Toys
Fun Educational Games and Toys
Just about everyone who has kids or who is giving gifts to children is shopping for games and toys this Christmas season. After all, it's been a tradition for generations and there seems to be a nearly infinite supply of of both old and new games and toys that you can buy.
Toys aren't all fun and games, though. Some toys actually will help your child build cognitive skills too -- which is a good thing for both you and your child. So in this post I'd like to share with you the top brain-building toys under $15 chosen by Dr. Ken Gibson, founder of Learningrx, a national brain training center, and co-author of the book Unlock the Einstein Inside: Applying New Brain Science to Wake Up the Smart in Your Child.
"Parenting is all about compromises," says Dr. Gibson. "and Christmas is no exception to that rule. Your kids want fun toys, but you don't want to blow your entire budget on junk that'll rot their brains. Luckily there are plenty of great toys that are fun and also help develop complex learning skills, like memory, logic and reasoning, processing speed, attention, and auditory and visual processing." Dr. Gibson's Picks for the 15 Best Brain-Building Games
1. Rhyming Words Dominoes, Trend Enterprises, $2.99 Amazon
2. Geometric-Shaped Magnet Set with Board, Trademark global, $5 Walmart
3. Simon Electronic Carabiner, Basic Fun, $10.24 Amazon
4. Shape and Color Sorter, Patch Products, $10.99 Walmart
5. 60-Second Jumbo Timer, Learning Resources, $12.40 Walmart
6. Minute Math Electronic Flash Card, Learning Resources, $13.16 Amazon
7. Rattled, Educational Insights, $8.49 Amazon
8. Spot it! by Blue Orange, $11.98 Amazon
9. Sport Stacking Game - Stacks Cups, Flying Cup, $12.50 Amazon
10. Travel Battleship Fun on the Run, Hasbro, $8.49 Amazon
11. LED Light Rubik's Cube, OEM, $12 Amazon
12. Sequence for Kids, Jax Ltd., $11.99 Target
13. 4 in a Row, Pressman Toy, $10.07 Amazon
14. Bop-It Bounce, Hasbro, $9.73 Amazon
15. Mancala for Kids, Pressman Toy, $9.49 Amazon
According to Dr. Gibson all these toys and games develop various types of cognitive skills which are the learning skills used to attend to and retain information, to process, analyze and store facts and feelings, and to create mental pictures, read words and understand concepts. When cognitive skills are strong, academic learning is fast, easy, efficient and even fun. Toys that work these skill are a step in the right direction toward creating strong learners.
Tip: Print this post before you shop in-store or online for the holidays, birthdays or any other occasion. That way you'll have a ready-made shopping list to reference as you browse all the wonderful toys and games that can enhance your child's learning abilities.
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