Back to School: Toys That Help Your Child Learn Back to School: Toys That Help Your Child Learn
It’s time for kids to shrug on a backpack, grab their lunch and head back to school again. But it doesn’t have to be just about pencils and paper and books. Learning through play is an effective way to supplement the lessons taught at school. And whether your child needs extra help or is keen for some at home enrichment, there are certainly plenty of educational toys on the market. Here are a few of the best and newest available.
Spin & Learn Adventure Globe (3+, VTech, $29.99)
This kid-sized interactive globe features age-appropriate facts and fun. Kids learn about native foods, animals, favourite sports and even local music.
uKloo Early Reader Treasure Hunt Game (4+, Ukloo Kids Inc., $14.95)
A super activity to enhance literacy! And, a fast and easy way for parents to set up fun treasure hunts. Our kid-testers didn’t even care if there was a “treat” at the end; it’s the hunt they loved – over and over again, all the while practicing simple word recognition.
Pizza Mania™ Early Math Game (4+, Learning Resources, $29.99)
The pizzas and toppings are nice enough to double for imaginary kitchen play, and the game itself is fun and does what's intended: it helps kids practice both counting and auditory listening skills.
Mark-My-Time Digital Bookmarks (6+, Mark-My-Time, LLC, $10.95)
A convenient way to track your child’s after school reading log, and to book mark your place for the next session. Can be used to count down time remaining, or, record cumulative reading (up to 100 hours). Also available with a built in book light ($17.95).
SCRABBLE Alphabet Scoop (6+, Hasbro, $29.99)
Letter tiles fascinate kids long before they can actually play most word games. Well here’s a game they can play – no spelling required. Just find and match letter tiles to the word cards. Fun to play, while learning which letters combine to make words they hear every day.
The Magic School Bus™ Chemistry Lab (6+, The Young Scientist Club, $39.99)
The multi-layered array of lab equipment and supplies has huge box-opening kid-appeal. And once you get past the up-front reading, the kit includes a good number of exciting experiments. Highlights include: making slime and then turning it into a bouncy ball, growing fungus and exploding a volcano.
Math Dice (8+, ThinkFun Inc., $6.99)
Roll the 12-sided dice to determine the “answer”. Then roll the remaining dice and add, subtract, multiply or divide those numbers to create a math equation that come closest to the target answer. A little more challenging than most just-for-fun games, but it makes a great homework tool for practicing basic math skills. A junior version (for kids 6+) is also available.
Spell it! (8+, Blue Orange Games, $24.99)
Designed as a party game, this word-making race challenges you to think quickly. It also tests your spelling skills. We like that you’re allowed any word that uses 3 of the 5 letters rolled – that’s a lot more flexible than limiting yourself to words you can make from a selection of given letters. The game adapts well to different skill levels, so younger children can join the fun, too.
4D Cityscape Time Puzzles (12+, 4D Cityscape Puzzles Inc., $39.99)
A unique line of puzzles that recreate the skyline of famous cities (each sold separately). First you build the jigsaw base to map out the streets. Then it’s time to add the 100+ miniature 3D replicas of the iconic buildings that define the skyline. A poster-sized guide prompts you to add each building in the same sequence as it was originally built, so that you can see what the skyline looked like at any point in time: 1899… 1976… or even what it will look like a few years into the future. Enhances general knowledge with armchair “tours” of famous cities like Toronto, New York, London and many others – you can even check the website to learn more about the buildings.
The Rare Earth Chemical Element Matching Game (13+, Rare Earth Game, $29.99)
It can be played by 8 year olds, but our testers felt the game lacks meaning until kids are actually studying chemistry in high school. For older students, the game helps familiarize players with the molecular structure of chemical compounds – especially if you use house rules to score extra points for being able to name the compounds you make.