by Rachelle de Bretagne

Created on: January 22, 2009   Last Updated: January 11, 2012

Often people look at educational toys as a boring aspect. We all want our children to learn, but is it really necessary to educate them through toys? You would be surprised how much value toys have in the development of a child, and the scope of the toys available on the market today which take the "boring" aspect out of learning, and encourage children to develop without them even being aware that what they are doing is learning. A child's mind develops as they grow, and educational toys simply reinforce and encourage the natural curiosity of a child to learn how things work, and how to use their own creativity.

• Types of educational toy

From the moment a child is born, toys educate. Even the soft toys given to babies give them a sense of touch and feel of different textures. Mobiles above a cot teach a child how the light plays on colors and helps them to recognize movement. The world is a learning experience to a child, and if you take out the element of learning from the toys they are given, no doubt they will create their own learning tools with the ones they have.

• Letters and numbers

The types of toys which encourage learning are those which ask for interaction. Learning of numbers and letters can be performed with simple bricks, magnets or word games, and even at a young age, the recognition of letters and numbers is a great start, since when these are reinforced in a school environment, the child is already familiar with those letters and numbers.

• Touch and sound

The Leap Pad range of toys are great for a child to learn the consequence of touch, and association of sounds with different elements of nature or music. These are geared as learning tools, but what is great about them is that they are indeed child friendly, and encourage play.

Musical instruments are fun for children but teach them more than just noise. Sequences of notes made into music help them to develop a sense of how sounds go together to make something whole.

• Building and logic

Lego and other systems of this nature are innovative and fun, and although the child may not be aware of it, what they are learning is logical conclusion. Where a window fits in a house, where to use roof tiles, and how to build walls all require a sense of logic and these are the best toys to train a child's mind to concentrate, in order to succeed. The success in Lego is not having bricks all over the floor. It is in showing that the child can construct, and the

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