The Best Educational Toys by Age: A Parent's Guide to Learning Through Play
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As parents, we all want to give our children the very best start in life. But with thousands of toys available, it can be difficult to know which ones truly support your child's development.
The truth is, the best educational toys and developmental toys don't need batteries, flashing lights or complicated features, they simply need to meet children where they are and provide opportunities to explore, practise new skills and learn through play.
"Play is how children learn best — it's their natural way of exploring the world, building confidence, and forming who they are." — Steve Biddulph
Play is the foundation for learning. Children are constantly developing skills, solving problems and making sense of the world around them. This can look like a baby discovering new textures and sounds to a preschooler building an imaginative world with blocks.
Choosing developmentally appropriate toys that match your child's age and stage can help support important milestones, including fine motor skills, language development, coordination, creativity and problem-solving.
Here's our guide to some of the best educational toys by age and stage.
Toys for Babies (0–12 Months): Learning Through Their Senses
During the first year, babies learn through looking, listening, touching and moving. The best educational toys for babies are those that support early developmental milestones such as grasping, reaching, sensory exploration, visual tracking and coordination.
Toys that encourage sensory exploration, movement and interaction help build the foundations for future learning.
High-Contrast Flash Cards and Books
Black-and-white cards, books and simple visual toys capture newborns' attention and support early visual development as babies learn to focus, track objects and strengthen their visual skills.
Baby Play Gyms
A play gym with hanging toys, mirrors and different textures encourages tummy time, reaching, visual tracking and hand-eye coordination.
During tummy time, place your baby underneath the play gym and encourage them to look, reach and interact with the toys above them. Move toys slightly from side to side to encourage visual tracking and head movement. As your baby grows stronger, they will begin reaching, batting and grabbing the toys, helping develop coordination, arm strength and body awareness.
Soft Fabric or Silicone Blocks
Soft blocks are easy for little hands to grasp, squeeze and explore. They help develop hand strength, fine motor skills and early problem-solving as babies learn how objects move and feel.
For younger babies, offer blocks during tummy time or while sitting to encourage reaching and grasping. Let them squeeze, hold, drop and explore the different textures. As they grow, babies can begin transferring blocks from hand to hand, banging them together to explore sound, and eventually stacking and knocking them down.
Wooden or Silicone Rattles
Rattles encourage grasping and reaching while teaching babies about cause and effect as they discover that their actions can create sounds.
Place a rattle within your baby's reach and encourage them to grab it. Shake the rattle near your baby's face to encourage them to turn, track the sound and locate where it is coming from. As they develop control, they will learn that moving the rattle creates a sound, helping build early problem-solving skills and an understanding of cause and effect.
Sensory Balls
Textured sensory balls encourage babies to reach, grasp, roll and track movement, supporting early coordination and body awareness.
Place sensory balls near your baby during tummy time and encourage them to reach, touch and explore the different textures. Roll a ball slowly towards your baby to encourage tracking and interaction. As they become more mobile, sensory balls can encourage crawling, pushing, chasing and early movement skills.
Scarves
Lightweight scarves are wonderful for sensory play and introducing object permanence which is the understanding that things still exist even when they cannot be seen.
Use scarves for simple games like peek-a-boo by hiding your face or a favourite toy underneath and encouraging your baby to find it. Gently wave scarves above your baby during tummy time to encourage visual tracking and reaching. As they grow, scarves can become part of imaginative play, sensory exploration and movement activities.
Toys for Toddlers (1–3 Years): Busy Hands, Curious Minds
Toddlers are naturally curious. They love to move, experiment, copy what they see and discover how things work. The best toys for toddlers encourage independence while supporting important skills such as fine motor development, language skills, problem-solving and imaginative play.
Mega blocks & DUPLO®
Large building bricks encourage creativity, problem-solving, hand strength and imaginative play while allowing children to create, experiment and rebuild in different ways.
Shape Sorters
A classic developmental toy that supports fine motor skills, shape recognition, concentration and persistence as children work out where each piece belongs.
Stacking Toys
Simple stacking toys support early maths concepts such as size, order and balance while helping toddlers develop coordination and problem-solving skills.
Puzzles
Chunky puzzles and peg puzzles build hand-eye coordination, spatial awareness, concentration and perseverance.
Pretend Play Spaces
Whether it's a pretend play kitchen, market stall, construction corner, doctor's surgery, doll's house or home corner, imaginative play helps children make sense of the world around them.
Through role play, children develop language skills, creativity, problem-solving abilities and important social and emotional skills as they recreate everyday experiences and invent new ones.
Ride-On Toys or Balance Bikes
These support gross motor development, balance, coordination and confidence as toddlers learn to move independently and navigate their environment.
Toys for Preschoolers (3–5 Years): Creativity and Problem Solving
Preschoolers are full of imagination and questions. They are beginning to think more independently and enjoy activities that allow them to create, experiment and express their ideas.
Educational toys for preschoolers should encourage creativity, communication, early literacy, maths skills, problem-solving and confidence as children prepare for school.
DUPLO® & LEGO®
LEGO is a fantastic toy that grows with your child. Their age-guided sets are designed to match different stages of development so children can gradually progress from larger bricks that support early building skills, to more complex sets that encourage planning, problem-solving, creativity and concentration as their abilities grow.
Magnetic Tiles
Magnetic building tiles encourage creativity, spatial reasoning, early engineering skills and problem-solving as children design and build their own creations.
Wooden Building Blocks
Blocks are one of the most versatile toys for young children. They can become towers, roads, castles or anything a child imagines while developing planning, creativity and persistence.
Playdough
Rolling, squeezing and moulding dough strengthens little hands, supports creativity and develops the fine motor skills needed for writing.
Scissors, Glue and Craft Supplies
Simple craft activities encourage creativity, concentration, self-expression and fine motor development.
Memory Games and Matching Games
Games such as Memory help strengthen concentration, visual recognition, recall and turn-taking skills.
Beginner Board Games
Games such as Orchard, Snakes and Ladders or Guess Who? teach children about following rules, patience, communication and social skills.
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Toys for School-Age Children (6–12 Years): Thinking, Creating and Imagining
As children grow, they are ready for toys and activities that challenge their thinking while still allowing plenty of space for creativity, imagination and self-expression. The best developmental toys for school-age children support critical thinking, problem-solving, creativity, communication and independent play.
LEGO® Creator or LEGO® Technic
More advanced building sets encourage planning, creativity, perseverance and complex problem-solving. With age-guided sets that gradually increase in complexity, children can continue building and creating as their skills develop.
Imaginative Play Sets
Superhero figures, action figures, dolls, playsets and role-play toys allow older children to create stories, explore different perspectives and develop communication, empathy and creativity through imaginative play.
Art and Craft Kits
Drawing, painting, modelling clay, craft projects and design activities encourage creativity, fine motor skills, focus and self-expression while allowing children to bring their ideas to life.
Science Experiment Kits
Crystal growing kits, STEM activities and hands-on experiments encourage curiosity, questioning, prediction and scientific thinking as children explore how the world works.
Coding Robots
Robots such as Botley®, Sphero® or LEGO® Spike introduce coding concepts through hands-on problem-solving and interactive play.
Strategy & Board Games
Games such as Ticket to Ride, Monopoly, Chess or Sequence develop logical thinking, planning, patience, communication and decision-making skills.
Open-Ended Toys
Some of the most valuable toys are the ones that don't have just one purpose or one way to play. A set of blocks can become a tower, a house, a zoo or a bridge. A collection of pretend play items can become a shop, a restaurant or a construction site.
Because there is no single "right" way to play, children are encouraged to use their imagination, make decisions and create their own ideas. This supports creativity, problem-solving skills and confidence.
Open-ended toys grow alongside children because the way they play changes as their skills, interests and imagination develop.
Choosing Educational Toys
When choosing toys for your child, look for ones that:
- Match your child's current stage of development.
- Encourage active participation rather than passive entertainment.
- Allow children to explore, experiment and create.
- Can be used in different ways as your child grows.
- Support skills such as communication, coordination, creativity and problem-solving.
- Are durable enough to be enjoyed again and again.
Remember, more toys don't always mean more learning. A smaller collection of thoughtfully chosen, developmentally appropriate toys can provide richer play experiences than an overflowing toy box.
Simple toys such as blocks, puzzles, balls, books and pretend play items are often the ones children return to most because they allow children to create, imagine and explore in their own way.
The best toy however, is one that meets your child where they are and encourages them to explore, imagine and grow. When children have the time and space to play, learning naturally follows.
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