Finding the best preschool educational toys that are apt for toddlers can be quite a challenge. Kids who are 2 to 3 years old have a very short attention span, and they tend to like or hate toys on instincts. Hence, it can be a bit of a tricky business.
But if you give it a second thought, and think logically, it isn’t as tough as it seems. Just keep the following two factors in mind while choosing educational toys for preschool kids:
Interest Quotient: Playing with a toy should not seem like a burden to the child. The toys must be interesting and appeal to the liking of your kid in the first place. So, no matter what, never compromise on this factor. Because, if a child chooses to discard the toy, there is pretty much nothing you can do about it. Purchasing it would be a waste altogether.
Educational value: The best preschool educational toys are ones that have developmental effects on multiple levels. A toy that enhances the physical, emotional and cognitive faculties of a child is far superior to one that develops only the motor skills.
If you are willing to read our product reviews, then it is right below. However, if you want to know more about the other factors of considerations before purchasing an educational toy for preschool toddlers, then read our Buying Guide, which is towards the end of the article.
Top preschool Educational Toys:
| Preschool Educational Toys | What’s Good | What’s Bad | Buy Now |
|---|---|---|---|
| Melissa & Doug See Spell Learning | Develops language skill | Small parts can get lost | CHECK ON AMAZON |
| The Learning Journey Match It! | Promotes basic math skill | Lacks storage container | CHECK ON AMAZON |
| LiKee Wooden Pattern Blocks | Cognitive development | Paper cards are easily damaged | CHECK ON AMAZON |
| Ehome Wooden Percussion Instruments | Creative fun and motor skill development | Requires better build quality | CHECK ON AMAZON |
| Just Smarty Interactive Alphabet Wall Chart | Easy alphabet learning | Issues with button placement | CHECK ON AMAZON |
| Math for Love Tiny Polka Dot | Social and math skill enhancement | Cards are too stiff | CHECK ON AMAZON |
| Educational Insights Shapes Beanbags | Gives knowledge about different shapes | Weak stitching | CHECK ON AMAZON |
| BMAG Counting Bears | --- | --- | CHECK ON AMAZON |
| Coogam Clamp Bee to Hive Matching Game | Fine motor skill development | Might not command interest over time | CHECK ON AMAZON |
| Melissa Doug Pattern Blocks and Boards | Promotes creativity and imagination | Storage case lacks a lid | CHECK ON AMAZON |
| WowWee Pinkfong Baby Shark Tablet | Multisensory toy | Adds to screen time | CHECK ON AMAZON |
| Educational Insights GeoSafari Jr. My First Microscope | Easy to handle | The magnification range is low | CHECK ON AMAZON |
| kizh Wooden Letter and Number Construction | Helps with initial learning | Blocks are thin | CHECK ON AMAZON |
| School Zone ,Big Preschool Workbook | Wide variety of interesting educational game | Difficult to handle a thick book | CHECK ON AMAZON |
| HAN-MM Preschool Workbook | --- | --- | CHECK ON AMAZON |
15 Best Preschool Educational Toys: Reviews
1. Melissa & Doug See & Spell Learning Toy
With this colorful educational puzzle, a preschool goer can actually learn the shape of alphabets through touch. It helps immensely in developing your kid’s writing skills.
It is a fun puzzle game that comes with eight cards where preschool kids can fit in the cut-out alphabets. All the words are simple and consist of only three to four letters. It is easy, educational, and interesting, which is why we think it to be the best preschool educational toy.
Features:
- It includes 50+ pieces
- Eight puzzle cards are inside the package
- Comes in a wooden box for easy storage
Pros:
- Improves language skills
- Helps in alphabet recognition
- Develops motor and cognitive skills
Cons:
- Small wooden cut out letters might get lost
2. The Learning Journey: Match It!
Jigsaw puzzles are great for skill development in kids. But when we are talking about preschool goers, a whole board of jigsaw can be a tad too much. So, The Learning Journey has come up with the mini pairs of jigsaw puzzles that are perfect for toddlers.
This toy set contains thirty pairs of mini jigsaws that kids need to match after counting the number on them. It is one of the best preschool educational toys as it is easy for kids, helps with object recognition, and teaches counting.
Features:
- The educational toy includes thirty pairs of puzzles
- Aims to develop mathematical abilities in little kids
Pros:
- Ideal for preschools
- Colorful puzzles keep the kids interested
- Helps in counting numbers
- Develops gross and fine motor skills
- Develops object recognition
- Good quality
- Rounded edges
Cons:
- The toy does not come in a durable storage container
3. LiKee Wooden Pattern Blocks
Preschool goers love to draw and do simple craftworks. The Likee Wooden pattern blocks are a good blend of drawing, crafts, and puzzle for kids who are yet to begin their formal education.
The box contains 60 pattern cards and 36 wooden blocks. All the patterns on the cards can be put together using the blocks to make designs. Playing with this educational toy set accentuates the cognitive faculty of children and strengthens their problem-solving abilities.
Can’t get your child to tie their own shoes, or put on gloves by themselves? Let them play with this toy, and you will be pleasantly surprised with the development you see within a couple of weeks.
Features:
- The toy includes 36 wooden pieces of different shapes and 60 design cards
- Comes in a durable iron box
Pros:
- This game develops cognitive faculty
- It lets kids be creative and come up with something unique
- Children will be better at problem-solving
- Inclusion of an iron container box makes it easy to store
Cons:
- Design-cards are of paper and easily damageable
4. Ehome Wooden Percussion Instruments Toy
This set of fifteen types of musical toys provide ample auditory stimulation to children by allowing them to create and listen to their own music. It includes musical instruments like drum, flute, Tamborine, xylophone, cymbals, among many others.
This educational toy set gives your child hours of musical fun. It encourages children to make repeated limb movements that develop their motor skills. All the toys are made of safe materials, and come in a high-quality tote bag for storage.
Besides, your child might grow up to become a musician, who knows!
Features:
- The set includes a set of 22 pieces of musical instruments
- Fifteen varieties of instruments
- Comes in a washable tote bag for portability
- CPC approved
Pros:
- This educational toy lets children express creativity
- Auditory development
- High-quality tote makes it easy to store
- Motor skill development
- Engages children in hours of musical fun
Cons:
- Build quality of a few instruments could have been better
5. Just Smarty Interactive Alphabet Wall Chart
The Just Smarty Interactive Alphabet chart is a smart way to teach children alphabets, and numbers and hence, it is one of the best preschool educational toys.
The chart comes with battery included. Once you press on a button, the chart reads the alphabet along with the word associated with it. A child can also sing and dance along with the nine kids’ songs that are pre-installed in it.
It has ‘Find Numbers’ and ‘Find Letters’ modes. These modes work great in helping revise what the toddler has learned. It features an on/off key and has an option for adjusting the volume as well.
Just hang it low on a wall where children can reach it, and you are all set to let the learning begin.
Features:
- Size of the chart is 16×24 inches
- Batteries come included
- Auto shut off feature
- Pre-installed kids’ songs
Pros:
- Kids learn alphabets and numbers effortlessly
- Auto shut off feature saves battery
- The volume of the speaker is adjustable
- The lightweight alphabet chart is easily portable
- Kids songs offer added entertainment
Cons:
- Changing the batteries can be tricky
- Buttons are small and weirdly placed
6. Math for Love Tiny Polka Dot
This preschool educational toy has six suits of cards of different colors with marking up to ten polka dots. You can teach your child basic counting by matching the dots with the numbered cards in the beginning and hop on to more advanced math games with time.
The best part of this toy set is, it grows with your child. A kid can play about sixteen games using these cards. These card games include—Hungry Numbers, Power Dot variations, Dot Memory, Dot Five, Polka Loop Puzzle, etc. To familiarize yourself with the rules of all the variety of games you can play, click here.
These colorful cards will give you bonding time with your kiddo. Also, if children in preschool play with this toy, it develops their social skills as it requires interaction.
Features:
- The educational toy contains six suits of cards
- Each suite includes ten cards
- The cards are colorful and help children in counting
Pros:
- Social skill development
- Counting fun
- Give you bonding time with your child
Cons:
- Paper cards are not laminated
- Cards are a little stiff
7. Educational Insights Shapes Beanbags
The world has moved on from the concept of theoretical learning to hands-on experience. This set of preschool educational toys for kids comprises of seven soft little beanbags of different shapes.
The beanbags are colorful and even have the shape of the toy spelled on it. You can give it to the kids so that they learn the shapes by touching them. All the beanbags have different colors. So, using these cute toys, you can as well introduce a preschool kid to the concept of colors.
Features:
- The toy includes seven little beanbags of different shapes
- There is a drawstring storage bag for the toy
- Each shape has its name written on it
- Includes toys of varied colors
Pros:
- Soft toys are safe for kids
- Gives an early idea about shapes and colors
- Size of the beanbags are perfect for small hands of preschool children
Cons:
- Some reviewers said the stitching is weak
8. BMAG Counting Bears
If you want your toddlers or preschoolers to have fun and education at the same time, then this BMAG counting bears set will be a perfect choice. It is suitable for kids above 3 years of age.
It has assorted colors and sizes of bears, sorting cups, and activity cards for playing, counting, and learning. There are about 11 double-sided activity cards that enable finding rules, adding skills, model building, quantity learning, and so on. So, it enhances your kids’ imagination, creative skills, critical thinking, logical thinking, and memory skills.
The toy pieces are made of high-quality plastic material and certified safe by passing certain standard tests. Their sizes are also small enough to fit in the kids’ cute and small hands.
It’s a perfect preschool toy for one or more kids, and, therefore, it improves their interaction abilities and teamwork.
Features:
- 60 little bears, 30 big bears, 2 jumbo tweeters, 11 double-sided cards, and 1 plastic storage box
- The cards include math, addition, and coloring activities.
- It passed the CPC test and was well-certified for safety.
- As they come in a storage box, it’s easy to sort and carry the toy set anywhere.
Pros:
- Attractive colors of pieces
- Good size enough for kids to play
- Improves parent-child interaction
- Kids can enhance motor skill development.
- The pieces are sturdy and durable.
Cons:
- Some pieces are missing.
9. Coogam Clamp Bee to Hive Matching Game
The Coogam Beehive is a colorful toy that easily commands the attention of the kids. It is a beautiful product that will look good anywhere, whether you are buying it for kids at your school or home.
Children will have to use the tweezer to hold each bee by its wings and drop it in the comb of the corresponding color. It dictates a rather simple gamebut develops the fine motor skills of children to a great extent.
It is the best preschool educational game for the development of fine and gross motor skills. The toy includes a wooden beehive, seven bees, and a tweezer. Each cell of this hive is color-coded that houses a bee of the same color.
Features:
- Toy set includes wooden beehive, seven wooden bees, a tweezer
- The material of the toy is wood
- Size of the honeycomb is 5.5x 6.6 inches
Pros:
- Study toy is made of decent quality wood
- Develops fine motor skills
- The cute toy makes a good showpiece
Cons:
- This game will attract attention instantly, but might not interest kids for long
10. Melissa & Doug Pattern Blocks and Boards
The toy includes 120 pieces of different colored wooden blocks in different shapes. Your child can be creative and make designs from imagination with these colorful blocks. Or he can use the wooden boards and place the blocks according to the designs on the boards. Either way, it is super fun and creative.
This preschool educational toy comes in a wooden box and is completely safe for children. It is a superb toy for spatial awareness, shape, and color recognition. You can purchase a single set for a preschool to let multiple kids play with it at a time. It will strengthen the bonding between students and elevate the social skills of the children.
Features:
- The educational toy includes 120 pieces of colorful wooden blocks, eight wooden slabs with design on them
- The educational toy comes in a wooden case
- It is a lightweight wooden toy that is safe for your child
Pros:
- Promotes creativity and imagination
- Aids in color and shape recognition
- Wooden slabs with designs help in the development of problem-solving skill
- Multiple children can play at the same time
Cons:
- Portability can be an issue as the storage box does not have a lid
11. WowWee Pinkfong Baby Shark Tablet
This baby shark-themed tablet is an interactive preschool educational toy that helps toddlers learn their first letters and numbers. It features the full fun song of Baby Shark do-do.
It is a multisensory preschool educational toy that lets your child interact with the screen. The toy introduces the whole family of baby-shark. You can use it to demonstrate the concept of family relations to your kiddo.
It features the Spelling Mode, Word Mode, Repeat Mode, Letter Mode, and Where is? Mode. These features add tons of joy to the toddler’s learning experience.
Features:
- Tablet teaches lessons on alphabet, numbers, and instruments
- You can demonstrate family relations with it
- Several modes make this toy more entertaining
- Adjustable volume levels
Pros:
- Multisensory and interactive educational toy
- Batteries are included in the package
- Interactive toy develops speaking skills
Cons:
- Adds to screen time
- Sound is a little feeble
12. Educational Insights GeoSafari Jr. My First Microscope
If your preschool going toddler shows curiosity in everything around him or her, we think that this kids’ microscope is the best preschool educational toy for your child.
It has a 2X large eyepiece, and the range of magnification is between 2.5x to 8x. It lets the little one get a closer look at every object he or she is curious about. The microscope has an anti-skid foot that shields it from sliding from the counter.
Features:
- 2x large eyepiece
- Does not require closing one eye
- Anti-skid feet
- Requires 3 AAA batteries
Pros:
- Engages children in investigative fun
- Cute and colorful looks appeal to the taste of kids
- The lightweight microscope is easy to handle
Cons:
- The magnifying range of this toy is not as good as real microscopes
13. kizh Wooden Letter and Number Construction
Let teaching alphabet to a preschool goer be more fun with this staking game. The toy includes a stacking station with nine pegs and twenty-seven stacking blocks in seven different shapes.
A child can use these blocks to make letters from A to Z on the stacking block. He or she can also create numbers from one to nine. You can design fun geometric shapes using these colorful toys. Furthermore, a detailed manual comes along with the preschool toy that lets the kids see how to design each letter or number.
Features:
- Educational stacking game includes a stacking post and 25 stacking blocks
- The stacking blocks are in 7 different shapes and have varied colors
- Abides by the safety standards of ASTM, CPISA, EN71, and CPC
Pros:
- Develops hand-eye coordination
- Makes learning fun
- Colorful toy appeals to the child
Cons:
- Stacking blocks are thin
14. School Zone ,Big Preschool Workbook
Nothing is better for educational purposes than a real book that kids can have fun with. This particular book is colorful and contains loads of fun activities that your child can solve by themselves. Or, you can help your little one with it.
This workbook is huge, having 320 pages that contain 319 fun activities. With the help of this book, you can impart lessons on letters, spellings, numerals, and alphabets. Some activities also develop hand-eye coordination and motor skills.
This preschool workbook is a cost-effective way to get your child actually to like books and think of them as fun.
It is an award-winning activity book that is a must-have if you want your kid to be the smartest in class.
Features:
- Contains 320 pages
- 319 fun activities
- Softbound book
- Authored by Joan Hoffman
Pros:
- Kids develop an interest in books
- Preschool workbook contains hundreds of exciting activities
- It is easy, engaging, educational and developmental
- Inexpensive
Cons:
- The book is thick. Handling it for a toddler is a bit of a challenge.
15. HAN-MM Preschool Workbook
This comprehensive learning workbook from HAN-MM is the best to engage kids at home, pre-school, and travel.
With ten different themes, it includes sheets with colors, shapes, numbers, letters, weather, seasons, planets, and others. So, the kid will get exposed to many things for a diverse learning experience.
The sheets and accessories are of high quality. Moreover, they have round edges and avoid harming your child. They are also waterproof, and so they don’t get damaged easily and are more durable.
Features:
- It includes 8 colored markers, a learning book, and an erasable writing book.
- You will also get an additional 12 pairs of replaceable velcro.
- The sheets improve the sensory skills development, motor skills, and memory skills of kids.
- You can enjoy a long travel ride, camping site, and outdoor activities.
Pros:
- Easy way of learning and playing
- The sheets are thick enough, waterproof, and durable.
- As they are dust-proof, they are safe.
- Velcro upgrade is good.
- Suitable even for autistic kids
- Sturdy
Cons:
- No marker
- Kids may tear off the sheets, and you must be careful.
Things to Consider Before Purchasing a Preschool Educational Toy:
Here are five of the essential factors that you must keep in mind before settling for a preschool educational toy:
1. Difficulty Level
If you are searching for the best preschool educational toy, then make sure that the child is comfortable playing with it. Playing with it should not be too simple or too tough for your kid. The difficulty level should be just about right so that it appeals to their brain and gives them positive encouragement.
2. Developmental Target
The three primary developmental targets of preschool toys are Cognitive skills, motor skills, and social skills. Choose a toy that develops more than one ability of your child for rapid and steady overall progress.
3. Ergonomically Designed
The toys should be ergonomically designed so that children are comfortable using it. The preschool educational toys should be easy to grip and lightweight to carry for children.
4. Size of the Toy
If a toy is too large for a child, he or she will perhaps have a problem handling or playing with it. However, we do not recommend tiny toys either as they pose a choking hazard. The best Preschool educational toys are just about the right size. They are neither too large or too small.
5. Safety
A preschool goer is still a teething child. He or she is likely to put toys in their mouth often. So, you will have to be sure that the toys do not contain harmful chemicals. These toys should be BPA, Lead, and phthalate-free. Also, you should avoid all the products that have sharp edges for the sake of your child’s safety.
Conclusion:
Choosing the right preschool toys plays a critical role in children’s development. These toys decide the personality of a child in the long haul. These also ascertain your child’s basic liking and disliking to a certain extent. Hence you should be super careful while choosing toys for toddlers as they have a highly impressionable mind.
We think that the Melissa & Doug See & Spell Learning Toy is the best preschool educational toy as it is the most versatile of the lot. This game gives flight to your child’s imagination while laying a solid foundation for their motor skills and cognitive development at the same time.
Our second pick is The Learning Journey: Match It! It develops problem-solving faculty and math skills. This game is easy to play and children are surely going to love these mini-puzzles.
However, you would know what is best for your child. If you have a question on this subject, feel free to comment below. We shall revert at the soonest.
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