by Michelle Ives

Created on: November 26, 2008

I believe educational toys are an absolute must! After watching my friends son grow up and constantly be passed through grade after grade and continue to read at a first grade level while in the third grade. I have learned that a Leap Frog learning toy beats a useless Spider Man toy any day. Even at a young age the type of toy your child receives makes all the difference.

Recently my friend and his two children came over for a play date. We were both surprised to see my two year old pull every letter and number magnet off the fridge and correctly state which it was. While his three year old was unable to name more than three letters and two numbers. While both of our girls have a room full of baby dolls and My Little Ponies, his daughter does not have any story books or any Leap Frog learning toys like my daughter does. We both spend about the same amount of time teaching our girls the alphabet and counting, but my daughter seems to be ahead of his daughter. Since the age of nine month my daughter has had the Leap Frog Learn Around Playground (http://www.novatechgadgets.com/lelepl.html, which teaches young children their letters, numbers, colors, and shapes. It was my daughters favorite toy until two months ago when I finally packed it up and passed it on to another mommy. She learned so much from that toy. She knew all of her colors by fifteen months, and as stated before all of her numbers and letters at an early age. My daughters other favorite toy is the interactive Leap Frog Little Touch Leap Pad educational book (http://www.amazon.com/LeapFrog-10090-Little-Touch-Le apPad/dp/B000096R0P. Each book comes with a cartridge to enhance the learning experience and is designed to both engage and stimulate development.

I think it is amazing how much a child can learn for a "toy". While baby dolls, and play kitchens are great for a child imagination, I am unable to see what a Spider Manweb sprayer can teach a child. I strongly believe that a educational toy can be just as fun as a play toy if the learning is not constantly forced on a child. If they don't realize they are learning they will pick things up quicker than when they are forced to sit in a chair and learn to count to 5 or learn the alphabet. Learning toys can be more expensive, but just remember it is your child's future you are investing in this holiday season!

A great website to find excellent educational toys this holdiay season is http://www.leapfrog.com/en/shop.html.

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