Help Your Children Learn During Playtime with These 3 Essential Educational Toys

It may surprise some parents, but children are actually capable of learning as they play. Even 15 minutes of free play allows children to learn mathematical and spatial principles, though 45 to 60 minutes of unstructured playtime is ideal for young kids. Problem solving skills and creative thinking are encouraged when children are able to explore and figure out how the world works around them.

How can your children get the most learning out their playtime? One of the best ways to help children learn through play is to provide them with educational toys and activities that encourage problem solving and creative thinking. Here are three types of toys that are essential to help young children’s brains develop:

Puzzles

For young children, especially, puzzles are ideal for learning. Having a puzzle with between 12 and 20 pieces (or more) is perfect for children between three and six years old. Puzzles help children learn how pieces fit together, which is crucial to developing early problem solving skills. That can have lasting effects later on in life. Leading research has shown that 66% of adults who work in math-related fields like banking or accounting enjoyed playing with puzzles as children.

Construction Toys

Blocks are another staple of any childhood because they allow for both problem solving and creative thinking. Children who build can learn how different size pieces fit together to create a structure, and they learn how to build the most stable structure through trial and error. But wooden blocks aren’t the only creative toys for children. Magnetic construction sets are catching on as another way to help kids build without having to struggle to fit blocks and other pieces together. These educational toys were preferred by 60% of architects, artists, and others in the design field when they were children.

Train Sets

Even train sets can help children learn because they get the chance to create something that moves. Magnetic train sets are a fun and easy way to show kids how to construct without making too much of a mess or having to worry about small parts. Children can also learn how to build tracks and create pathways for the trains, which is a good way to teach them about transportation.

Which types of educational toys do your children prefer to play with? Tell us about their favorite games and activities in the comments section.