36 Educational Toys That Are as Exciting as Their Tablet

editor@purewow.com (PureWow)
·25 min read

Naturally, you want to steer your children away from screens...but unless you provide them with something fun to play with, your kids are basically moths to the iPad light. So how can you ensure that fun and learning collide? Easy—just check out our list of 36 educational toys for kids of all ages, where you’ll find electronic building kits for future computer science geniuses, take-apart toys for budding engineers, microscopes for biologists-to-be and many more highly-rated playthings to suit a wide variety of interests.

The 36 Best Educational Toys at a Glance:

RELATED: The 15 Trendiest Toys of 2021

1. VTech Sit to Stand Learning Walker (Ages 0 to 2)

Best Walker

This two-speed walker isn’t a mere prop to help tots find their footing; it’s a whole sensory experience, complete with piano keys, shape sorters, rollers and various light-up buttons that inspire creativity while giving fine motor and visual cognitive development a boost.

Key features:

  • Helps develop the gross motor skills and strength required for independent walking.

  • Interactive features encourage pretend play, develop fine motor skills and provide sensory stimulation.

  • Two-speed function ensures that this walker will keep pace with your growing tot.

$40; $38 at Amazon

2. KiwiCo Cell Shape Sorter (1+)

Best Biology-Themed Toy

There’s more than meets the eye to this wooden sorter. Tiny tots who are just starting to perfect their grasp will enjoy shape matching the blocks into the circle-, square- and mitochondria-shaped holes, while older kids can flip through the pages of a biology-themed board book to learn about what makes cells special.

Key Features:

  • Lightweight shapes that are ideal for small hands

  • Made from solid wood

  • Comes with a biology-themed board book

Buy It ($40)

3. Little Partners Learning Tower and Developmental Activity Board (Ages 18 months+)

Best for the Wannabe Sous-Chef

It’s an exciting day when your babe moves on from bashing her toys and starts pretend play... except now you can’t do anything in the kitchen without her wanting to join you and play sous-chef. Annoying? Yes. But learning by imitation is an important stage of development, so you’d be wise to nurture this curiosity. Enter this learning tower—designed by a Montessori school educator, it elevates your kid to kitchen counter height so she can get in on the action (and you can still get dinner on the table). You can also buy educational boards—like this one, which helps kids improve their color perception and coordination—that attach to the sides of the tower. This board in particular helps kids work on color perception and coordination. (Psst: The lightweight boards also make great travel toys).

Key Features:

  • Learning tower fosters independence and interactive learning

  • Interactive learning board with 20 sequence cards attaches to the learning tower and promotes color and shape recognition, plus hand-eye coordination

  • Made from wood with non-toxic finish

$220; $200 at Amazon

4. The Learning Journey Match It! Self-Correcting Spelling Puzzles (Ages 2 to 5)

Best Puzzle

When it comes to learning how to read, confidence is half the battle, and these self-correcting puzzles create a lot of positive vibes while promoting concentration and problem-solving skills. Even if your tyke is too little to pay attention to the letters, he will still benefit from the fine motor skill exercise of fitting together these sturdy cardboard pieces. With repetition and visual learning cues, you might be surprised by how quickly he learns his letters.

Key Features:

  • Large cardboard pieces are easy to handle and help develop fine motor skills

  • Three- and four-piece word puzzles fit together for self-correcting spelling lesson

  • Bold, simple images for visual learning that boosts early literacy

Buy it ($13; $10)

5. Carson BugView Quick-Release Bug Catching Tool (Ages 2 to 10)

Best for the Backyard Lover

Slide it, trap it...and what the hell is that thing? Everybody’s about to find out, thanks to this cool (and humane) bug catching contraption. Kids of all ages can learn so much from nature, whether they’re digging in the dirt of your backyard or enjoying a romp down a local hiking trail. The clear acrylic magnifying lens on this puppy gives a pretty sweet view of any specimen so your kiddo can learn the basics of biology.

Key Features:

  • Shatter-proof acrylic lens captures details with 5x magnification power

  • Thumb-operated sliding function is simple for children to operate, making the catch-and-release approach to exploration easy

  • Encourages curiosity, inquiry and compassion in natural studies

$14; 12 at Amazon

6. Orsen Gifts LCD Writing Tablet and Doodle Board (Ages 2 to 10)

Best for the Doodler

This LCD drawing tablet is so easy to use that your toddler will love it as much as your second grader. Use it to make spelling lessons more fun or just encourage your kiddo to doodle and make new art from the comfort of the couch instead of a desk. The pressure-sensitive technology produces lines of varying thickness without breaking any crayons, and the rainbow-colored writing your kid produces with ease will keep them entertained.

Key Features:

  • Large (ten-inch) color screen for easy viewing

  • Ideal for doodling, advanced writing and learning

  • LCD pressure-sensitive technology creates bold, mess-free lines of varying thickness

$21; $19 at Amazon

7. Educational Insights Now You See It Now You Don’t Compost Container (Ages 2 to 10)

Best for the Budding Scientist

Can that slimy banana peel really help a beet grow? Your budding scientist wants to know, and she’ll learn a lot more about compost by witnessing the process. This science lesson is both exciting and engaging, because kids get to record real-time progress. Watch the action unfold with this clear-sided composting container that has three aerated compartments (each featuring magnified spots and a thermometer) so kids can compare and track the decomposition rates and traits of different materials.

Key Features:

  • Three compost compartments are conducive to comparative studies

  • Kids can watch decomposition in real time and track the progress

  • Magnified spots enhance the transparent container for close-up study

$45; $29 at Amazon

8. Miniland ABC Monster (Ages 3+)

Best Literacy Toy

Your kid might not be ready for Scrabble yet, but you’ll be one step closer to realizing that family game night dream when you give your tot this clever and oh-so cute ‘feed the monster’ literacy game. The multiple game modes allow for solo or group play—and in all scenarios, word-building and sight-reading skills are sure to be strengthened.

Key features:

  • Interactive game that teaches kids to read and spell.

  • Can be played solo or in a group.

Buy it ($51)

9. KNOP KNOP Caterpillar Felt Building Kit (Ages 3+)

Best Alternative Building Blocks

STEM toys are undeniably beneficial, but not every kid gravitates towards building blocks and the like. Here, an alternative that boasts soft felt pieces which can be snapped together to construct something that’s both harder to destroy and snugglier than your standard “tallest tower ever!”

Key features:

  • Limitless construction opportunities to inspire creativity and encourage flexible thinking.

  • Fine motor skills get a workout from snap-to-connect pieces.

  • Felt material provides sensory stimulation with a softer feel.

Buy it ($50)

10. KAPLA Owl Case (Ages 3+)

Best STEAM Toy

Here, color-coded pine wood planks come together to make a stunning creation that’s worthy of display. This STEAM toy from KAPLA will encourage creativity, whilst helping kids hone their color recognition, problem solving and engineering skills. Best of all, the project will be a hoot from start to finish. (Sorry, we had to.)

Key features:

  • Boosts visual reasoning, color recognition and problem solving skills.

  • Detailed, kid-friendly instructions to encourage independent building.

  • Suitable for a wide age range.

Buy it ($70)

11. MAGNA-TILES (AGES 3+)

Best Magnetic Tiles

When we polled parents on Instagram earlier this year about the top toys their kids have loved during quarantine, these magnetic tiles were among the most popular (and Amazon reviewers agree—this 32-piece set boasts over 2,800 five-star reviews). The translucent, durable tiles are magnetized so that they stick together, making it easy for kids to build anything from animal mosaics to 3-D castles, working on key skills like mathematics, science and creativity.

Key Features:

  • STEM toy that encourages creativity and imagination

  • Multiple ways for kids to play, both with others or on their own

  • Popular with kids from ages 3 to 99

Buy it ($50)

12. CoolToys Monkey Balance Math Game (Ages 3+)

Best Math Game

If you think your 3-year-old is too young to learn math, here’s a toy that will prove you wrong. This early-learning activity uses hands-on play to teach basic math concepts (counting, addition, subtraction) while strengthening your tot’s fine motor skills as they try to balance the scale using monkey figurines and weighted plastic numbers. Neat.

Key Features:

  • Improves number recognition and introduces basic math concepts

  • Builds fine motor skills while keeping little hands busy

  • Can be used for independent play

$25; $20 at Amazon

13. My Little Farm SmartFelt Toy (Ages 3+)

Best 3D Toy

Created by a speech pathologist, this reversible 3D felt play structure is designed to teach kids about numbers, colors, shapes and sizes. With 32 matching felt pieces (each one carefully chosen to address key early language concepts) that stick to outlines in the farm’s eight rooms, kids will enjoy finding the right match while learning how to associate images with words. This interactive toy also includes a pamphlet that covers language lessons and suggests activities to work on those skills.

Key Features:

  • Designed to help speech and vocabulary development

  • A sensory and interactive toy with multiple textures, colors and visual aids to help child’s brain development

  • Endorsed by the Center for Autism RELATED Disorders and Autism Live

$40 at Amazon

14. Hand2Mind Mindful Maze Toy (Ages 3+)

Best Relaxing Toy

Worked up kids can play their way to calm with these mindful maze boards—a social-emotional learning toy that guides kids through breathing exercises while keeping their hands busy with a soothing sensory activity. Children of all ages will find these boards engaging, and the pay-off—improved mindfulness and self-regulation skills—is huge.

Key Features:

  • Finger tracing activities to help kids self-regulate through sensory play

  • Three double-sided boards provide a variety of breathing activities for different situations

$22 at Amazon

15. Learning Resources Dino Sorters Activity Set (Ages 3+)

Best for Dino-Lovers

This one works just like the acorn activity set, but it’s sure to be a bigger hit with dino-lovers. Little kids can help colorful dinosaurs hatch, but the real fun (and learning) comes when it’s time to clean up by matching the prehistoric creatures with the right numbered and colored egg. This activity is a tactile treat that builds color recognition, number recognition, fine motor and basic math skills at the same time.

Key Features:

  • Colorful dinosaurs and numbered eggs improve color and number recognition

  • Includes an activity book with a variety of age-appropriate math challenges

Buy it ($68; $26)

16. Homer Explore Feelings Kit (Ages 3 to 6)

Best EQ Toy

Toys that work on your kid’s IQ are great and all, but we’d argue that EQ (aka the ability to identify and manage your emotions and the emotions of others) is even more important. This kit includes dress-up gear, coloring pages, social-emotional cards, a magnetic story board and numerous other materials that help kids learn about feelings through play.

Key Features:

  • Adaptable toy that can be used for open-ended or guided play

  • Teaches kids valuable social skills, including how to identify and express emotions

$35 at Amazon

17. Melissa & Doug 48-Piece Solar System Floor Puzzle (Ages 3 to 6)

Best Floor Puzzle

They’re not only an effective stress reliever. Jigsaw puzzles exercise both hemispheres of the brain at once, improving short-term memory and developing visual reasoning and overall cognitive function. This 48-piece floor puzzle has pieces that are big enough to encourage younger ones, with a scale large enough to interest older kids, too. Hot tip: Once complete, use this puzzle to talk about all the planets so you can incorporate a little astronomy lesson into your day.

Key Features:

  • 48-piece puzzle

  • Sturdy cardboard pieces

  • Useful visual for astronomy lessons

$14; $9 at Amazon

18. Battat Take Apart Airplane (Ages 3 to 7)

Best Take-Apart Plane

Your child likes things that go vroom, and you like toys that provide some modicum of mental stimulation. (We’re looking at you, Hot Wheels.) The compromise? This genius number from Battat—a take-apart plane that won’t takeoff until little kids flex their problem-solving muscles and pass the STEM test (with flying colors, of course).

Key features:

  • Includes a kid-friendly, battery-operated drill to help develop fine motor skills.

  • Large, brightly-colored pieces are easy for little hands to work with.

  • Construction project that builds problem solving skills.

$17 at Amazon

19. Coogam Wooden Tangram Puzzle (Ages 4+)

Best Brain Teasing Toy

This tangram puzzle is like Tetris without the screen...and it’s pretty darn tricky. Slightly older kids will be stimulated by this brainteaser, which involves rearranging shapes in the frame to form a variety of images, and little kids will enjoy getting in on the challenge as well. (They might need some help to complete the picture, but their fine motor skills will benefit from the effort.) This one will give your young problem-solver a run for his money when it comes to visual and spatial reasoning skills.

Key Features:

  • Wooden shape puzzle develops visual and spatial reasoning skills

  • Entertaining for a wide age range.

  • Brightly-colored pieces; non-toxic paint

$10 at Amazon

20. Melissa & Doug See and Spell Wooden Toy (Ages 4 to 6)

Best Spelling Toy

Little kids can get a head start on their literacy skills with this simple early learning game in which brightly colored wooden letters must be fitted into the appropriate spot on the cut-out boards in order to create basic words. In addition to helping kids recognize letters and learn to sight-read, this hands-on activity also hones fine motor skills.

Key Features:

  • A hands-on activity that keeps kids engaging while giving fine motor skills a boost

  • This spelling toy helps with letter recognition and introduces the concept of sight-reading

Buy it ($22)

21. Educational Insights Kanoodle Jr. Brain Boosting Puzzle Game (Ages 4 to 7)

Best Critical Thinking Puzzle

Kanoodle Jr. is brain food your child can actually get down with (rather than simply hurl at the wall). This compact puzzle comes with a handy manual of 60 different mind-bending activities that will force your kiddo to flex his spatial-reasoning and critical-thinking muscles...and all the challenges are age-appropriate, so the brainteaser won’t turn into a tearjerker.

Key Features:

  • Pieces are chunky and easy to manipulate; great for sharpening fine motor skills

  • Kit includes 60 challenges to develop spatial-reasoning skills

  • Single-player activity

$16; $13 at Amazon

22. ThinkFun Zingo Sight Words Early Reading Game (Ages 4 to 8)

Best Word Game

Sounding out words is a big part of learning how to read, but at times it can be painfully S-L-O-W, especially for a squirmy kindergartener. The good news is that there’s a more exciting way to encourage literacy. Created by educators, Zingo is a rousing round of sight-word Bingo that keeps kids on their toes as they compete to find a familiar word and find it fast. (Let’s be honest, speed drills are more fun than phonics.) The game includes a Zinger (think Bingo ball machine) that dispenses sight-word playing chips in pairs. If your child can quickly find the word on his playing card, he can take the token and get one step closer to calling out, “Zingo!”

Key Features:

  • Fast-paced, exciting game of sight-word Bingo

  • Includes 24 different words, selected for frequency of use in books and speech

  • Kids can play solo, with a dealer (parent) or with a group of up to six players

$22 at Amazon

23. Arpedia 3D Digital Learning Game (Ages 4 to 10)

Best Immersive STEM Game

In moderation screen time is fine (some would say necessary), especially when it has some educational value. This innovative toy allows kids to interact digitally with the content of a book by playing games on a tablet. The end result is an immersive STEM reading experience that stimulates all the senses while delivering a solid dose of learning.

Key Features:

  • Interactive STEM reading experience that requires a tablet

  • Starter set includes educational books

$100 at Amazon

24. Winning Moves No Stress Chess (Ages 4 to 10)

Best Chessboard

Nothing provides a brain workout quite like the classic game of chess. But this chessboard comes with a couple kid-friendly features that might make all the difference when introducing or honing the skill, strategy and critical thinking required to topple a king (or stalemate your sister). Use the clue cards to guide young learners through the game with move suggestions and helpful reminders of how the pieces hop around the board. When your chess-master-in-training is ready, flip the board over for a more grown-up, cheat-free game.

Key Features:

  • Chess has long been regarded as one of the best mental exercises around, because success relies on concentration, critical thinking and anticipation of future events

  • The double-sided board can be used to handicap more advanced players and promote frustration-free learning for newbies

  • The deck of cards, included for use with the beginner board, functions as a stand-in instructor and step-by-step guide to the game

Buy it ($22)

25. Educational Insights Robot Face Race Game (Ages 4 to 10)

Best Matching Game

This matching game gets the seal of approval from Mensa, but the kid appeal is probably because it moves at lightning speed. This robot challenge is thoughtfully designed to require a high degree of visual discrimination, which encourages reading skills. The Robot Face Race requires at least two players, but one of them can be you. Place your token on one of the many artistically designed robot faces on the game board, according to the attributes chosen by the Robot Randomizer. Just try to do it at super speed or someone will beat you to it.

Key Features:

  • Distinctions in color and physical attributes hone visual discrimination

  • Competitive race component teaches concentration under pressure, an invaluable life skill

  • Can be played with two or more players (and one player can be a parent)

$20; $13 at Amazon

26. Lego Classic Large Creative Brick Box Building Kit (Ages 4 to 10)

Best LEGO Toy

LEGO's are the original STEM toy. This starter set is full of small pieces, so it’s not suitable for kids who are still at risk of sampling non-food items. But once you’re past that point, the learning possibilities are endless. Tiny building blocks make for big strides in fine motor control, and they’re a fantastic material for creative engineering experiments. Your child can craft almost anything: a castle, spaceship, scooter or cityscape, to name a few. The tinkering process teaches frustration tolerance, problem-solving and concentration skills, and that’s probably why this toy has stood the test of time.

Key Features:

  • Small LEGO pieces help children develop fine motor skills

  • Creativity blooms with open-ended building possibilities (bounded by logic, for extra learning)

  • The bricks are small, but the storage box is built to last

Buy it ($60; $43)

27. Basic Fun Lite-Brite (Ages 4 to 15)

Best LED Art Toy

Tie-dye isn’t the only blast from the past that making a comeback this year—kids are loving this retro toy and it’s easy to see why (seriously, just check out the more than 8,400 five-star reviews on Amazon). Follow the included templates (like a rainbow unicorn or sailboat cruise) or let your imagination run wild by creating your own masterpiece using the included pegs. When completed, turn on the LED display for a colorful light show of your artwork with four different light modes.

Key Features:

  • Includes 6 templates, 200+ pegs and a bigger, brighter screen

  • Inspires creativity and helps develop fine motor skills & hand-eye coordination

  • Suitable for a wide age range

$20; $13 at Amazon

28. The Magic School Bus Exploring Oceans (Ages 5+)

Best for Magic School Bus Lovers

Fans of the Magic School Bus will be delighted to join Ms. Frizzle and her inquisitive students on an underwater adventure with this multi-activity kit. Scoop this one up and your kid can look forward to a DIY desalination plant project and salt experiments, educational games, and the challenge of building an epic shell collection.

Key features:

  • Ocean exploration kit includes experiments, games and educational materials galore.

  • Hands-on, science-based learning.

Buy it ($25)

29. Crayola Light-Up Tracing Pad (Ages 5 to 10)

Best for the Little Artist

Pencil grip and hand control are skills that start to develop more seriously in the preschool years and continue to be refined for several years afterward. Tracing activities can help hone handwriting while making the practice feel less like homework and more like art. If you have had little success setting your child down with a sheet of handwriting paper at home, you can opt for this jazzier option: a fun LED tracing pad that builds upon all the same skills required for your child to one day sit through and succeed in a cursive lesson.

Key Features:

  • LED tablet illuminates the included blank and tracing sheets for ease of use and confidence

  • Tracing paper helps children at different skill levels work on their precision and handwriting technique

$30; $28 at Amazon

30. Melissa & Doug Multi-Craft Weaving Loom (Ages 5 to 10)

Best Weaving Toy

Don’t be fooled, this soothing activity is also a ton of fun. Best of all, the fruits of your child’s labor might be a cozy scarf he’s excited to wear next winter (because he made it himself, of course).

Key Features:

  • A calming activity that encourages concentration

  • Weaving helps hone fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination

  • Great for confidence—kids create something useful and feel proud

$38; $29 at Amazon

31. PlayShifu Plugo Tunes Piano Learning Set (Ages 5 to 10)

Best for the Mini Musician

Fact: Learning an instrument will make your kid smarter. Research shows that studying music improves math, reading and memory skills and is generally associated with increased cognitive ability. It’s also a rewarding challenge that will spark creativity and boost confidence in kids of all ages. The Plugo Tunes piano is an interactive STEAM toy in which kids use an app and a mini piano to learn how to play. (Yes, there’s a screen involved—but the activity will raise your kid’s IQ, which is more than you can say for Paw Patrol.)

Key Features:

  • Teaches kids how to play the piano; improves memory and cognitive ability

  • Requires a tablet or smartphone for use

$60 at Amazon

32. Best Learning i-Poster USA Interactive Map (Ages 5 to 12)

Best Play Mat

Make geography fun with a touch-activated, talking map of the United States. This award-winning toy can be used on the floor as a play mat or hung on the wall for your child to explore—either way, when your child starts prodding, the map will respond with a host of interesting facts about each state. Three cheers for a plaything that teaches geography, while strengthening memory and concentration skills to boot.

Key Features:

  • An interactive map that covers everything from capital cities to weather patterns in each of the 50 states

  • Builds memory and concentration

  • Good for solo play

$60; $50 at Amazon

33. Skillmatics Brain Teasers Activity Mat (Ages 6+)

Best Problem-Solving Activity

This set of six reusable activity mats offers 12 different games to keep your kid entertained whilst putting their problem-solving skills to the test. Kids will engage in critical thinking as they puzzle their way through a game of Sudoku, try to make shapes without lifting their pen from the paper and more. Bonus: All the activities are designed to be played more than once, so this one won’t gather dust after a single use.

Key Features:

  • 12 repeatable brain teasers to boost concentration and problem-solving skills

  • Reusable dry-erase activity mats are great for travel

$30 at Amazon

34. Skillmatics Guess in 10 (Ages 6+)

Best Card Game

There may be an “I” in education but parents know that learning is a team effort, and this guessing game lets the whole family get in on the fun. Here’s how it works: Players ask up to 10 questions to guess the animal on the game card (“Is it a carnivore? Does it have four legs?”) with the option to use special clue cards for a helpful hint. While trying to become the first player to win seven game cards, children will learn about animal species and the world around us.

Key Features:

  • Helps kids build general knowledge as well as communication skills

  • A fun game for family night

  • Multiple themes available, including cities around the world, states of America and deadly dinosaurs

$15 at Amazon

35. Melissa & Doug Suspend Family Game (Ages 6 to 10)

Best Family-Friendly Game

Every day is a balancing act, but this family-friendly game-night favorite makes it a lot more fun for everyone. This award-winning activity has all the suspense of Jenga but requires a more delicate touch, as players dangle rubber-tipped strands of wire in an attempt to build an (un)steady sculpture on a wooden base. Suspend challenges the hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills of children and adults. It’s also visually stimulating, because both the well-planned and botched balancing acts look a lot like beautiful art along the way.

Key Features:

  • Crash course in fine motor control and hand-eye coordination; requires a soft touch

  • Wire and rubber pieces incorporate visual and sensory appeal for a more artistic balancing challenge

$20; $16 at Amazon

36. 24 Challenge Card Game (Ages 7 to 10)

Best Math Card Game

Much like the sight-word speed drills of Zingo, the 24 Challenge card game takes a typical math lesson and makes it fun, fast and exciting. This deck of cards is coded for difficulty level (one dot is easy, two is intermediate and three is advanced), but all cards feature a very simple interface: four numbers. The goal is for your child to think her way to the sum of 24, using only the digits on the card and the basic mathematical functions of multiplication, subtraction, addition and division. This game can be played solo, like a flash-card exercise, but the real fun comes with a healthy dose of competition. Amass a point-based fortune by being the first player to tap any card with a correct formula.

Key Features:

  • Multiple players: Mathematical speed drill encourages quick thinking through competition

  • Single player: Problem-solving and basic math skills get a boost

  • Simple cards help develop creative thinking; there’s more than one way to get to 24

$12; $10 at Amazon

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