What are educational toys?
Babies love to play, we all know that they love toys and toys today offer a lot more than just fun for the little ones who enjoy them. Most toys on today’s market offer some opportunity for little ones to learn whether it is engaging a child’s senses, learning how to interact with others or spark their young imaginations.
What types of educational toys are there?
Popular toys for very young babies include rattles and those that offer music. The sounds they make are great fun and help teach them to hold objects and listen to new sounds.
Other educational toys include building blocks that help little ones to improve their hand-eye coordination and help to build their motor skills.
There are a variety of educational toys for young babies available and usually they focus on different textures, colours and sounds to help babies learn their early senses.
Toys that talk can be very educational as their language development starts at birth and as soon as they are exposed to hearing sounds the more language they hear the earlier they start to develop these skills.
Top tips
All baby toys come with an age appropriate warning and it’s important to follow this as manufacturers follow strict guidelines to ensure all toys are safe for the age group they are made for.
Ready to buy?
Take a look at some of the popular educational toys below.
VTech – Moosical Beads
RRP: £11.99 - Buy now
- A cute cow cuddly toy with all the bells and whistles to fascinate and teach your young baby.
- The activities teach your baby about letters and numbers.
- The toy is attached to a plastic ring making gripping the toy easy for young babies.
- One of the beads spins which your baby will love and the other two beads light up.
- The beads offer fun phrases and popular melodies you will have stuck in your head for months!
Age: Suitable from birth
Requires 4 x AA batteries
Why we love the Moosical Beads ....
- We love that this cute and cuddly cow will be a fun friend for your young baby.
- Everything about this toy combines fun with learning as not only can they learn the ABCs and 123s, but they can learn about shapes and colours while enjoying the fun songs.
- The easy grip handle is probably our favourite bit as it helps young babies to boost their early motor skills and learn how to grip without getting frustrated they can’t hold on to their favourite toy.
- Loving the different textures from the soft toy to the hard beads and squishy feet that your baby will love.
Tomy – Lamaze Garden Bug Writst Rattle & Footfinders Gift Set
RRP: £12.99 - Buy now
- These wrist and footfinder toys attach to your baby’s wrists and ankles so they can play without losing their toys.
- Having the toys on their wrists and ankles help them discover their own hands and feet.
- The rattles are brightly coloured to appeal to young babies.
- There are different textures on the toys to teach young babies about touch and noise.
- All the toys are safe for a little one to chew.
- The toys are machine washable.
Age: Suitable from birth
Dimensions: 20cm x 20cm x 6.5cm
Why we love the Lamaze Garden Bug Writst Rattle & Footfinders Gift Set....
- We love that these brightly coloured rattle toys can stay within baby’s reach so they don’t get frustrated when they lose them.
- We adore the baby-soft materials, bug wings and antennae.
- Everything about this toy is attractive to a young baby, it is the size they can hold themselves, loads of different textures to feel and noisy to teach them about sounds and textures.
- The brightly coloured ankle socks slip on easily and will fascinate a young baby.
- It’s all safe to chew as babies do love to chew anything! The fact that it’s all machine washable gives you peace of mind too.
Sophie the Giraffe Toy
RRP: £12.99 - Buy now
- A simple giraffe shaped toy that will keep baby entertained.
- Sophie the Giraffe laughs when her tummy is squeezed which stimulates baby’s hearing and helps them learn about cause and effect.
- Baby can squeeze and chew Sophie till their heart’s content.
- Being a small toy, it is easy for baby to grip and hold on to.
Age: Suitable from birth
Why we love Sophie the Giraffe Toy ....
- We love that this is a great early sensory toy that can help baby learn about texture, sounds, grip and they can chew it safely.
- We adore that her flexible, renewable, rubber materials and non-toxic paint mean she is safe for your baby.
- The contrasting spots on her back help baby’s early visual development and makes it easy to recognise as a toy they love.