The top toys for any age group that are educational are not always the newest toys. Nor are they the most touted in the stores or suggested by kid experts.   They are the toys that the children find the most interest in. They are the toys that do not bore them after 10 minutes of play. Your child will not learn if the toy will not hold their interest.

If you want to find the top educational toys, take a couple of children to the local toy store, leave them in the educational section and see what holds their interest the longest.  See which toys you will have to literally drag them away from.

When introducing educational toys to 12 and 18 month old children, the discovery has been that they are most interested in those that have a lot of sound, and give some type of verbal interaction.  Examples of these toys would be: Talking Video Phone by Chicco and Smartville Alphabet Train Station by VTech.

Both of the above toys are rich in sounds that correspond to the visual aspect of the toys, as well as talking to the children in a teaching way.  The Video Phone will also teach in English and Spanish.  The train station can recite the whole alphabet as the cars pass over the letters, as well as providing toy animals that can ride in the train and invoke more conversation when they are placed in special hot spots.

Educational toys are important for growing kids to help them learn about reading, writing, and other vital skills. One example is the LeapFrog Read and Write LeapPad. This toy is children who are four to eight years old and it teaches reading and writing through magic books. The magic books feature talking characters, music, narration, and sound effects. By touching the magic books’ pages with the Magic Pencil, the kids hear the words read aloud. The child can also practice writing and solving mathematical problems.

Another top educational toy is the Geomag Briefcase 350, which is a magnetic construction system. It lets the kid learn creativity by building different kinds of structures and models. Kids who are six years old and above can use the patented magnetic spheres and bars to create different kinds of structures.

For toddlers who are 18 months old and above, a top educational toy is the Bristle Blocks Twirlie Tots set. This is a construction set composed of brightly colored Bristle Blocks. The blocks are made from flexible and soft plastic to make sure that they are appropriate for toddlers.

For kids who are three years old and above, a top educational toy is the Fisher-Price Spark Art Easel. This toy is not just a white board but it is also provided with electronic circuits to create interactive voice prompts and more than 600 kinds of sounds.

Lastly, another top educational toy is the Power Chutes Start Set for kids who are six years old and above. This construction project has 127 pieces and after assembly, it has a controller for the front loader that delivers the blue and red Rokenbok balls to the power chutes.