When we think about our children and what they enjoy most about their toys, and the benefits, well it can be sometimes hard to know as all our children have various interests, abilities and gravitate towards different toys, it also depends what age they are and their developmental stage.  

It was great to catch up with Aoife Costello, Occupational Therapist and Founder of OT-ABC.  Aoife has a keen interest in child and adult development. Every educational game or toy that is sold on Aoife’s website is handpicked, trialled, and tested and meets a high standard.

Whether you are considering gifts for an upcoming birthday or Christmas, this Q&A may help you as we discuss why educational toys are important for a child’s development and the benefits.  You will learn about the kind of toys that Aoife recommends for babies, preschoolers and primary school going children as well as Aoife’s top tip when shopping for educational toys.

Are Educational Games & Toys Beneficial for Children?

Why are educational toys important to a child's development?

On some level, all kids toys are ‘educational’. Whether it promotes the use of the hands, concentration, social skills (sharing); kids are nearly always learning through play.  However, some toys can be more educational than others and may provide more benefits as such. Please take into consideration, there is zero value in a toy that is of no interest to a kid, being fun and motivational is most important.  

Educational toys are generally expected to promote and stimulate learning, they are designed to help children develop skills. 

Educational toys that promote skills and functional abilities help to aid child development, like motor coordination and sensory processing. 

Educational toys generally have a purpose like helping to develop problem solving skills, social skills like taking turns and sharing. They help develop fine and gross motor skills in addition to nurturing creativity and imagination.  

What are the benefits of educational toys?

• Promote child development 

• Motor progression 

• Sensory processing 

• Fine and gross motor skills

• Develop social and emotional intelligence 

• Promote problem solving skills 

• Creativity and imagination 

What are the range of educational toys available for children considering the various developmental milestones – for baby, pre-school, early primary school years?

To start, less can often be more when deciding what toys to introduce to your child. They only need as many as is needed to cover a few important bases. 3-4 toys can provide your child with all the learning and stimulation they need to develop and learn. 

There is often quite a focus on younger children in terms of child development and educational toys. As children get older they often have more of a say in the toys they play with. 

For babies we often encourage toys that they are motivated to reach for; they are often fascinated with what their hands and feet can do. Toys that include bright colours, make sounds and items that can be put in their mouth are often more intriguing to a young child. 

Toys for a Baby

Baby educational toys recommendation:

• Rattles (ideal auditory toy) can be purchased from Amazon (& other local baby/toy stores)

• Brightly coloured (rainbow key ring) can be purchased from Amazon  (& other local baby/toy stores)

• Unbreakable mirrors, can be purchased from www.jojomamanbebe.ie

Toys for a Preschooler

When it comes to preschoolers, there is still quite a range of educational toys available. For preschoolers we begin to encourage independence, grasping and functional skills.  Ideally toys are engaging and fun while also helping to practice foundational skills. Social skills, imagination and creativity are often further developed at this age. 

• Toys that promote the use of large and small muscles—large and small balls for kicking and throwing, ride-on equipment (but probably not tricycles until children are 3), tunnels, mini obstacle courses can all provide benefits for preschoolers. 

• Problem solving toys like Spike the Hedgehog which helps kids build up hand muscles and fine motor skills as they replace the chunky, peg-shaped “quills” within the holes that dot the smiling hedgehog’s back. See www.ot-abc.com for more info

• Wooden puzzles from www.thinkingtoys.ie

• Fine motor counting games, colour recognition and sorting. Toys include the Fine Motor Rainbow Clip beads from www.ot-abc.com or colour counters from www.speakeasyslt.com 

• Another great educational toy is the piggy bank as it has so many uses! You can strategically place it to encourage your child to practice reaching for things. You can use it to develop functional grasp patterns by putting the coins in the slot, opening the door, or pushing the pig’s nose. As your child grows, you can use it to learn about counting or include it in an obstacle course. Find the coins along the path and put them in the bank at the end, or pick up a coin every time you start a round of the course! See www.thinkingtoys.ie for more info.

Check out a Parenting Q & A blog from SpeakEasySLT on how to support your child’s speech

Toys for a Primary School Child

For primary school aged children similarly to the above there is a good range of toys available. Often by the time your child starts school they might start to have shown some interest whether that be in active outdoor play, science experimental play, jigsaws etc. Ideally at this age educational toys serve a dual purpose: teaching kids valuable knowledge that will help them succeed in life and keeping them happily entertained. 

It’s so important your child’s toys reflect their interests. Some of the toys I’d recommend for school age school include:

• Educational toys that incorporate science, creativity, motor coordination and imagination. The first one that springs to mind is the popular Magnetic tiles.  

• This STEM toy encourages maths, science and creativity. Supports hand eye coordination, fine motor skills, judgment of force and problem solving. Helps develop spatial reasoning and engineering skills. 

• Board games that involve strategy, including chess and checkers

• Construction sets, such as Legos or K'Nex

• Craft kits

• Board games like Scrabble, Monopoly, and Trivial Pursuit Junior

View more more creative ideas for keeping children entertained at home

What are your top tips for a parent who is looking to buy an educational toy for their child?

Firstly, it is so important your child is motivated by the toy, a child generally has to be interested in a toy before playing with it, so make sure you choose toys that are age-appropriate and ones that match your child’s interests. Of course it can be hard to know before your child has the toy but giving the child a little choice can also be beneficial. Making sure the toy is appropriate for their age is so important. You want them to challenge your child without them becoming bored. 

What should parents look for when buying educational toys for their child?

Ideally educational toys that can be used in many ways. Open ended play can really promote imagination and creativity.  

Toys like building blocks or bricks and arts and crafts materials give your children the freedom to be creative and use these objects however they want. Plus they can be used as many times as they want too.

You know your own child best, from the early years, sometimes it is about exploring, trialing and testing what they like, it may take no time at all for some and a while for others.  Regardless though, as Aoife mentions above, what is most important is that their toys are fun and motivational.  Happy Playing!

More info about OT-ABC

OT-ABC sells a range of children’s educational, sensory and motor skill toys; adult therapeutic products, and overall; products that provide a wide range of benefits. These products provide functional skills that have therapeutic benefits for children and adults of all abilities.  

You can find more on their website OT-ABC Shop & Instagram page @occupationaltherapyabc

If you are feeling overwhelmed or facing challenges with your children, I am here to help. I offer tailored 1 to 1 parent support sessions or corporate parenting talks. Get in touch with me today at aoife@parentsupport.ie, I offer eLearning Parenting Courses on Positive Parenting and Managing Screen Time & Device Use which will help support you in the challenges you may be facing.