The issue about educational toys is that they’re great, but you want them to be fun as well.
This list below includes 19 screen-free activities that can all assist children’s brains grow while also giving their eyes a break.
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1. A 100 Words Book
This can be utilized to help your child expand his or her English and Spanish vocabulary.
This one is a tad loud, but toddlers and preschoolers will love switching between English and Spanish. It will help them understand the concepts of a variety of languages.
Get it from Amazon for $15.99.
2. A Hide and Seek Alphabet Pop-Up Board
In this travel-friendly game, the ABCs and 123s are converted into an entertaining memory game.
It’s an excellent little game for learning letters and numbers, and it’s free of little pieces and noise – which is so important. It’s been a tremendous hit on lengthy car rides, and children enjoy playing with it even while they’re at home. It’s enjoyable watching them make connections between letters and various household things.
Get it from Amazon for $17.54.
3. A Magnetic Maze Puzzle
This game may help with fine motor development.
It’s yet another toy that promotes focus and concentration. (Plus, when it’s being used, things are a little quieter around the house.) It’s really enjoyable watching the kids practice fine motor skills while playing with the magnetic marbles. This game is also very portable!
Get it from Amazon for $22.99.
4. A Butterfly Growing Kit
This can help your child comprehends that caterpillars are REALLY hungry before they convert into butterflies.
It was the perfect complement to a stories about the transformation of a caterpillar into a butterfly. I enjoy that this kit comes with a voucher that allows you to order the caterpillars when the season is right for you to release them.
Get it from Amazon for $20.66.
5. A Little Passports subscription box
The package is stuffed with toys and activities that promote scientific and geography learning through play. It also demonstrates to your child how huge the globe is!
The Early Explorers kit (for ages 3-5) can be delivered every month, and it’s always a blast, from the unwrapping to the activities included. I enjoy how it provides us with the ideal opportunity to discuss a different region of the world.
It can pique the kids’ interest in travel, and parents can help them pursue it. The kits for kids are meant for children as young as 12 years old that include a range of themed boxes ranging from geography to STEM.
Get it from Amazon for $21.21 for the first month (available in five styles).
6. A set of 100-piece Magna-Tiles
This kit, which includes a variety of forms, could really help your child understand basic geometric principles.
Geometry concepts allow kids to experiment with both two- and three-dimensional shapes. Magna-Tiles can also be used to create buildings, castles, parking garages, and zoos in their small-world play stories; children will utilize the same materials to construct buildings, castles, parking garages, and zoos. This is about as open-ended as it gets!
As we become more open-ended with the play materials, we help our kids develop greater problem solving, creative thinking, and language skills to explain their creations.
Get the 100-piece set from Amazon for $120.
7. A set of 4-piece cute live-like animal figurines
This can pave the way for a lifelong interest in biological sciences.
Playing with diverse animals typically encourages profound learning and interest in animal facts and study, and animals become characters in children’s play stories. Making animal sounds also develops muscles, which aids in the development of oral language in the youngest children.
Get it from Amazon for $19.99.
8. A classic stable
This can be used to set the tone for tiny world play while also improving fine motor abilities.
This may make small-world play easier. When youngsters are having trouble coming up with their own play tale, adding environmental signals, such as a stable to indicate they are on a farm, can help them come up with ideas.
Furthermore, children handle the pieces with their fine motor abilities, and they tell stories using their imaginations and language.
Get it from Amazon for $32.99.
9. A classic Lego creative brick box
Your budding engineer will enjoy tinkering with all of the small parts, building whatever they choose!
We love Lego kits, but following directions vs creating with bricks and imagination requires a whole different skill set. To build a structure with a brick and Lego set, you’ll need engineering, experimentation, trial and error, and vision. Lego builders need to strike a balance between the two because they both develop key skill sets.
Get it from Amazon for $23.99.
10. A kick scooter
This is not only a fantastically amazing and entertaining toy, but it can also assist with focus and core control.
Can a scooter teach you something? YES! The development of focus in children is aided by physical and gross motor play. They not only learn to focus, but they also develop the muscle and physical strength, as well as the core control, required to sit in chairs.
Get it from Amazon for $139.99 (available in 12 colors).
11. A mid-century-inspired wooden toy car
This can be used for both racing and conducting physics experiments in the beginning.
These toy automobiles are not only great for storytelling and community building, but they also have a very cool retro vibe to them. Plus, did you know that your kids can actually be conducting physics experiments when they build ramps and race cars? Inertia! Friction! Children are truly extraordinary.
Get it from Amazon for $10 (available in nine colors).
12. A wooden marble run set
Your children may create, test, and attempt different ideas while playing with so many different pieces.
They’ll learn about ramps, acceleration, friction, and other physics concepts without even realizing it. They’ll also learn about trial and error and prediction in an entertaining way. What effect will this addition have on the overall structure? Experiment with it, put it to the test, and see what occurs. On top of that, collaboration, cooperation, and communication — sometimes even with a brother or sister — are also involved in the play.
Get it from Amazon for $98.
13. A toy cash register
With this charming little item, your child can learn all about basic math abilities.
Sure, they’re pretending to shop at the supermarket, but counting money and exchanging it for things is a fun and authentic method to develop basic math skills. Kids can write their own price tags and conduct their own addition and subtraction as their play becomes more complex… and before you know it, they’ll be helping you manage your business.
Get it from Amazon for $21+ to $44+ (available in four colors/styles).
14. A pack of “Colors of the World” crayons
These can be used to educate your kids about inclusivity through the medium of art.
Art has always been a great tool for engaging children in discussions about race and community, and it’s even better when the crayon colors are more inclusive of all skin tones. Children can be taught anti-racism through play.
Get a 10-pack of markers from Amazon for $7.99.
15. A pack of mess-free Kwik Stix paint sticks
These are ideal for teaching your children the important skill of how to make mistakes!
These mess-free, quick-drying paint sticks are a win for both parents and children. Art is such a strong means of expression. Kids are planning, turning, and practicing making mistakes even when it’s just a bunch of scribbles. It allows them to practice environmental stewardship by cleaning up after themselves.
Get a 24-pack from Amazon for $20.97.
16. A wood model kit
This kit is not only useful and functional, but it also teaches your youngster STEM skills!
Try this if you have a Lego builder who is ready for a new challenge. Kids who enjoy the engineering aspect of Legos will enjoy model building. Solar power is included in these National Geographic kits, which adds another STEM element.
Get it from Amazon for $24.99.
17. A nature detective set
This can help your little scientist develop the necessary curiosity for other topics in school, such as reading.
Curiosity is crucial since studies has shown that it aids in the learning of reading skills in young children. Exploring the outdoors is also directly linked to an understanding of science with this kit. (Can it get any better? Outdoor play allows kids to expend some of that boundless energy.)
Get it from Amazon for $8.99.
18. A Kinetic Sand kit
Take your sensory bins to the next level with this.
Everyone is working on deciphering sensory details from their surroundings, but some children are more sensitive than others. When you give kids choices while playing with sensory materials like Kinetic Sand, they learn to integrate and make sense of those sensory experiences. This ability comes in handy in real life situations, such as when they get paint or dirt on their hands.
Get it from Amazon for $12.89.
19. A tried-and-true train set
This can be used to teach planning and spatial awareness.
This timeless gem should not be overlooked. Your children will learn to alter the tracks to keep the trains on their wheels using everything from hand-eye coordination to patience and tenacity. Connecting one side of the track to the other requires a great deal of planning and spatial awareness. This requires a lot of concentration so parents may even get a few minutes to themselves.
Get it from Amazon for $49.99.