Simple Educational Gifts for Children
As we speak kids across the world are writing out their Christmas lists and letting their imaginations run wild as to what they are hoping to find under the tree on Christmas morning. Whether you are a parent, grandparent, friend or relative of a child you may be looking at this from another point of view. Toys which are also educational are a win win situation as there really is no better way for a child to learn than through play. With this in mind here is our list of 7 great educational gifts for children this Christmas.
The Learning Journey Match It! Spelling
Jigsaws
One of the oldest yet still hugely popular pastimes across the globe, jigsaws are brilliant for helping a child develop their hand/eye coordination. Having a jumble of pieces and seeing them turn into a picture is a real treat for little ones, especially when they have created the picture themselves. There are jigsaws for all ages and make sure, like with all educational gifts, that you get one that is age appropriate. A child will merely get frustrated trying to tackle a puzzle that is too advanced for them simply because you have it in your head they’re a genius.
Books
Pop up, wipe clean, musical, you name it and there is a book to fit the bill. The magic of books in often overlooked in the digital age when in fact they are one of the most important tools in a child’s development. Whether you are telling them stories, reading with them so they associate the pictures with the words or letting them learn to write by copying words on a wipe clean book never underestimate the power of the book when it comes to educational value.
Electronic Toys
These certainly have their place when it comes to educational value and noises and lights stimulate young senses. These are particularly good for praising little ones when they get things right, so if they tell them to press a letter or select a colour, for example, there is a cacophony of noise and sound to herald their success. As praise is important for little ones these are brilliant for those times you cannot be with them to give them that praise.
Building Blocks
These simple toy combine imagination with hand and eye coordination. Anyone who has built a simple tower of blocks with a baby and watched them laugh and clap when they do it themselves will know what we are talking about. As they grow older they can produce more sophisticated creations and with the help of LEGO and other building sets these are one of the few toys which grow with the child.
Casting Kits
Kids love making things and casting kids allow then to make everything from their hand print for full skeletons. Yes it can get a bit messy but hey you can teach them about being tidy when they’re older. These also go make priceless keepsakes for the future and they can look back on these early efforts with pride and enjoy the happy memories they evoke.
Maths Games
How boring do these sound? Yet they are anything but. These are very clever in the fact that they play just like an ordinary game and children don’t actually realise they are learning at the same time. Many children struggle to get a grip with fractions at school, so what better way to help them than by playing a game that involves learning their fractions through building a pizza using slices?
Gardening Sets
Education doesn’t start and end inside, there is much to learn outside of the home and school as well. Simple garden set which comprise of plastic tools especially made for little hands and a couple of packets of seed teach them about how things grow, and how to nurture things to keep them strong and healthy. As this ethos can be applied to so many more areas these are a great educational gift for a child. Remember the fun you had as a child growing cress on cotton wool? This is just a step further and gets them more involved that just stopping the cotton wool from drying out.
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