Toys for Kids & Their Educational Benefits

How many of you new parents are wondering what toys to buy for your kids?

Back in the day, our most exciting moments were unwrapping gifts under the Christmas tree or some Eid money that we would use to buy toys from stores. The coolest kids would be the ones fortunate enough to have the newest baby born or remote control cars from places like Toys are Us. However things have changed and now it’s all about the electronic games & ipads. Although video games are definitely much more fun and adults enjoy them as well, they have a bad impact on kids’ development, mental & physical health. That’s why you need to keep in mind when shopping for toys, especially for younger aged kids, to choose the right ones as research shows that educational toys aid in the development of toddlers and children’s skills. Take a look at these toys that are not outdated but still beneficial for your child’s development.

Infants (2-12 months)

At such a young age, infants are excited about everything and anything around them. They need sensory toys to stimulate their senses; toys with contrasting colors to develop their vision or toys that make musical sounds when played with.
This Fisher-Price Rattle ‘n Rock Maracas is a great option as it’s made for small hands and is baby-safe, so no worries about them biting it. You can hand this to your child at 3 months old.

If your baby is closer to the 12 months age, then it’s time to introduce a more complex toy. A good option would be the Busy Learners Activity Cube, which is made out of BPA-free plastic.

With 5 sides to explore, musical buttons that light up, contrasting colors, shapes, animal sounds, sliding and spinning blocks this toy will help promote interaction, fine motor skill development and hand-eye coordination. This Busy learner Activity Cube is also a smart investment as it will keep your child entertained upto the age of 3 years old.

Toddlers & Preschoolers (1-5 years old)

At this phase, your child is probably becoming more mobile and are building their balance and coordination skills as they’re starting to become more active. They are also learning problem solving and cause-effect, so matching games & blocks are perfect toys for this age.

A suitable toy for this age range would be the Hape Pound & Tap Bench with Slide Out Xylophone, encouraging audio recognition and musical development, most suitable for 1 to 3 years old kids. Don’t be alarmed by the hammer as it’s made of child safe materials and has a non-toxic finish.

Another toy which matches the skills of kids within the 1-5 years old range is the Mega Bloks Build & Learn Table by Fisher-Price.

It’s a portable, folding table set, which helps kids in learning colors and numbers by matching and counting. Let your kids build their own towns with this play set and buy it online or any of the products mentioned on this page simply by clicking on the images of the product.

At the age of 3 and upto 6 years old, the VTech Tote & Go Laptop below is highly educational. It teaches kids more than 60 words, spelling, shapes, logic, animals and more. In addition to playing melodies of different genres, it provides activities which promote progressive learning levels that gradually increase in difficulty.

Another fun activity for your kids is the Build-A-Bear workshop experience – Ballerina Bunny. Preferable for kids above the age of 4, this activity might need to be guided by parents as this product has all you need to create your bunny; stuff your furry friend, place a wish in the heart, give them a name on their included birth certificate, and dress them in their unique outfit and accessories. How cool is this stuffed animal compared to the ones we had during our childhood?!

This item includes:

1 Build-A-Bear Furry Friend

1 Outfit with Accessories

1 Build-A-Bear Birth Certificate

1 Build-A-Bear Heart

7 Paper Accessories

1 Bag of Stuffing

1 Instruction Guide

Primary School Children (6-10 years old)

Next up, the Scientific Explorer Mind Blowing Science Kit is more focused on teaching STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) principles – open ended toys to construct, engineer, explorer and experiment.

Allow your child to learn science in a fun and experimental way with 11 activities in this kit. It is advised that an adult supervises these activities as things might get messy.

Clementoni Science & Play Kitchen Laboratory Set is suitable for kids above the age of 8 years old. It’s a fun way to experiment the reactions that happen in the kitchen and discover the science of food.