The holidays are here, and so are the kids. With school being on break for a couple of weeks, our kids are pushing the limits of all of their toys and entertainment at the house. When choosing gifts for the children in your life this holiday season, consider gifting an educational toy! It will refresh their collection with something new and fun, but it will also engage their minds and creativity and keep them busy for hours on end. Daily Mom is all about educational toys this holiday season, and has found some of the best educational toys available on Amazon this year! Keep reading to see for yourself why gifting an educational toy this year is the way to go!
The Best Educational Toy Gifts Found On Amazon
Alex Brands
If you have a budding vet on your hands, then they will love the Scientific Explorer Veterinary Science Kit from Alex Toys. This fun activity kit, for ages 6 years and older, lets your child find out what it takes to be a veterinary doctor and the things real vets do to take care of pets. The kit includes things like x-rays and Sonograms that reveal the insides of animals on 4 different posters, soft plastic suture training skin, plastic surgical tweezers, needle and thread, a cat anatomy poster, and casting kits for broken bones. Your child will also learn about 4 different types of ticks and the types of diseases they can cause to help prevent animals from getting sick.
Read More: How To Find Educational Kids Shows Using Netflix Codes
This is a great gift idea for any child who loves animals and wants to become a veterinary doctor one day.
SHOP:
Scientific Explorer Veterinary Science Kit
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Alex Brands | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Youtube | Pinterest
Learning Resources
What could be more fun on Christmas morning than a bubbling volcano? Beaker Creatures Bubbling Volcano is the perfect gift for your budding scientist. All you need is water to create an exciting adventure. Included are five fizzing science experiments you can perform long after Christmas morning.
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Beaker Creatures Bubbling Volcano
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Learning Resources | Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest
Stomp Rocket
If you have kids or know someone who does, you have probably been introduced to the fun that is the stomp rocket. The original stomp rocket has grown into an entire line of STEM toys. For those unfamiliar with the term STEM, it stands for Science Technology Engineering, & Mathematics. By combining these important subjects with fun, kids do not even realize they are learning.
Read More: 6 Low-Tech Ways To Connect With Your Grandkids
Siblings are inherently competitive. While this can sometimes be hard for parents to deal with, it is a little more entertaining when the dueling stomp rockets are involved! You may be surprised at how long these stomp rockets will keep your kids engaged, and that is always a good thing, so make sure to add the Stomp Rocket Dueling Rockets to your holiday gift list, especially if you are on the hunt for an educational toy disguised as something just for fun!
SHOP:
Stomp Rocket Dueling Rockets
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Stomp Rocket | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Youtube
Pixl Toys
If you’ve got a budding photog on your holiday list, then the Smartphone Enabled Kids Toy Camera by Pixl Toys is a great intro camera to encourage their new-found hobby. Pixl Toys designed this award-winning product that converts certain model smartphones into a bonafide camera with a durable, easy-to-hold shell. To add to the fun, the toy camera, once assembled, even resembles a vintage 35 mm camera!
The Smartphone Enabled Kids Toy Camera encourages creative expression and improves fine motor skills. Pixl Toys also offers a companion app to the toy camera which includes skill-building photography activities like scavenger hunts and other fun amenities including stickers and silly faces for social sharing fun.
SHOP:
Smartphone Enabled Kids Toy Camera
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Pixl Toys | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Pinterest
Orange Pieces
Puzzles are a great early learning resource for young children and wood peg puzzles make it easy for toddlers to grab and put together on their own while developing repetitive finger learning. The Orange Pieces Wooden Peg Puzzle Pack for Toddlers is a 3 pack of colorful puzzles that includes the alphabet, numbers, and fruit. Toddlers aged three and up can learn while they play, helping to develop fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination, and visual perception.
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3 Pack Puzzle Set for Toddlers
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Orange Pieces
Lamaze
Read More: The New Lamaze Play App Changes The Game For Baby Playtime
The best toys for babies are ones that are both entertaining and educational. Your little ones are sure to get plenty of toys this holiday season so make sure they are able to learn something while enjoying playtime. The Lamaze Grab and Hide Ball is a colorful, plush floor toy that encourages grabbing and crawling. The attachments will also help to develop both fine and gross motor skills as well as keep your baby’s attention.
SHOP:
Grab and Hide Ball
EXPLORE AND CONNECT:
Lamaze | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter
Basic Fun Toys
One of the classic toys that you might have had as a child is back for your own child to enjoy. The Speak & Spell educational toy, one of the first computerized games, helps children learn how to spell 200 of the most common words. There are several different playing levels so your child can continue learning as they grow. It is the perfect gift for a young child just starting school and for parents to feel a little nostalgic in their gift-giving.
SHOP:
Speak & Spell
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Basic Fun Toys | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Youtube
iPlay, iLearn
Do you have a little baseball or tennis player in your family that you’re shopping for this Christmas? This 2-in-1 Baseball and Tennis Pitching Machine makes repetition and batting practice easy and controllable. With two pitching modes, your little athlete will be hitting the ball more consistently in no time. When on Auto Mode, the balls will automatically shoot out of the machine every 5-7 seconds. On the other hand, if you want to have a little more control, use Remote Control mode. This allows you to set the pitching mode to ON then press the red RC button on the bat handle to trigger a pitch! The balls will only shoot out when you press the red button in RC mode.
SHOP:
2-in-1 Baseball and Tennis Pitching Machine
EXPLORE AND CONNECT:
iPlay, iLearn | Facebook | Instagram | Youtube | Pinterest
The Learning Journey
We all know that the best way to teach children their ABCs and 123s is to make it fun and interactive. However, sometimes it’s nice for kids to play independently. Rather than dropping your child in front of a screen, let them play with an educational toy that we love this year, the Smart Learning Station. This exciting electronic learning machine features five fun games, sure to entertain and educate your youngster. Featuring an alphabet and numbers touchpad, 5 light-up LED shape buttons, and a convenient carry handle that puts kids in charge of choosing their fun, this colorful interactive unit is so fun that kids won’t even realize they’re learning!
SHOP:
Smart Learning Station
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The Learning Journey | Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | Twitter | Youtube
Tinkering Labs
Finding an educational toy that embodies both play and learning makes dreams come true for parents all over the world. Tinkering Labs Electric Motor Kits allows your child to build and rebuild robotic creations. This kit promotes problem-solving skills while also eliciting creativity. With this STEM kit, you can make doodling robots, power model cars, and even add movement to legos. There is so much fun (and learning!) to be had with Tinkering Labs.
SHOP:
Tinkering Labs Electric Motor Kits
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Tinkering Labs | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Pinterest
Thames & Kosmos
STEM Toys for the kids are an absolute must-have this holiday season and Thames & Kosmos has so many options to choose from when you are shopping for the perfect educational toy.
First, a robot that defies gravity?! That’s what you get with Air-Walker, a four-legged Bot that uses an ingenious system of suction cups and pumps to crawl along smooth, vertical surfaces like windows. Your kids will love watching their new air-walker crawl in a straight line, to the left, or to the right, while a special mechanism makes the robot’s head move back and forth as its body moves forward. They can also build four other models with the same components and learn how suction and mechanical devices can be used in different real-world applications.
Your future engineer of physicist will certainly be inspired by this hands-on construction kit as it demonstrates the power of air pressure at work. However, for those who enjoy following instructions and visual guidance, a 32-page, full-color manual will guide your model building and experiments with clear step-by-step illustrated instructions.
If your child is more into chemistry, they’ll love playing the lead chemist in their very own out-of-this-world laboratory with a mission to identify ufos, also know as unidentified funky oozes! The Alien Slime Lab by Ooze Labs can be used separately or as an extension of the ooze labs chemistry station to mix up batches of unidentified “alien” slime and conduct tests on them to analyze and investigate their special properties.
The kit includes all of the necessary tools to perform Alien slime research. Use the syringe to conduct viscosity tests, roll the slime with a roller, and dissect it with tweezers and a plastic scalpel. You can also cut a brain shape out of the slime, stamp it with an alien head, and add eyes to it! Your kids will have a blast exploring slimes’ make-up and properties such as their different colors, glittery components, and glowing and color-changing effects. They can use their findings to correctly identify the different slimes. Real science and playful science fiction come together in this wacky, activity-filled kit this holiday season!
SHOP:
Air-Walker | Alien Slime Lab
EXPLORE AND CONNECT:
Thames & Kosmos | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Youtube
Intelino
Every child loves trains; watching them, playing with them, imagining life on the railroad, this season, step it up a notch with the Intelino J-1 Smart Train starter set. This STEM-inspired, screen-free train will teach core principles of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics all packaged into a sleek and modern educational toy!
Already assembled, this train is ready to play with right out of the box. With built-in sensors, the Intelino train is interactive, programmable, app-enabled and adaptable, creating hours of endless STEM play for children age 3+. This smart train will capture and captivate your child’s curiosity and imagination while teaching them important lessons right at home.
SHOP:
Intelino J-1 Smart Train Starter Set
EXPLORE AND CONNECT:
Intelino | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Youtube
Starlux Games
Forget the board games and inspire your kids to get up and outside this season with the futuristic outdoor glow games from Starlux Games. Ideal for fantasy lovers and family fun time alike, head outdoors for a fun and fast-paced outdoor gaming session playing old school favorites in a whole new way! These glow in the dark games will excite and inspire even the most sullen teens to come outside and join in the fun. No longer are outdoor games only for daytime and boring board games for the night, change it up with these outdoor games best played in the dark.
This winter we love Wizards and Werewolves, an outdoor active game of hide-and-seek, tag, and a scavenger hunt all-in-one. This 4-10 player game for adults and kids ages 8+keeps players on their toes as the werewolves hunt the wizards and the wizards search for glowing crystals to increase their powers. With 3 gaming levels from beginner to highly strategic, hide, hunt, tag, howl, and run in this exciting and active game that is fun for the whole family.
A new spin on an old classic, Capture the Flag Redux is a new way to play this exciting and active strategic game. With 25 light-up gaming pieces, 4-20 players, ages 8+ will love this traditional icebreaker taken outdoors where they can light up the night while they run, hide, chase, and play. Perfect for building teamwork, teaching strategy, and improving social skills, Starlux Games has taken Capture the Flag to the next level with glowing orbs, LED light bracelets for team designations, and the option to utilize all the pieces across 12 different outdoor gaming modes. Perfect for your child’s next sleepover, or as a family game night alternative to Monopoly, Capture the Flag Redux will be a favorite this holiday season.
SHOP:
Wizards & Werewolves | Capture the Flag Redux
EXPLORE AND CONNECT:
Starlux Games | Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest
Educational Insights
Kids want all the things, especially around the Holidays. This season the hottest toys are the ones that are fun and educational. One amazing attribute of children is that they are always learning whether at home or at school. While traditionally parents tend to think of learning as reading, writing or school geared activities children are also learning while they play. Possibly even more so than in traditional teaching methods. That is why an educational toy like one from Educational Insights should be at the top of every wishlist this holiday season.
Do you have a wanderlust on your hands? If you have a kid that loves to learn and explore the world then we highly recommend the GeoSafari Jr. Talking Globe. Your world traveler will receive a hands-on introduction to geography with over 10 hours of interactive audio with this educational toy. The Talking Globe features continents, U.S. states, animals, and nature information. The Globe has different modes including Explore, Find It, and Measure It Modes.
Does your child have a natural curiosity? The Design & Drill Space Circuits is the perfect STEM activity to keep your little learner busy this holiday season. Your kiddo will have fun completing 20 space-themed, circuit building challenges. This educational toy supports STEM learning as well as an introduction to engineering.
SHOP:
GeoSafari Jr. Talking Globe | Design & Drill Space Circuits
EXPLORE AND CONNECT:
Educational Insights | Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | YouTube
Step 2
This Christmas let your littlest learners begin exploring the world of STEM and physics with the Ball Buddies Double Drop HQ from Step 2. Let your toddlers watch in wonder as they drop their balls and track the downward descent to see just where they might land. This game not only teaches your kids early lessons in gravity but also lets them practice their grasping and fine motor skills and teaches children about cause and effect. Finally, all little ones will love loading up the included trucks to transport their balls across the HQ or the house!
SHOP:
Ball Buddies Double Drop HQ
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Step 2 | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Youtube | Pinterest
Board Books about Kindness
One of the best gifts you can give your kids is the gift of reading. From an early age, these sweet board books teach your kids about kindness and empathy. The Llamacorn is Kind tells of a story of llama-unicorn friend who goes along spreading kindness and magic wherever she goes. My First Ballet Book: Sleeping Beauty retells the classic story of Sleeping Beauty, kings, queens, and fairies and reminds children what true love can do.
Miracles Everywhere reminds your little one to look for miracles everywhere they go- even in the grass and the trees. Ordinary Mary’s Positively Extraordinary Day tells the story of a little girl named Mary whose ordinary good deeds help change the outlook and feelings of people in her community. Together these 4 books are a great holiday gift to help your little ones start learning the meaning of kindness!
SHOP:
The Llamacorn is Kind | My First Ballet Book: Sleeping Beauty | Miracles Everywhere |Ordinary Mary’s Positively Extraordinary Day
EXPLORE AND CONNECT:
Gibbs-Smith Publications | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter
If Santa visits your household, or if you are just looking for something special for the young person in your life, then an educational toy from Amazon will be an excellent way for them to exercise their imaginations and creativity, while making memories that last, and skills that extend into other areas of their life. An educational toy is a gift that keeps giving for a lifetime.
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