Getting ready to start school is a big deal and a true milestone for your child. Choosing educational toys for preschoolers helps make this big step just a little smaller. Some of the best educational toys for preschoolers should focus on teaching them skills that will help develop the learning skills they need as they begin their journey into the school years. These educational toys for children should include toys that help with the concepts of color, counting and social skills. Let your preschooler shine by giving them educational yet fun learning resources.
Best Educational Toy#1 BABY LOOVI Foam Bath Toys
This serves double-duty as one of the best educational toys for preschoolers. Your little ones have fun learning and checking bath time off the list!
Great for boys and girls, these over-size bath toys are made from child-friendly materials, float and presents no danger of harm or choking. Your toddlers and preschools get to swim and play with brightly-colored letters decorated with sweet animal art. They can play with BABY LOOVI Foam Bath Toys in the tub or stick them on the wall for even more creative play.
BABY LOOVI Foam Bath Toys are just plain good clean fun for preschoolers and toddlers 18 months+.
Upsides:
- Non-toxic, large letters
- Alphabet recognition
- Motor Skills
- Imagination and creativity
Downsides:
- Does not lay flat after several uses
- Colors fade over time
- Potential for letters to be removed by children under 18 months – parental supervision required
Best Educational Toy#2 Skoolz Color Sorting Preschool Learning Toys – Butterfly Counting
An excellent choice for toys for toddlers 2-3 years of age and up, there is much to learn from the Skoolz Color Sorting Preschool Learning Toys, Butterfly Counting toy. The brightly-colored butterflies help your child develop early math concepts such as number recognition, counting and addition.
Altogether, the multi-colored butterflies, deep flower petal containers and oversized tweezers stimulate creativity and motor skills, all while learning those important numbers. The large flower petals can be snapped together or separated for encouragement to think outside of the box.
All materials are made from safety-tested, BPA-free, durable plastic pieces which can be packed up for easy clean-up or travel. A free eBook with play suggestions is included.
Count the Skoolz Color Sorting Preschool Learning Toys (Butterfly Counting) as one of the best learning toys for kids ages 2, 3, 4 and up. And for mind-building excellence, this toy won the 2018 Academics’ Choice Brain Toy Award.
Upsides:
- Introduces simple math concepts
- Color recognition
- Develops motor skills
- Encourages creativity
Downsides:
- Activity books missing from shipment
- Butterflies bend too easily
- Flower petal containers can be hard to take apart
- Quality of carrying case
Best Educational Toy#3 Melissa & Doug Disney Mickey Mouse Wooden Shape Sorting Clock
One of the biggest struggles for young children is the concept of telling time. I know that aside from learning how to tie shoes, telling time was a challenge for my little guy. It’s this little gem, the Melissa & Doug Disney Mickey Mouse Wooden Shape Sorting Clock, to the rescue!
It is not only one of the finest toys for toddlers, it teaches them numbers, the concept of time and encourages sorting and counting.
Melissa and Doug toys are known for their high quality, durable wooden educational toys for preschoolers and children of all ages. The bright colors on the clock and 12 removable numbered blocks catch and hold the eyes of toddlers. The blocks can be stacked and sorted, as well as learning how to fit the right shape block into the right space. With the smiling face of Mickey Mouse and his moving hour and minute hands, your preschooler will have a jump on more than just telling time.
The Melissa & Doug Disney Mickey Mouse Wooden Shape Sorting Clock is one of the top educational and learning toys for kids ages 3 years and up.
Upsides:
- Sturdy, natural wooden parts for easy toddler play
- Number and color recognition
- Improves Hand/Eye/Motor skills
- Introduces concepts of sorting, counting and time
Downsides:
- Blocks could use a smoother finish
- Limited play and activities
- No storage; easy to lose blocks
- No way to stand up; must lie flat
Best Educational Toy#4 Buckle Toy Bizzy
Before you know it, your toddler blossoms into a preschooler. When that happens, it’s time to provide those educational toys for preschoolers that can provide a few more lessons in basic life skills and concepts. Your preschooler will be learning a lot in the next couple of years and the more learning resources you can provide, the easier it will make this transition. Some of the concepts new to preschoolers are the function and meaning of letters, numbers, colors and shapes.
And once potty-training has been mastered, new motor skills come into play which they need to learn how to zipper, tie and buckle clothing or shoes for that first step into independence. The Buckle Toy Bizzy is a safe, engaging way to teach and develop these necessary motor skills.
Bizzy is a rainbow-colored take-along pal who can teach preschoolers how to buckle a few different clasps, as well as how to zip and unzip pockets to find animals hiding there.
Among educational toys for children, this one is excellent for teaching skills your preschooler really needs to learn. The straps attach this plush toy to car seats, shopping carts or strollers to take along on errands or car trips.
Buckle Toy Bizzy is one of the best learning toys for toddlers and preschoolers ages 2-3 years of age and up.
Upsides:
- Engaging and hands-on toy
- Teaches cognitive, motor and problem-solving skills
- Hand/Eye coordination
Downsides:
- The flatter buckles can be hard to snap together
- May teach toddlers how to unsnap or unbuckle off-limit items (mom’s purse, etc.)
- Zippers can get stuck on the stuffing or toy itself
Conclusion
If I had to pick my favorite of the educational toys for preschoolers, it would be Buckle Toy Bizzy. This silly-faced, colorful, snuggly toy helps to teach the important motor skills and concepts that children need for self-confidence and age-appropriate independence.