Best Educational Toys for Kids
The educational toys available for children today include an extensive range of subjects, come in some pretty amazing forms and are staggering in number – so, when it comes to sorting through what might be the “best of” this category of toys, it’s no simple task, especially since so many wonderful picks are available this year!
Despite the (fun) challenges, we created the top 10 educational toys for 2017–and what a list it is. From an interactive Leap Frog game to a Melissa & Doug wooden abacus to personalized name puzzles, there’s plenty of fantastic toys to pick from. Other excellent toys include dance games, sit-to-stand walkers, and write and learn options. Whether helping with motor skills or learning to write their first words, the toys on this list inspire, educate, and are super-fun besides! Have fun picking from the top 10 educational toys of 2017…your child will thank you one day!
What’s here: This fantastic compilation of the 10 best educational toys for children for the spring and summer months of 2017 was created by real moms and educators who enjoyed these toys with their kids or taught them in class. Numerous types of toys are included on the list to keep your youngin’ stimulated.
For shoppers: Purchasing any of these high-quality toys is easy–just visit Amazon! Please note that we sometimes get a commission through purchases made through our links. Also note that our recommendations are 100% made because we love the companies and products and are never influenced in any way by any commission we may receive.
What’s Here:
1. Fisher-Price Think & Learn Code-a-pillar
2. Snap Circuits Jr. SC-100
3. LeapFrog LeapStart Interactive Learning System (Preschool & Pre-Kindergarten)
4. Melissa & Doug Classic Wooden Abacus
5. Fisher-Price Dance & Move BeatBowWow
6. My First Lab Duo-Scope Microscope
7. Personalized Name Puzzle for Children
8. VTech Write and Learn Creative Center
9. OWI 14-in-1 Solar Robot
10. VTech Sit-to-Stand Learning Walker
1. Fisher-Price Think & Learn Code-a-pillar
Ages: 3 to 6
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First up on our list of the top 10 educational toys for 2017 is the Fisher-Price Think & Learn Code-a-pillar.
This connectable, tech-savvy bug is divide into light-up, interactive segments that send the worm wriggling and moving in all directions. Want him to move a different way? Pull him apart and put him back together in a different sequence. Play freeform or opt for wriggly, fun missions.
2. Snap Circuits Jr. SC-100
Ages: 8 and up
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Snap Circuits Jr. SC-100 comes in second among the ten best kids’ educational toys this year.
Snap Circuits, my all-time favorite forms of science toys, are connectable, snap-together segments that do different things in different sequences. There are over 100 projects, like burglar alarms, photo sensors, and flash lights, for kids to make with 30 snap circuits.
3. LeapFrog LeapStart Interactive Learning System (Preschool & Pre-Kindergarten)
Ages: 2 – 4
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Hitting third place on the list – LeapFrog LeapStart Interactive Learning System for Preschool and Pre-Kindergarten.
Interactive and fun. The new Interactive Learning System, or the ILS, is a tech-savvy “flip book” with 16 pages of educational activities. Using a stylus, kiddos will learn about geography, numbers, and problem-solving with sing-along songs, jokes, and exciting challenges.
4. Melissa & Doug Classic Wooden Abacus
Ages: 3 – 5
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Always a handy toy to have around – next up among the top children’s educational toys for 2017 and into 2017 is the Melissa & Doug Classic Wooden Abacus.
The abacus is a fun classic with colorful beads, perfect for teaching youngsters about counting, numbers, colors, and sequences. There are 100 beads in total and an instructions guide for 8 educational activities. Helps kids hone their fine motor skills.
5. Fisher-Price Dance & Move BeatBowWow
Ages: 5 – 7
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Fisher-Price Dance & Move BeatBowWow is a huge hit with little ones this year, and also makes it as a top educational toy.
So much fun and very interactive, the BeatBowWow is consider the pet pup of the adorable BeatBo pair. This dancing and nodding and too-cute canine comes with rainbow-colored, counting ears for color and number recognition. Also includes an LED light-up tail and numbered, educational feet for toe-tappin’, head-bobbin’, tail-waggin’ fun.
6. My First Lab Duo-Scope Microscope
Ages: 9 and up
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Holding strong among the best educational toys for 2017 — My First Lab Duo-Scope Microscope.
I had a starter microscope when I was a kiddo, and it was awesome. Kinda like this one, but way less advanced. The Duo-Scope comes with lab-quality, real-glass optics, 3 magnification levels, and a battery-powered light. Accessories include blank slides, pre-loaded slides, cover slips, forceps, test tubes, and petri dishes.
7. Personalized Name Puzzle for Children
Ages: 9 and up
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Another favorite among educational toys for young kids, here is the Personalized Name Puzzle.
What a great idea!
The name puzzle spells out your kiddo’s name in colorful (primary or pastel) letters (up to 9 of them).
It is an awesome way for kids to learn how to recognize and spell their names.
And they learn how to recognize the letters from their names as well.
8. VTech Write and Learn Creative Center
Ages: 9 and up
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Marking its own spot among the best educational toys at #8 is the VTech Write and Learn Creative Center.
The Write and Learn board is a fun method for teaching kiddos how to recognize alphabet letters, spell different words, and eventually write full sentences. The board is tablet styled with a light-up LCD screen where the letters appear. Kiddos can copy down the letters with a cool magnetic stylus.
9. OWI 14-in-1 Solar Robot
Ages: 9 and up
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Second to last up on the list – OWI 14-in-1 Solar Robot.
I am diggin’ the Solar Robot because this one is a 14 in one with two levels of buildable fun, from beginners to advanced builders. There are wheels, whirligigs, solar powers, and all kinds of fun, sun-powered elements that make each robot “go.” Homeschool your youngsters? Awesome for science curriculums
10. VTech Sit-to-Stand Learning Walker
Ages: 9 and up
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The final item on the top ten list of kids’ educational toys this year is a longer-term returning favorite – VTech Sit-to-Stand Learning Walker.
The Learning Walker, my favorite for toddlers, comes with a colorful plethora of buttons for counting, shape-sorting, music-playing, and roller-spinning. The front is perfect for little crawlers and sitters who want to play and learn for a while. But the back features a handle that kids can practice walking with.