Molly Barlett

Everyone wants to help their children to be the best they can be, and often that means supporting them through their educational journey. We might think about lessons and books when we think about ‘learning’ but toys have an important, even vital, role to play in learning for the majority of children. Learning through play is what children are designed to do and as such, research has shown that it is incredibly effective. Through play, children develop a whole range of dispositions and skills that underpin their learning throughout school and life.

The use of educational toys can help to enhance learning through play and allow children to develop skills like problem-solving, social skills, communication, fine and gross motor skills, creativity, imagination and can also build the foundation for more academic subjects like mathematics, literacy, science and technology. We’ve brought together some of the best learning toys in 2021 and highlighted the ways in which they can help children to learn. So, here are some of the best learning and educational toys by age group;

Being outside is really beneficial to babies, toddlers and children because humans are designed to spend much of their time outdoors as hunter-gatherer societies would have. This outdoor lifestyle would have allowed for plenty of fresh air and sun-exposure which are important for our health; for example, sun-exposure causes the body to produce vitamin D and without regular exposure to natural sunlight we risk becoming deficient in this important vitamin which increases bone density. As a result of less time being spent outdoors, some health services now recommend supplementation from birth to avoid the risk of rickets, a condition that had been on the rise.

As well as vitamin D, being outside causes the human body to produce more serotonin the ‘feel-good’ or ‘happy’ hormone that prevents depression and eases anxiety. For children, in particular, being outside helps to set their circadian rhythm, or wake-sleep pattern, and what parent wouldn’t like a child who slept more at night!? Physical play is incredibly important for children’s overall health and development and this tends to happen more naturally outside. However, many children are quite resistant to the idea of simply going on a walk, so you may need to find some ways to encourage them to play outdoors and stay active. That’s where these toys come in, we’ve brought together some of the Best Outdoor Playsets and Toys available in 2021 so that you can encourage children out into the great outdoors. Before we get to the list of outdoor playsets and toys, here are a few features you should look out for when selecting what to buy;

Dinosaurs have fascinated adults and children alike for many years. They’re a really popular interest for children whose imaginations are captured by the idea of these giant, prehistoric reptiles and many children enjoy learning the names of dinosaurs and absorbing a wealth of knowledge about the creatures size, eating habits and habitats.

Some parents worry that an interest in dinosaurs leads to violent or aggressive play but it is the exciting, powerful nature of dinosaurs which often appeals to children and imaginative play, even when it seems aggressive is a safe space for children to experiment with different kinds of feelings and emotions. In this regard dinosaur play can be very helpful, and it has tons of other benefits too! In learning about dinosaurs children learn to follow their own independent interests, research skills, often listening or reading, memorizing facts and then using them in play. As well as all of this, children are introduced to ideas about classification, mathematical measurement and often hone their speech and language skills practicing all those complex names! In short, dinosaurs are a great interest for children as this interest has so many different learning opportunities.

For some kids getting a watch is a rite of passage and certainly learning to tell the time is a significant milestone in a child’s development, but when is it right to buy a child’s first watch? It used to be that many parents were worried about the safety of watches with glass faces, but now many watches are specifically designed to be robust enough to stand up to the rough and tumble of a kid’s lifestyle. Then there was the idea of usefulness; is it useful for a kid to have a watch before they can tell the time independently? Thinking on this has changed somewhat and most people now consider having a watch a good encouragement to learn telling the time, and of course, digital watches are also an option.