Educational Toys

Almost every toy develops something, but a toy is usually called educational when it has a clear learning goal. The child does not just watch what happens but acts: places, counts, compares and looks for the right answer. The best educational toys let children make mistakes and try again, and an adult does not need to sit beside them the whole time.

• Counting and first maths. A wooden abacus with colourful beads lets children see and feel counting, adding and subtracting. See more in letters, numbers and counting.
• Letters and language. In the fishing game, every fish has a letter, and the same letters are on the board. Children learn the alphabet while catching fish.
• Emotions and social skills. On the emotion eggs board, children combine egg halves to make faces with different expressions. It is a gentle way to talk about feelings.
• Logic and colours. The feed-the-animals game teaches sorting by colour and logical thinking. Similar toys are in shape sorters and shape puzzles.
• Fine motor skills. A lacing toy with wooden cars and road signs trains finger dexterity and hand-eye coordination. See more in fine motor skills toys.

From 2 years, children can lace, sort and assemble with purpose, so lacing toys and simple sorting games suit this age. Around 3, an interest in numbers, letters and rules appears, and an abacus, letter games and logic tasks become a good fit. Shopping for a specific age? See toys for 2–3 year olds and toys for 3–5 year olds. For the youngest there are developmental baby toys.

Let your child lead and do not rush to give the right answer. Put into words what your child is doing: "you counted three beads", "this face is happy". That way they learn language too. Praise the effort, not just the result. Short, regular play sessions do more than one long lesson. If your child loses interest, put the toy away for a few days and offer it again later.

Most toys in this collection are wooden and follow the Montessori approach: one clear task and the chance to work independently. You will find a wider range in Montessori toys, Montessori boards and sets and wooden toys.