As parents, we all want the best for our kids. And, when we buy toys and games we have to make sure it’s worth their playing time. The smartest way to do this is to ask ourselves whether the game or toy is educational and appropriate for our kids’ age. So today’s post will give you a quick review of your toddlers’ developmental stage and insight into the kind of learning games for toddlers we should be choosing to ensure brain and skills development.
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Firstly we will discover the best learning games for toddlers and then discuss our toddlers’ developmental stage to understand why these learning games and toys are the best at this age. And at the end, we will list the benefits of learning games at this age.
Best learning games for toddlers
Chutes and Ladders Board Game
The chutes and ladders board game is an interactive learning game to practice
- counting
- number recognition and
- fine motor skills
Spike the fine motor hedgehog
This learning game has perfect for developing fine motor skills and great for helping kids grow
- color recognition
- sorting and
- counting skills
Osmo little genius starter kit
The Osmo little genius starter kit is a brilliant learning game that teaches
- preschool letter formation and phonics and
- develops problem solving and creativity
Playmonster mirari myStorymaker
The Playmonster mirari mystorymaker stimulates imagination and creativity using color, phonics and interactive play, making it a great educational game.
Lego Duplo bricks
The Lego Duplo my first bricks set is great to stimulate
- motor skills and
- imagination and creativity
Cherry-O-board game
The cherry-o-board game is a fun counting board game to practice
- basic math skill including addition, subtraction and counting
Melissa & Doug On the Go Water Wow!
This brilliant learning game promotes multiple skill development including
- fine motor skills
- early writing/reading skills and
- visual discrimination
Pretend and Play Calculator Cash Register
The pretend and play calculator cash register is one of the most popular kids learning games with good reason. It teaches
- basic math and money skills
- counting
- fine motor skills
- and it’s recyclable!
Little Tikes trampoline
Now you might be wondering why I have included the Little Tikes trampoline in this list for learning games.
And it’s simple. Not only does it stimulate gross motor skills but it also helps to burn energy in order to allow for better focus and memory. Two wins in one!
Playskool Explore ‘N Grow Busy Gears
The explore and grow busy gears is a great learning game for toddlers as it stimulates
- fine motor skills
- language development and
- spatial relationships
There you have the top 10 best learning games for kids. And to help you choose the best educational games and toys, a quick review of your toddler’s developmental stages
Toddler development
Let’s have a quick look at the different developmental stages of our toddlers including sensory, fine motor, gross motor, language and social skills. This will help us choose learning games and toys that are truly educational.
Sensory skills
- toddler years are when all the sense skills are developed including hearing, seeing, tasting, smelling and touching
Fine motor skills
- simple drawing
- feeding themselves
- doing buttons and zippers
Gross motor skills
- climbing
- walking
- running
Language skills
- learning new words
- following commands
- name common objects
- start to use sentences
Social skills
- playing alone and with others
- start to use imagination and fantasy play
Learning toys for toddlers summarized
There you have it. An awesome lest of the best learning toys for toddlers based on their age and developmental stage.
And, when you are not sure about a certain toy, think about the benefit the toy will have on your toddler’s development. Here is a quick list of criteria to consider before investing
The benefit of learning games
A couple of criteria to consider when you want to figure out whether a toy is truly educational. Good educational games and toys
- can improve hand-eye coordination
- aims to stimulate verbal learning, including letters and words
- stimulates memory and focus
- improves gross motor skills
- spark creativity and imagination
- stimulates physical development
- is safe for your child’s age
- helps to improve fine motor skills
- helps to develop auditory learning, including music
- stimulates at least one, but preferably multiple senses
And, if you can answer yes to the majority of these questions, you have made a good choice!
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and let me know your favorite learning games for toddlers. This is definitely my favorite learning game for toddlers. And even though my kids are a bit older, they still love to play with it. What do you think?
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