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Learn about educational games and toys by finding ratings by category

Find your educational games ratings by category. Whether you are searching for movement toys, software, brain skills or some other challenging play item, find the right educational game or learning toys to fit your need.

I recommend: Search for children's learning toys ratings by category from Educational Toy Review. Or you can read their reviews in chronological order. Findtherighttoy.com also has its product rating listings by category. Look at toys for movement, toys for the hands, social, emotional, hand-eye coordination and more. Find the right educational tool for your child or to stock in your store.

Learn about educational toys and games ratings by age group

Find out how educational toys and games are rated by searching by age level appropriate play items. Find out how the developmental stages of children impact the different learning stages of toys.

I recommend: Check out reviews on children's games by age from reviewcorner.com. Edutaining Kids also has their site set up by age. You can also explore top ten products, gift ideas and more.

Find educational toy advice from parents and experts

Look for advice on kids educational toys from other parents, businesses and experts in the field to help you with your purchasing decisions. Find out not just about ratings on children's learning toys but about real people advice on products before you make your decision.

I recommend: Obtain advice on educational toys and games from Educational-Toy-Guide.com. On their site find tips and suggestions as well as links to related articles to help you make the most informed decision before your next purchase. Find featured articles from Yahoo! Shopping. Garner advice from these educational toy writeups.

Guide to Educational Toys and Games

Find educational toys and games for children of all ages: from infant toys to school games

By Angela Kovalyak, Freelance Writer/Editor, Kovalyak Editorial, Ltd.

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Know what to look for when buying an educational toy for baby

Infants and toddlers will benefit from even simple toys. What may just seem like a mirror is actually an educational toy helping a baby recognize himself. Offer a variety of toys for newborns, infants, and toddlers.

I recommend: Fisher-Price has great educational toys for newborns and infants. LeapFrog Enterprises, Inc. offers learning toys, including reading and alphabet toys, bilingual toys, and counting toys for children ages 3 months and up. One Step Ahead also has an array of infant and toddler toys available.

Offer preschool educational toys and games to help children prepare for kindergarten

As children grow, so do their educational toy needs. When they reach the preschool years, children need toys that are fun and can help them learn the basics of reading, writing, and math.

I recommend: 4 the Kids Toy Store has an abundance of children's learning toys. From mazes that teach problem solving to kitchen sets for role-playing, you can find all the basic educational toy needs here. Leaps and Bounds is a great place to find preschool toys for children ages 3 and up. WonderBrains offers toys geared to children ages 3 and up.

Educational toys and games for older children should teach and entertain

Keeping a child engaged is difficult. Offer children's learning toys that kids like to play with but learn something from at the same time.

I recommend: SensoryEdge offers educational toys and games for all ages. Callie's Corner has pages of educational items available for children ages 5-8.

Don't overlook computer learning activities

Children need to learn how to use computers. They also enjoy playing games on computers, so offer educational computer games for all ages.

I recommend: Knowledge Adventure, kidsmartplay.com, and Software For Kids, Inc. offer a variety of educational computer games for children of all ages.

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Sell name brand educational toys and games. Customers feel comfortable with brands they already know and trust.
• •  Make sure learning toy packaging prominently lists user ages and potential hazards.
• •  Check to see if educational game manufacturers offer toys and games for a variety of ages. This will help you find all the products you need at one place.

Guide to Educational Toys and Games Types and Styles

Satisfy your day care clients with kids educational toys

By Andrea Townsley, Owner, Keystone Writing Services

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Use classic board games and puzzles as childrens learning toys

Board games are great for teaching kids how to use money, count and play fair. Puzzles enhance spatial abilities as well as teach lessons about animals, the alphabet and numbers. More basic, larger game pieces and thicker puzzle pieces are appropriate for smaller children while older kids have better motor skills and will be able to handle small pieces and more complex puzzles.

I recommend: Take a look at the different educational board games at Wholesale Board Games. Browse through the large selection of toddler's games and puzzles at 1888Toys.com - Children Educational Toys Store.

Stock interactive toys for learning activities

Interactive toys teach children how things work. Examples of toys in this category include doctor's kits, building blocks with numbers and letters, fake money, musical instruments, language learning, science activities and children's tool sets. These are generally good for all ages, but specific items may be best for specific age groups.

I recommend: Check out the interactive toys at OKK Trading. The overstock pricing at Rock Bottom Deals includes a plethora of educational toys, like science project kits.

Provide educational toys in videogame format

Kids love videogames and, luckily for everyone, there are plenty of educational videogames. Some of the most popular types of learning videogames include virtual pets, number games, card games and situational games. Again, some are geared toward younger kids but there are a great number that are appropriate for older children.

I recommend: Empire Discount has handheld games that are fun for all age groups. You can find handheld toys as well as video games at DollarDays International.

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Critical thinking skills

Educators work to develop critical thinking skills at all stages of the curriculum, and concerned parents often want to jump start these skills for their children. Educational toys and games are often an appropriate way to achieve this goal. The best toy and game developers know how to provide entertaining activities while developing skills that children use to produce answers on their own rather than memorize and reproduce information provided by teachers, parents and other influential stimuli.

I recommend: Beyond the Blackboard employs creative designers who know how to engage young minds.

Curriculum based

Parents look for educational toys and games to help their children before and during their education. Curriculum based is a term that parents will hear or see in their quest for quality products. Designers and manufacturers use curriculum based as a descriptor in order to guide parents toward the best choices. Suppliers of educational toys and games often use curriculum based to describe toys and games that focus on the material in a particular subject such as math or science.

I recommend: The Toy Directory specializes in educational toys and games providing many find products on the website.

Cognitive development

Cognitive development is important in the course of the education of every child, and educational toys and games focused on cognitive development are most desirable. Check the directions and specifications when purchasing every toy or game and look for information about the use of the item for cognitive development. Children learn to solve problems, remember facts and learn about the world around them through cognitive development.

I recommend: Expert educators, designers and developers run Ape to Zebra which has a vast assortment of educational toys and games.

Fine motor skills

As children develop naturally, the muscles in their hands become exercised and toned to perform fine motor skills that they will use the rest of their lives. Most children develop their fine motor skills normally, but every child is at least a bit different from the norm. Educational toys and games are available to aid children in the development of fine motor skills, and although these tools are especially beneficial to children who might be slightly or significantly behind the curve, all children will benefit from playing with toys and games that develop fine motor skills.

I recommend: HubPages has important information on the development of fine motor skills through beneficial toys and games.

Digital natives

Modern school children have learning styles and histories that are much different from those of their parents and grandparents. Educators, researchers and others described the students currently in kindergarten through twelfth grade as digital natives because their lives have always been filled.

I recommend: Marc Prensky provides fascinating research on the use of educational toys and games by modern school children. Tim Windsor explains more about digital natives on his website.

Spatial relationships

Recognizing and understanding spatial relationships is vital to a successful education. Spatial intelligence is only one of the eight types of human intelligence. Most children learn to reason through verbal or spatial reasoning so educational toys and games devoted to spatial reasoning are not just for entertainment but essential for learning math, computer science and engineering.

I recommend: JDB Games provides games that are fun and educational. Serendip is informative and helpful in learning about educational toys and games.