In today’s world, many parents worry about their children falling behind in learning.  Is it possible to provide them with toys they love to play with, but ones that also help them learn?  Of course it is!

As old fashioned as it sounds, blocks are great developmental toys for babies and toddlers.  Blocks with bright colors that have contrast and patterns will visually stimulate your baby.  As they grow older, they will start to learn shapes or objects that may be printed on the blocks.

Another great developmental toy is the ones that sort shapes.  These usually come with stars, circles, squares, and triangles and the child places the pieces into the appropriately shaped holes.  With some of these toys, the baby may hear a sound when they place the right shape in the right hole.  This helps the child learn cause and effect as well as improves their hand-eye coordination.

Puzzles are also great developmental toys.  Choosing a puzzle with large, knobbed pieces helps younger children improve their hand-eye coordination.  It also helps them learn shapes and objects, which helps enhance their vocabulary.

For babies, a keyring teether toy is perfect for helping them develop their fine motor skills by learning to grasp the teether and manipulate it.  The soft books are also great for babies.  They often come with mirrors, squeakers, or things that make crinkle sounds.  This helps encourage the baby’s hand-eye coordination, tactile exploration, and self-discovery.

Dolls are another great toy for children, whether it is a boy or a girl.  Dolls help younger children feel more secure and cuddling a doll helps stimulate the child’s tactile exploration as well as helping them to learn grasping skills.