Learning toys for toddlers are the rage.
After all, we do want to stimulate our kids’ curiosities, encourage their creativity, nurture their innate talents and raise them to be inquisitive, confident adults.
As owner of Finlee and Me, and mum to two munchkins, I know the struggle to find the best learning toys for toddlers is real.
Hey, I go through it myself. Even now, that Finlee is in first grade, I find myself evaluating the educational benefits of a toy.
And here’s the kicker: there’s NOTHING wrong with that. Uh-huh.
Educational toys, as studies have shown, are a great way to encourage children to think, make decisions, practice motor skills and more.
But then… are these learning toys always found in stores?
Actually, not.
Now I may be kicking myself in the foot with this one {considering we are one of Australia’s best kids toys store!} but as a parent and as a responsible business owner, it is my duty to share that sometimes, the best educational toys are the ones you have at home.
Here’s a quick look at some of our personal favourites:
1. Kitchen Pots, Pans and Wooden Spoons
These are a joy for any toddler. Turn a pan upside down and you have a drum. The lid can become a cymbal. Voila, a musical band in play!
The only flip side to these is the noise. You may want to take them outside and warn the neighbors!
2. Masking or Washi Tape
Masking or washi tape can be a great way to set up your own homemade car racing track, make crafts, prettify plain boring brown paper bags or cardboard boxes and just let their creativity run riot.
3. Sheets of White and Coloured Paper, Scissors and Glue
We all have sheets of white and coloured paper laying around the house. If nothing else, we do have tons of junk mail coming in too. Hand the kids some child-friendly scissors and a tub of glue, crayons or paint and some glitter or stickers and let them create art projects, using nothing but their own imagination.
You’d be amazed.
Great for toddlers to practice cutting skills, coloring, creative thinking and decision-making!
4. Empty Plastic Containers and Dry Pasta
Want your toddler to learn numbers, sorting and more? Bring out those empty plastic tubs with lids and some dry pasta, like elbow macaroni or even, fusilli and have them count it out and add it to the tubs. You can do it in 10s, 20s or just plain, 1, 2, 3 and so on.
5. Good, Ol-Fashioned Outdoors
The outdoors is always a free educational playground waiting to be explored. Simply grab the kids and head outside. From flowers that you can learn about and identify, to bugs and critters to simply, looking at and then, talking about clouds and how they’re formed, the outdoors can be a wonderful science lesson for every toddler.
Plus, you can encourage sensory and creative play with a DIY mud kitchen too. SO much fun!!
So, there you go. 5 learning toys for toddlers that you don’t have to buy from a store. What do you think? Any that you can add to this list? Let’s hear them!
