We’ve complied a list of the 15 Best Learning Toys for Kids. The list is ordered by age, with the recommended age information available underneath the product photo.
VTech Pull and Sing Puppy
Get ready for fun and adventures with the Pull and Sing Puppy by VTech. This playful interactive puppy loves to follow you around. Pull the puppy by its cord to activate music and sounds, see the puppy’s legs move and watch the keys swing. Press the colorful buttons to introduce numbers, colors and parts of the body. The buttons also play songs, playful phrases, melodies and cute puppy sounds. The puppy’s nose flashes along with the sounds and music plays when the puppy rolls. Requires 2 AAA batteries (batteries included for demo purposes only, new batteries recommended for regular use).
Fisher-Price Dance & Groove Rockit
Interactive learning buddies Dance & Groove Rockit and Glow can’t wait to play and learn with your baby! The adorable duo interacts with each other and your little one, offering interactive lights, music, and phrases that teach the alphabet, counting, and more. Your baby will love exploring all the hands-on play and watching these two pals interact with each other (and your kiddo!) with bright lights and cool motions. High-five! Rockit can even record what you say and repeat it back with three silly voices! Plus, with Smart Stages technology, the learning content changes as your little one grows! Where development comes into play Academics: Rockin’ tunes and phrases teach the alphabet, colors, counting, shapes, Spanish, and more! Sensory: Get your baby’s senses dancing with bright, colorful lights, exciting music and motion, and different textures. Curiosity & Wonder: Your toddler is introduced to cause and effect as they discover how to get Rockit and Glow moving with fun lights and sounds.
VTech Musical Rhymes Book
VTech Smart Shots Sports Center
Recommended for children 1 year – 3 years
Shoot, score and learn with the smart shots sports center by VTech. Toss the basketball into the hoop to score points or kick the Soccer ball into the net to hear fun sounds. Press buttons, turn gears and flip pages to learn about shapes, numbers and more. Educational toy meant for toddlers between 1 and 3 years old. Operates on 3 AA batteries (not included).
Be Amazing Insta-Snow Jar
Recommended for children 4 years of age and older
Insta-Snow powder is the first and original instant snow polymer that actually erupts. No stirring required. Just add water and watch it erupt into snow in seconds. Don’t settle for imitation snow that results in a slushy mess, get the original artificial snow. Be Amazing’s Insta-Snow is the most realistic “faux” snow on the market. You can even make Santa’s footprints from the fireplace to the tree on Christmas morning using the Insta-snow powder.
Osmo Creative Kit for iPad
Recommended for children 6 – 12 years of age
- Three smart games that transform your iPad into a hands-on tool for creativity and laughter
- Features an animated friend who brings drawings to life (Monster), an amazing interactive art tool (Masterpiece), and a fun-filled collision of doodles and physics (Newton)
- Osmo Monster Game is now available in Spanish, with your furry Mo voiced by Jaime Camil (of TV’s Jane the Virgin and Disney Pixar’s Coco).
- Best Toy, 2016 Oppenheim Platinum Award | “One of the coolest toys we’ve ever tested” – Today Show
- Designed for kids 6-12 and best results with Osmo technology, contains 6 dry-erase markers, fuzzy eraser pouch, and the Creative Board
- Includes the Osmo Base (stand & reflector), which works with all Osmo games, plus the art supplies. Requires iPad to play
Scientific Explorer My First Mind Blowing Science Kit
Recommended for children 6 years of age and older
Scientific Explorer’s Mind Blowing Science Kit makes it possible to create your very own science lab at home. This smartly designed science kit allows young scientists to perform several amazing science experiments that range from erupting a color-changing volcano to growing colorful, jiggly crystals. Young scientists will learn about basic principles behind the science including the difference between acids and bases, and how to use a test tube and pipette. Although designed for use by children ages four and older, adult supervision is needed for safety and to ensure that young scientists get the most out of the Mind Blowing Science Kit.
Do-It-Yourself Science: No Experts Required
Scientific Explorer’s Mind Blowing Science Kit includes almost everything you need to set up exciting, colorful experiments with your young scientist. Included in this dynamic kit are the following components: red cabbage juice powder, citric acid, color tablets, polyacrylamide crystals, a pipette, small and medium scoops, and three plastic cups. Only basic supplies are required but not included, such as water, towels, a plate or tray to catch spills, and a stirring spoon. Although none of the experiments included in this kit are especially messy, each one should be done on a flat surface that can be easily wiped clean in case of spills.
Adults who are supervising experiments do not need to be science gurus. In addition to step-by-step instructions for each experiment, the detailed science guide included with this kit provides adults with “mind blowing science secrets” that help to answer questions about what’s happening in each experiment. All of the materials and experiments involve basic scientific concepts associated with acidic and basic liquids and are arranged to present these concepts in sequential order. The descriptions included in the science guide give background information related to each reaction and offer questions that adults can ask to help encourage fun learning during experimentation.
Dynamic, Fun Science at Home
Adults and kids will learn amazing new things about basic and acidic solutions with the Mind Blowing Science Kit. Whether erupting a color-changing volcano, creating a sunset in a test tube, or growing colorful, jiggly crystals, this science kit mixes learning with experimentation in a fun and colorful way for a wide range of ages. Each of the hands-on activities in the science guide is intended to be performed by a young scientist under adult supervision, although these activities can be adjusted to accommodate a range of ages and capabilities while still maintaining the educational excitement of the original experiments. In addition to providing detailed instructions, the science guide makes it possible for those adults who might not have a background in science, or even any exposure to scientific experimentation, to knowledgably perform experiments successfully. The dynamic, colorful nature of the experiments included in this kit make it great for pleasing a crowd at family gatherings, parties, or science fairs.
What’s in the Box
Red cabbage juice powder, citric acid, baking soda, color tablets, cross-linked polyacrylamide crystals, vegetable oil, corn starch, paper, cotton swabs, test tubes and caps, plastic cups, pipette, stir sticks, small and medium plastic scoops, science guide.
Creativity for Kids Grow ‘n Glow Terrarium
Recommended for children 6 years of age and older
A terrarium is a miniature garden in a simulated natural environment. The Grow N’ Glow Terrarium is a complete kit for helping kids to create their very own miniature eco-system. It’s so easy! You just assemble, decorate, water and watch it grow!
It’s a fun way to teach kids about botany, eco-systems and the life cycle of plants. Kids love to see how things work and especially how the magic of seeds, soil, sun and water will blossom into green plants! This is a great lesson in cause-and-effect, responsible stewardship and delayed gratification, since the terrarium needs to be misted each day for the seeds to sprout and grow. Like keeping a pet, the plants will only thrive if they’re given water each day – but no worries – if they forget to water it they learn the importance of water to the life cycle! And when they do water it, the seeds begin to shoot up in 3 to 4 days.
After assembly, there are delightful garden stickers and glow-in-the-dark stars to embellish your terrarium further. During the day, when the terrarium is in full light, it soaks up light for the plants and also soaks up light in the glow stickers. Then at night the stickers will glow and it looks like an enchanted little lightning bug house!! The Grow and Glow Terrarium is the perfect STEAM activity that mixes art and science.
Everything you need is included for 2 full planting life-cycles, so you can plant your terrarium and watch it grow, then do it all again in a month or so, depending upon how long your plants thrive. The Creativity for Kids Grow and Glow Terrarium is kid tested and safe. Since 1976, Creativity for Kids has proudly created safe and innovative products that meet or exceed U.S. Safety Standards and encourage creativity and imagination in children. Your child will develop their fine motor skills, enjoy using their creative side to build and construct their own terrarium and watch it grow!
Snap Circuits Jr. SC-100 Electronics Exploration Kit
Recommended for children 8 years of age and older
Create Working Electronic Circuits Snap Circuits Jr (SC-100) comes with over 30 components to create 101 different electronic projects. The pieces, which include snap wires, slide switches, an alarm circuit, a music integrated circuit, and a speaker, snap together easily on the included plastic grid–no soldering required. Each piece is numbered and color-coded to make identifying them easy. These components combine to create working circuit boards just like the ones found inside televisions, radios, and other electronic devices.
With its easy-to-follow instructions, Snap Circuits gives your child a hands-on education in how electrical circuits work to run the everyday devices that they’re familiar with. They’ll also gain valuable lessons in building and in following instructions. The project manual includes large color illustrations and simple directions for each project. The projects include a sound-activated switch, a musical doorbell, a voice-controlled lamp, a flying saucer, and a light police siren. With these projects, children will experiment with things like electric switches, integrated circuits, digital circuits, fuses, and the transformation of circuit sounds into other sounds.
Includes: Plastic snap-grid, 32 electrical components, and 1 project manual.
4M Crystal Growing Experiment
Recommended for children 10 years of age and older
The 4M Crystal Growing Experiment teaches kids and adults about the beauty and complexity of crystal growth with stunning results. Simply follow the directions to conduct seven different crystal growing experiments. Watch as each sparkling crystal forms and grows inside its own unique display dome. Once grown, these crystals will last indefinitely for family and friends to enjoy.
This kit is an excellent gift for any child who’s interested in science or geology. It has everything you need to get started, including crystal growing compounds and mixtures, seven display domes, stirring supplies, and detailed instructions.
