough of.  As a former teacher, there is no doubt this box full of fun belongs on this learning toys for kids gift guide.

Not only is making slime a popular activity for high school chemistry class, it’s also a great STEM activity for younger kids.

 

6. Osmo Genius Kit

This STEM toy is on my daughter’s wish list for Christmas.  This amazing learning toy is technology based, and can turn your tablet or ipad into one of the best learning tools for kids.  For ages 5-10, this Osmo Genius Kit comes with tangram pieces, letter tiles, number tiles, the Newton, and Masterpiece.  When purchasing, make sure you purchase the kit you need.  There are separate kids for the ipad and fire tablets.

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7. Arts and Craft Kit

Spark your child’s creativity with an arts and craft kit.  Arts and crafts are great for boys and girls of all ages, and can keep them busy for hours!

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8. Interactive Globe for Kids

Interactive globes hit the top learning toys for kids year after year.  There are many options to choose from including an app-based smart globe, a talking globe with an electronic pen, illuminated globes, constellation globes, and standard globes for kids.

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9. Magnetic Blocks

Magnetic blocks should be a staple in every kids toy closet! If you’d like to see more on how kids learn through play with magnets, check out the video below.

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10. Dinosaur Track

Both girls and boys will have so much fun building this dinosaur track.  Building the track promote fine motor skills, visual perception, hand and eye coordination, and creativity. When the kids become engaged in building the dinosaur track, this is the perfect opportunity to expand their learning with printable dinosaur learning activities.

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Finding educational learning toys doesn’t have to be a challenge.  I hope this list has helped you out as you search for what to buy your kids or students.  Look for toys that are hands-on, interactive, promote open-ended thinking, creativity, and language building, when buying learning toys for kids.

PS.  If you are a teacher or parent on a budget, looking for great deals on classroom supplies, decor, clothing, and more, then be sure to join our Facebook group, Teachers on a Budget.  You can read more about it here.