Best Educational Toys for Children under Two

Children below the age of 2 are filled with curiosity and are ready to learn about the world. Learning and educational toys let them have fun and receive an education at the same time. The best toys have many uses, such as problem solving, developing motor skills and allowing the imagination to soar. Try to provide young children with toys that combine touch and sight. New and different sounds and textures will encourage them to explore the world around them. Many of these simple toys can be found in your own home.

Educational Toys:

1. Wood blocks: Young children love to build with blocks and then make a big noise knocking them down. Along the way, they develop creativity and confidence as they form block versions of everything from castles to airplanes. They also learn math skills, especially with wood unit blocks when they add and take away blocks from their block piles.

2. Water toys: Playing with water is a tactile way to learn new concepts. Children love measuring cups of water and pouring them into larger containers, counting the number of cupfuls as they go. You can use a sink or a water table or take it a step dirtier and let the kids take water into the sandbox. Let them use plastic cups, buckets and shovels as toys as they learn about volume, texture and other concepts.

3. Wood puzzles: Young children develop problem-solving skills when they work on puzzles. Start with wooden puzzles with just three or four large pieces depicting animals or other well-known shapes. The pictures on the puzzle will help your children learn to identify animals and shapes in the future. As the child's abilities improve, slowly add puzzles with more pieces to her collection. If your child has problems with small motor coordination, use puzzles with pegs on the pieces.

4. Toy bricks: Watch children get creative with large, interlocking bricks or blocks made of plastic, cardboard or rubber. These colorful pieces have tabs that hook onto each other and allow kids to build a sturdy structure with them. Using the bricks helps kids develop measurement and fine motor skills, and the fun results range from houses to fences and farms.

5. Pots and wooden spoons: While these may seem like jumbled noise to you, to a kid there's no better toy than this impromptu drum set. These toys will help your child learn rhythm, counting and hand-eye coordination.

Educational Toy Tip:

1. You can find all sorts of toy combinations in your own household to entertain and teach your child. Remember, children learn by watching, but also by doing. Teach your kids what to do, then watch as they take it a step further and experiment on their own.