Great Educational Toys for Christmas

Without a doubt, Christmas is really all about children. It is a time of the year that they love and most of the pleasure that adults get from Christmas comes from bringing a touch of magic to the lives of their children.

Christmas is the time when kids get all of the toys they have been coveting. Most of the times the toys children want have very little obvious educational value. However, any toys that encourage children to play have a value. Play is very important to the development of children it helps them to learn and explore the world around them.

However, that is not to say that children do not enjoy playing with toys that were designed to educate them, they do. Once they start playing with these toys, they quickly become absorbed and enthralled by them. For this reason, it is worth giving children educational toys at Christmas.

Some Gift Ideas for Toddlers

For babies and toddlers the best educational gifts are things like popup books or books with textured pages or sounds. They love them. Another popular gift is a play gym or Playnest. These are soft nests or mats that are colourfully decorated and include things like soft buttons that make a noise when pressed. They encourage very young children to explore their surroundings.

Activity cubes, blocks, wooden train sets also make great gifts. They allow small children to explore different colours and shapes and to get used to the idea of making something new out of an array of items.

Gift Ideas for Pre Teens

Perhaps the best selection of educational toys is those that are made for children aged between 4 or 5 and 11 or 12. At this stage, children really begin to make connections, so love toys that make them think.

Toys like Marble Run are very popular. This toy allows children to build numerous different runs for a series of marbles to run along. It is a very old toy design, yet is one that remains very popular with modern children. They play with it for hours and do not care if the runs are made from wood or plastic.

If you want a marble run for your child visit the Galt Toys website. They sell several versions including a marble racing set.