ShapeSorters

Battat Shape Sorter Cube

My son had this exact toy at his Grandmas house and was one that he would love playing with everytime we visited. Its great for toddlers aged 1 and up and I think my son used to play with it until he was about 2. Its a good shape sorter as it has letters (A,B,C) and numbers (1,2,3) as well as shapes to put into the cube so is good for introducing these concepts. There is also a bead maze which seems to fascinate toddlers.

Description: This Shape Sorter Cube by Battat includes 6 different sides of fun and learning! Children will learn the alphabet and numbers as well as match shapes. All shapes store neatly in the sorter cube. The flap door is used to retrieve. 

 I bought this toy after the Tolo Rolling Shape Sorter became unavailable, and I'm very happy with it. This shape sorter contains openings and corresponding pieces for six different shapes (circle, square, triangle, star, heart, and clover), the numbers 1-3, and the letters A, B, and C. The pieces are color-coded to their respective side of the cube. There is also a bead maze, which my one-year-old finds fascinating. My favorite feature is the four flexible flaps that cover the main opening to the cube. The flaps keep the shapes inside until my daughter decides to "free" them, which she can do by herself. 

 

My husband and I wanted to get a shape sorter for our 10 month old son. We knew he was a little young but wanted him to get used to the toy. We both agreed that the other sorters that match shape and color were not maximizing the shape sorting problem solving. In this cube each side is one color and all the pieces to that side are the same color! What a great idea! In the future my son can easily find the side he needs and really match the shape of the pieces since circle isn't red and square isn't blue etc. Circle, square and triangle are all the same color, it forces him to put in the pieces by shape.

The maze on one size is kind of annoying since you can't lay the cube flat on one side, but the opposing side is where the flaps are to remove the pieces. So it's not like a side he would be placing pieces into. He likes playing with the maze too. The flaps are a great idea as well since there isn't a loose side with a door that keeps falling off. Sometimes my son has trouble getting the pieces out of the flap. And he takes shortcuts putting the pieces in where the flap is!

The cube is very durable and has holes drilled for the pieces that could get suctioned around his mouth. For good measure my husband drilled holes in all the pieces to be sure (the numbers and letters didn't have holes due to their irregular shape, but we made holes just in case, it was really easy with a drill).

Overall my husband and I think this is the best shape sorter cube out there and definitely recommend.

Leapfrog Fridge Magnets

The Leapfrog Fridge Magnets are one of my favorite educational toys for toddlers. My son used to spend ages playing with them on the fridge when he was a toddler. It used to be great as it would give me a while to get things done in the kitchen and I could keep an eye on my son at the same time. My son used to play with these magnets from about 8 months (although the farmyard magnets featured below are suitable from 12 months). It also helps introduce toddlers to phonics and letters - a highly recommended toy.

Product Features

• Help reading skills rise and shine with this magnetic letter set, introduces children to letter names and sounds
• Features big, bright letters that are easy for little fingers to grasp to help develop fine motor skills
• Sing along to the Alphabet Song
• Playful phonics songs help children remember the sound each letter makes
• Includes dog or sun magnetic letter reader, 26 magnetic letters, and 3 AAA batteries

 Phonics have never been more fun with this LeapFrog Fridge PhonicsMagnetic Set. With this engaging tool, children can learn letter names and sounds from the convenience of your refrigerator. Simply place a letter into the reader and press to hear its name, sound, and a delightful phonics song. Great as a speech development tool for ages two and up, the LeapFrog magnetic set delivers hour of amusement, while teaching the alphabet.
Leap into Learning
Kids will dance to the music and their faces light up as they imitate the sounds. The vowels are all colored red and the consonants are yellow, blue, or green. This helps children identify letters and see the difference between vowels and consonants. And as the children learn to grasp and place the letters, the toy sharpens motor skills.
To start the learning process, this toy includes 26 magnetic letters and a magnetic letter reader. Little fingers can easily grasp the big, bright letters and place them on the fridge. Kids can also play the alphabet song by pressing the red musical note. In addition, a handy off-soft-loud control allows parents to change the volume and keeps the music at an enjoyable level. Vibrant colors and a sassy green frog captivates the kids and adds to the fun. This educational toy's durable plastic construction holds up to rough toddler play. Three AAA-size batteries are provided.

Award-Winning Features
This toy has received many accolades and awards from prominent toy organizations. In 2003, it won the Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Gold Seal and Snap Award; it was also named Nick Jr.com's Toy of the Year. It attaches right to the refrigerator with secure magnets and is easily accessible when your child is hungry for learning. With lively musical songs and a fun cartoon frog, the magnetic letter set can be a great educational tool for children with a severe speech difficulty, or for those just needing a brush-up on their ABCs.
What's in the Box
Magnetic letter reader, 26 magnetic letters, and 3 AAA batteries.

The Best Learning Toys For Toddlers

The Best Learning Toys For Toddlers

So just what are the best learning toys for toddlers? The first thing you have to consider is that your child should enjoy playing with the toys. After all if your child doesn’t enjoy playing with the toy they are not going to play with it for long and if they’re not playing with them they can’t learn from them. These toys should teach the things that your child is going need to know during their early stages, things such as their ABC and counting. They will need to know these things in their early years.

We all know that kids are very inquisitive in the early years of their life. Their hunger for knowledge is huge. Giving them that knowledge in a fun way allows it to stay with them for years. Kid shows like Sesame Street are so successful because they combine learning with fun. Toys that follow that same line of thought can be just as beneficial for your child as those kid shows. Educational toys should combine the two things kids like to do most and that’s playing with toys and learning new things. Why don’t we just take a look at some of the best learning toys for toddlers?

Here is a toy that teaches the alphabet and numbers all while allowing your tykes to get their exercise at the same time. The “Smart Cycle” from Fisher Price takes your child through different environments while teaching them all kinds of lessons. The “Fun-2-Learn Computer Cool School” from Fisher-Price is another of those great learning toys for toddlers. This toy lets your child have their own little computer and will help them with their writing, reading and other things they should know.

LeapFrog has one of the best learning toys for toddlers called the “Learning Table”. With this toy your child will learn about the alphabet, counting, colors, shapes and a lot more. These are all things a child needs to learn about, as they get ready to enter school.

There are so many toys out there that claim to educate, but don’t really teach the things that your child really needs to know. The toys mentioned here are just a few of the best educational toys for toddlers that will actually teach toddlers some useful lessons. As with all toys you should make sure that the educational toys you get are safe for your child. Toys can be very powerful educational tools so don’t underestimate their power to teach. They not only have the power to give your child a jump-start on their education, they can also give them the skills they will need in their everyday life.

The Best Educational And Learning Toys for Toddlers Aged 1 to 3 Years

The best educational toys for toddlers help them learn through play and keep them occupied for a while too.

This article features the best educational toys based on the toys my son liked between the ages of 1 to 3 years. I have given age recommendations to let you know at what age my son played with each toy.

There are lots of educational toys to help learn letters, numbers, colors, hone fine motor skills, introduce social skills and develop speech, lanugage and vocabulary.

Check out the best educational toys for toddlers below.