10 Best Toys & Gifts for 7 Year Old Boys in 2018

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We know no 7 year old boy is like your 7 year old boy.

We also know your 7 year old boy is quickly growing, both physically and mentally, and those toys that may have been his favorite last year are now being tossed aside and collecting dust.

It can be hard to find the perfect toy — something that aids in his development while still being enjoyable to play with – which is why we’ve put together this list for you.

These 10 best toys for 7 year old boys are affordable, more complex than last year’s toys, and (best of all) fun. If you’re short on time, jump to the best toy list below. Otherwise, take a moment to learn about what typical 7 year olds are expected to learn.

7 Year Old Developmental Milestones

7 year old boys are in a year of transition. They have grown intellectually from simple to complex thought, physically from learning how to use their body to understanding their bodies and the way it works, morally from understanding what’s right and wrong – and using that information to test your limits — and so on.

7 year old boys are starting the second grade and ready to learn. Now capable of more complex thought, their reading comprehension skills evolve from learning to read to reading to learn. When writing, they can form more complicated sentences, use punctuation, and use these skills to create plans. They also sharpen their addition, subtraction, and math reasoning skills.

Their skills are also rapidly developing outside of the classroom. You may notice that they also begin to complain about their aches and pains – 7 year olds are more aware of their bodies, and are better able to use their bodies and discuss how they feel, both verbally and in writing. They also learn new ways to express themselves, and try out jokes and puns.

Don’t be surprised if your relationship with your 7 year old changes. Boys crave independence from you while trying to figure out where they fit in their social groups – they spend more time with friends, crave acceptance from their peers and enjoy being a part of a team.

Knowing the difference between right and wrong is no longer enough, they now understand cause and effect and use this information to test your limits by experimenting with lying, cheating, stealing and using bad words.

That said, they may still feel insecure and need your validation. 7 year olds are still inquisitive, so this is a great time to nurture your relationship by limiting screen-time and begin having deeper discussions on tougher topics.

Now that your familiar with typical developmental milestones, take a look at the best toys for 7 year old boys to help develop their growing intelligence, curiosity, and independence.

10 Best Toys & Gifts for 7 Year Old Boys

1. 35 Model Building Set by K’NEX

Your 7 year old boy is developing more advanced motor and problem-solving skills – develop and challenge them with this K’NEX set. The 480 pieces can be arranged in to 35 functioning and intricate models, including cars, amusement park rides, and airplanes. It also comes with a chest for storage, which teaches organization (as an unintentional added bonus, this is perfect for parents walking around barefoot late at night).

Buy for $27.99 on Amazon

2. Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots by Mattel Games

This classic competitive boxing game from your childhood is back and better than ever. Your kid will have such a blast, he won’t even notice that he’s improving his speed, motor skills, and hand-eye coordination. Play with friends or play with parents, with this toy, he will always win – even if he loses.

Buy for $19.18 on Amazon

3. Scientific Explorer POOF-Slinky Magic Science for Wizards Only Kit

Abracadabra! Your 7 year old wizard is at an inquisitive yet lively age – this kit will inspire them to use their imagination, follow instructions, and dazzle their friend group, all while learning about the science behind magic.

Buy for $11.35 on Amazon

4. Technic WHACK! Building Kit by LEGO

Foster your kid’s imagination, complex problem-solving skills, and his ability to follow instructions – all while building one amazing toy. This car is not cool-looking, it’s fast too. That’s right, your 7 year old boy will actually build a functioning car!

Buy for $15.99 on Amazon

5. OUREAL Long Distance Two-Way Radio for Kids

A healthy social life is more important than ever before for your 7 year old boy. This walkie talkie keeps him close – even when he’s out playing with friends. The long range (up to two miles!) and hands-free operation helps him check in with you when he’s checked out of the house.

Buy for $29.98 on Amazon

6. Outdoor Exploration Educational Kit

Talk about economical – this set is 6 toys in one (binoculars, magnifying glass, hand-crank flashlight, whistle, compass – all in one cool backpack). Encourage your 7 year old boy to turn off the TV or put the tablet away, get outside, and use his imagination. Best of all, this is an educational opportunity, where you and your boy can go exploring together while creating great memories and developing your bond.

Buy for $19.99 on Amazon

7. A Kick Scooter by Razor

Pack his toys in a backpack and take them on-the-go on their zippy (but safe) scooter. This lightweight scooter promotes muscle coordination and balance – getting your 7 year old away from screens, out of the house, to their friends’ house and back faster (and cooler!) than ever before. Just be sure to have your 7 year old also wear a helmet. The scooter is so good it also made it on our list of the best toys for 6 year old boys.

Buy for $39.93 on Amazon

8. 4M Solar System Planetarium

Nurture his imagination and increase his instruction-following skills by building this solar system planetarium model, foster his creativity with the included glow paint pen, and learn all about the solar system with the fact-filled wall chart. Your 7 year old kid will have so much fun, he won’t even realize it’s actually an educational activity.

Buy for $10.80 on Amazon

9. Diggin Active Dodge Tag

This fun and safe take on dodgeball and tag encourages competitive play, improves hand-eye coordination, and increases accuracy, agility and endurance. It’s also incredibly safe – the dodgeballs are soft and are not meant to hurt the rambunctious players, they are made to stick to the vest.

Buy for $19.99 on Amazon

10. 5,000 Awesome Facts (About Everything!) by National Geographic Kids

Many of these toys are meant for outside play, but there are also ways to reduce screen time and learn while inside the house as well. For rainy days and quiet times, this book provides 5,000 fun facts for your curious kid. Now that he’s reading to learn, nurture this ability, indulge his curiosity and inspire his imagination with this great book.

Buy for $15.96 on Amazon

Toys for Other Age Ranges

For more toy and gift ideas for kids, check out our other great articles:

We hope you’ve enjoyed this list. While we don’t suggest that these are the only toys your child will ever need, we do think this list of the best educational toys for boys is a great start. If you have any suggestions or feedback, please reach out to us.

Criteria for Placement

While listing the best educational resources is never an exact science, we’ve done our best find products that rank highly on the following criteria:

Developmental impact: Many toys out there like plush dolls are somewhat limited in their developmental impact. We’ve critically evaluated the toys on this list for their impact on physical, cognitive, social, and emotional development.
Safety: All toys on this list are safe to use, free of toxic compounds like lead and BPA
Durability: Children love to throw, jump on, and touch everything in sight. The toys on this list are fit to withstand the bumps and hard landings.
Price: Parenting doesn’t need to be outrageously expensive. We looked for the cheapest products that still meet our developmental and quality requirements.

References

Developmental milestones for typical second graders – understood.org

10 Best Toys & Gifts for 6 Year Old Boys in 2018

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Is there a 6 year old boy in your life with a birthday coming up? If so, chances are you’re probably looking for a toy that offers tons of fun but also serves an educational purpose. We’ve got you covered with a comprehensive list of the 10 best gifts for 6 year old boys — gifts designed specifically for maximum fun and developmental growth.

If you’re in a hurry, skip to the best toys list below. Otherwise, read on to learn about the 6 year old developmental milestones that we considered for the list.

6 Year Old Developmental Milestones

At 6 years old, your little loved one is likely in first grade and growing fast. They’re being introduced to the school system that will guide and challenge them for the next 12 years.

In their first year of school, they’ll learn to count to 100, add and subtract within 20, tell basic time, and solve simple equations. They also learn to spell the 100 most common words in the English language, and lay a foundation of grammar. Yes, 6 year olds learn a lot!

6 year olds are also working hard to hone many of the skills they’ve been developing since birth like gross and fine motor control, and improved hand-eye coordination. They’re also gaining cognitive skills like the first glimmers of logical reasoning, and more in-depth reading comprehension.

As 6 year olds develop all of these awesome new physical and cognitive abilities, they begin to expand their independence, as well as their potential for anxiety. But don’t worry — that’s natural. You can be there to show them that everything is ok, and that they are always loved, no matter what the conditions are of their lives. Once kids begin schooling, they become introduced to the dynamics of friendship and often pick up behaviors from their friends, good and bad.

Sure, 6 year olds might seem more autonomous and adventurous, but they still need the kindness and grounding only a parent can provide.

Keeping these major developmental milestones in mind, we’ve researched and compiled the top 10 toy and gift options for 6 year old boys below.

10 Best Toys for 6 Year Old Boys Reviewed

1. ZOOB RacerZ Car Designer

6 year old boys are developing the cognitive abilities to follow directions, solve problems, and construct complex objects. 6 year old boys also love cars. That’s why this build-your-own-car kit by ZOOB gets our top toy spot for 6 year old boys. Kids follow the included guides to create 3 different cars, or use the 76 piece set to invent their own vehicles. If your child loves this set, they can even expand it with a number of compatible ZOOB building kits. This product comes very highly rated, and is excellent for science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) development.

Buy for $20.13 on Amazon

2. ALEX Art: Draw Like A Pro Set

At six years old, kids are improving their creative genius when it comes to drawing. Their fine-motor control, abstract thinking, and attention spans all improve, making this drawing tool just right for their age. The ALEX Art draw set comes with a mini projector to display 124 pre-printed design slides which kids can trace over. Your 6 year old can build fun flip books, or mix-and-match different elements to create their own cool designs. It’s not your typical drawing set. It’s so much more… not to mention it’s garnered a ton of toy and parenting awards!

Buy for $17.55 on Amazon

3. Think Gizmos Pogo Stick For Kids

Six year old boys don’t sit still. At that age, they’re bustling with energy, always itching to get up and adventure around, so why not make it easier on them with a pogo stick? This toy will improve their balance, concentration, and strength. 6 year olds will have a blast getting fit while jumping around outdoors. Not only is this option fairly affordable, but it’s also lightweight with a cool design and it even comes with a rubber tip and anti-slip foot pads to minimize danger and prioritize safety while having high-energy fun. Just make sure they’ve also got a helmet on when they play.

Buy for $39.99 on Amazon

4. ROBOTIME 3D Wooden T-Rex Puzzle

What 6 year old doesn’t love dinosaurs? And what’s better than a robotic one that roars and walks? Not much. This one is a crazy cool gift because it offers a couple different educational elements for developmental improvement including hand coordination when building the dinosaur with interlocking pieces and even some STEM efforts when it comes to rigging the dino up to be sound-and-movement controlled. The process of bringing the dinosaur to life can be a great bonding experience between child and parent, but then they’re off with a super cool walking, roaring prehistoric pal. Note: children as old as 10 may need parent help building the toy.

Buy for $25.99 on Amazon

5. Melissa & Doug Magic In A Snap Set

One of the awesome things about magic is that it’s able to transcend age. Magicians can start out at any age — even 6! In this set, premiere toy line Melissa & Doug offer 4 tricks for kids to master magic. The kit includes tools to conduct the following tricks: magic coin bag, ball and vase, magic tube, and cash case. It comes with helpful instructions, too, so don’t worry if your curious kid is a beginner. This toy promotes attention, problem solving, fine motor control, and social interaction.

Buy for $14.97 on Amazon

6. Melissa & Doug USA Map Floor Puzzle

Puzzles have been hailed an educational tool for kids of all ages for years. Whether it’s a chunky wooden one for toddlers or a more elaborate 100-piece one for older kids, puzzles offer fine motor development and visual skills like hand-eye coordination. This 51-piece floor puzzle is perfect for first graders because it has those typical benefits but also offers a double learning experience in that it helps kids learn their geography with state and capital names and cute graphics. The thick cardboard pieces are extra sturdy and easily washable, so it’s fun to put together and not a pain to put away.

Buy for $12.99 on Amazon

7. My First Mind Blowing Science Kit

In first grade, kids are developing their sense of logic and reasoning: two concepts that help when they’re learning subjects like science and math. This kit serves to tackle the science realm in both fun and educational ways with more than 10 activities curated to basic science fundamentals, like volcanic eruptions and chemistry topics such as discovering whether household liquids are acids or bases. With help from a parent (and armed with protective goggles), boys should love learning more about how things around them work with hands-on experiments.

Buy for $18.84 on Amazon

8. Robot Face Race

First graders are social! They’re making friends and they’re getting silly and creative. Multi-player games like this one allow kids to work together, learn concentration skills, and assist in visual discrimination which is a major skill needed for reading comprehension. In this game, a crazy inventor needs help finding bright quirky heads so he can finish creating his robots. With a big game board featuring over a hundred robot faces, 20 robot scoring tokens, a no-batteries-required robot randomizer, and helpful instructions, this is a whole new spin on your typical matching game.

Buy for $19.50 on Amazon

9. SKLZ Pro Mini Micro Hoop with Foam Ball

We’ve already mentioned that 6 year old boys are pretty rambunctious and begin developing enhanced skills in regards to hand-eye coordination, so sports are always a smart gift option. This indoor basketball hoop is crazy easy to install (it comes with hooks so all you have to do is slip it over the top of a door) and definitely looks more legitimate than other brands, plus it comes with a foam ball, eliminating the worry of getting hurt or breaking anything with an actual basketball. It’s bound to give hours of high-energy fun while helping to develop those coordination skills.

Buy for $21.99 on Amazon

10. Mindscope Twister Tracks with Flexible Track System (258 Pieces)

Kids at this age are starting to improve on their dexterity and creativity, so toys that offer a skill and design component are great options. This well-made track system comes with 11 feet worth of flexible, bendable plastic sheets to build a track for the motorized car it includes. Bright colors and extra design features (like a bridge and other toy pieces) make this a fun and enriching building experience. Many boys especially love cars and racing.

Buy for $24.99 on Amazon

Honorable Mention

Inflatable Solar System Set

In the same vein as learning about maths and sciences, boys might start being interested in other fun subjects like space. While complex building kits might not hold their attention too well yet, fun inflatables definitely will. This set includes appropriately sized inflatable balls representing all 9 planets (Pluto included!) plus the sun and the moon. They’re designed like beach balls for tossing fun, but the set includes loops in case your boy wants to hang the solar system in his own bedroom. It’s a great gift for visual learners!

Buy for $35.02 on Amazon

Toys for Other Age Ranges

We hope you’ve enjoyed this list. While we don’t suggest that these are the only toys your child will ever need, we do think this list of top 10 developmental toys is a great start. If you have any suggestions or feedback, please reach out to us.

Criteria for Placement

While listing the best educational resources is never an exact science, we’ve done our best find products that rank highly on the following criteria:

Developmental impact: Many toys out there like plush dolls are somewhat limited in their developmental impact. We’ve critically evaluated the toys on this list for their impact on physical, cognitive, social, and emotional development.
Safety: All toys on this list are safe to use, free of toxic compounds like lead and BPA
Durability: Children love to throw, jump on, and touch everything in sight. The toys on this list are fit to withstand the bumps and hard landings.
Price: Parenting doesn’t need to be outrageously expensive. We looked for the cheapest products that still meet our developmental and quality requirements.

References

Developmental milestones for typical kindergarteners – understood.org

10 Best Toys & Gifts for 5 Year Old Boys in 2018

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Are you looking to get the perfect toy or gift for a 5 year old boy that’s both fun and good for their development? With so many toys out there, it can be tough to know what’s best. Luckily we’ve done the research and pulled together a list of the 10 best toys for 5 year old boys that will help them reach critical developmental milestones all while having a blast. And don’t worry, these toys won’t break the bank.

If you’re in a hurry, skip to the top toys list below. Otherwise, read on to learn about 5 year old developmental milestones to set context for the list.

5 Year Old Developmental Milestones

5 year olds have a big year ahead of learning. They enter kindergarten and become more social and communicative. Physically, 5 year olds are increasingly active and can run, hop, skip, and jump without tripping over their own feet. Most 5 year olds learn to jump rope, catch a small ball, and move in coordinated ways like swimming, dancing, or dribbling a ball. All of this activity will cause them to develop “hand dominance” – they’ll start to prefer one hand over the other.

5 year olds’ fine motor skills will be improving a lot. 5 year olds will learn to hold a pencil correctly, cut basic shapes, use a fork, spoon and knife easily, and be able to wipe and wash after using the bathroom.

Cognitively, 5 year olds will learn to recognize colors and basic shapes, know the letters and sounds of the alphabet, recite their name, count up to 10 objects and recite numbers to 20.

Most 5 year olds will have the language development needed to tell stories about the past and the future, and express their feelings. They can use plurals, pronouns, and tenses correctly, and start to reason and argue with people. By the end of kindergarten, most children can begin reading three-letter sight-words like “cat”.

Emotionally, 5 year olds become more social and start to understand the difference between right and wrong in more situations. Most prefer playing with their own gender. 5 year olds are usually honest and stick to the rules. They enjoy being the center of attention and will sing, and dance to get it. They expect to be listened to and may throw a tantrum if they don’t get their way. Toys that help them share and collaborate are important.

With these development milestones in mind, here are the best toys for 5 year old boys to help them along the path to becoming well-rounded, independent adults.

10 Best Toys for 5 Year Old Boys Reviewed

1. Melissa & Doug Smarty Pants Kindergarten Card Set

This educational card set for kindergarteners has a wonderful lighthearted tone that gets kids excited to learn. Each card has illustrated activities that promote mastery of kindergarten curriculum. Activities include math challenges, tongue-twisters, picture puzzles, vocabulary builders, mazes, and more.

There are 120 cards in all. You can read them to your child and learn together – a wonderful bonding opportunity.

Buy for $11.65 on Amazon

2. PicassoTiles Magnetic Tiles 100 Piece Set

Every 5 year old deserves a great set of magnetic building blocks or tiles. Magnetic building tiles offer hours of open ended play while inspiring creativity, design thinking, fine motor control, problem solving and social skills.

There are a number of magnetic block companies on the market. Some are very highly rated, but come at a steep price like the Magna-Tiles Clear Colors 100 Piece Set, coming in at over $100.

We recommend this great alternative from PicassoTiles. It’s priced under $50 with nearly indistinguishable parts. It’s highly rated, and BPA free and safe for children.

Buy for $49.98 on Amazon

3. IQ Challenge Set by GamieUSA

Stimulate your 5 year old’s mind with this 7 piece brain teaser toy set. Each toy challenges your child’s problem solving abilities, creativity, fine motor control and reasoning capacity. These toys are great for children from 5 to 8 years old. If your 5 year old finds them too difficult, just put them away for a little bit until the child is ready.

Buy for $13.95 on Amazon

4. Star Right Educational Spelling Puzzle Game

By the end of kindergarten, children are expected to spell around 20 different 3 and 4 letter “sight-words”. Help them reach this milestone with the Star Right 26 word spelling jigsaw puzzle game. The self-correcting puzzle pieces only fit into one other piece, so children can play with or without an adult to familiarize themselves with simple words and their spelling.

Children as young as 4 can play with this puzzle set, because the animal illustrations can help them solve the puzzles, even if they don’t fully know the spelling.

Buy for $12.49 on Amazon

5. Oregon Scientific Smart Globe

5 year olds are curious. Help them understand their place on this grand planet with an interactive globe toy by Oregon Scientific.

This globe comes with a touch pen and 25 different games to teach children facts about the world. This globe will be great resource in your playroom for years to come.

Pros

Have fun learning about the planet
A useful tool through age 8.

Cons

Stylus sometimes doesn’t detect touch
The hinge is rather weak. Children have to be careful not to break this toy.

Buy for $73.37 on Amazon

6. Razor A3 Scooter Clear

It’s important for 5 year olds to cultivate not just fine motor control, but also gross motor control. Give your 5 year old a two wheeled scooter for just that purpose.

Built for ages 5 and up, this fun, durable, and inexpensive scooter will not only give your 5 year old boy an adrenaline rush, this toy will also improve their dexterity, balance, and strength. Boys will get hours of joy cruising around and pushing their limits. We recommend that your 5 year old ride with a helmet and knee and shoulder pads.

Buy for $57.99 on Amazon

7. VIAHART Brain Flakes Interlocking Plastic Disc Set

The more science technology education & math (STEM) toys you give a 5 year old, the better. A great STEM toy that appeals to both boys and girls is this VIAHART plastic disc set. It comes with 500 pieces that interlock at 45 degree angles, giving kids unlimited creative potential. They will have a blast improving their fine motor control, engineering, and problem solving. This set is tested safe for kids, and comes very highly rated. Be careful, you may be playing with these longer than your kids.

Buy for $14.99 on Amazon

8. LEGO Classic Medium Creative Brick Box

5 year olds are just at the age where they have the fine motor control and attention spans needed to play with an American classic – Legos. Give your child this starter box of 484 LEGO bricks that come in 35 colors. Boys with analytical minds will be lost building fantastic contraptions for hours.

Buy for $27.99 on Amazon

9. Milliard Car Rug Road Play Mat

We have fond childhood memories building LEGOs on a city play mat just like this, and think that every 5 year old boy deserves the same.

This city and road play mat can take your child’s imagination to the next level. Children can learn about city and community life, colors, numbers and more. Plus, this padded rug makes play more comfortable. What a simple and wonderful gift for any 5 year old boy’s bedroom.

Buy for $39.99 on Amazon

10. iPlay, iLearn Baseball Pitching Machine

Help your child improve their dexterity and strength with this 5 ball pitching machine. It pops up balls at 10 second intervals for your child to hit. This practice is great for early development, hand-eye coordination, and attention. Give your child the joy of this classic American pastime right in their backyard.

Buy for $30.99 on Amazon

Toys for Other Age Ranges

Criteria for Placement

While listing the best educational resources is never an exact science, we’ve done our best find products that rank highly on the following criteria:

Developmental impact: Many toys out there like plush dolls are somewhat limited in their developmental impact. We’ve critically evaluated the toys on this list for their impact on physical, cognitive, social, and emotional development.
Safety: All toys on this list are safe to use, free of toxic compounds like lead and BPA
Durability: Children love to throw, jump on, and touch everything in sight. The toys on this list are fit to withstand the bumps and hard landings.
Price: Parenting doesn’t need to be outrageously expensive. We looked for the cheapest products that still meet our developmental and quality requirements.

References

Developmental milestones for typical kindergarteners – understood.org

10 Best Toys & Gifts for 4 Year Old Boys in 2018

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Is there a rambunctious 4 year old boy in your life that needs a toy? Are you looking to find the best toys to set them up for developmental success? Then you’ve come to the right page. We’ve researched hundreds of options and collected the 10 best toys that are not only lots of fun but also critical to helping 4 year old boys reach developmental milestones. If you’re in a hurry, skip to top toys list below. Otherwise, read on to learn about the critical skills 4 year olds are expected to learn that factored into this list.

4 Year Old Developmental Milestones

Physically, 4 year olds are growing fast and toys that strengthen their fine and gross motor skills are important. Their bodies can grow up to 4 inches taller in this one year. 4 year olds have a lot more control over their body then their toddler selves. They can jump, climb, go around obstacles while running, roll, do somersaults, throw and bounce balls, and even pedal and steer bicycles.

They’re becoming better artists as their fine motor skills improve. They can draw basic shapes and use scissors. With practice they can recognize letters, write some of them, and even write their own names.

Cognitively, 4 year olds develop longer attention spans, and start to understand things they can’t see or touch. They can distinguish between what’s real and fake and can make comparisons between objects and sort them. They can stack towers at least 10 blocks high, and count to 10 too. They start thinking in logical steps. Many can pay attention to one activity for 10 to 15 minutes by the end of the year.

From 4 to 5, children’s vocabularies explode, often learning over 1,000 words. Toys that enrich their vocabulary are key. 4 year olds are curious and begin using who, what, why, when and where questions. They develop more independent personalities and can sing silly songs, make up goofy words, follow directions, and pronounce most sounds.

4 year olds are talkative story tellers. They may tell you everything they’re thinking. Some will have imaginary friends and play imaginary games all day. Many are also becoming increasingly social. Toys that teach them to share and take turns are important. Sometimes 4 year olds will tell small lies to get out of trouble, and have to learn from those mistakes. It’s natural to make mistakes as they explore their independence.

With these development milestones in mind, here are some of the best toys for 4 year old boys.

10 Best Toys for 4 Year Old Boys Reviewed

1. Boley 12 Pack 9″ Educational Dinosaur Toys

You may want to have your camera recording when you hand a 4 year old boy this 12 pack of beautifully colored, large, soft plastic dinosaurs. They will freak out! These toys will bring them hours of joyful play they will cherish forever. What makes these dinosaur toys great developmental tools is not only that they encourage imagineering, but also that they promote social play and sharing. Get these toys for your child’s next playdate. They’ll be a big hit.

Note: there are many good dinosaur toy sets out there, all with different pro’s and cons. We’ve picked the Boley 12 pack for the following reasons.

Pros:

Bright, fun colors promote happier play.
Soft plastic makes the toys safer and quieter when smashed together.
Large size.
Dinosaur names are written on each toy’s belly.

Cons:

No flying dinosaur! Kids love those. Pick one up individually at Walmart for $1.
They tend to arrive with a plasticy smell and need to be washed and aired out before play.

Buy for $15.99 on Amazon

2. idoot Magnetic Blocks Building Set for Kids

4 year old boys can stretch their creativity, problem solving, and spatial reasoning skills, as well as improve their fine motor control with this 56 piece magnetic building blocks set. Children can play with these blocks alone, or with friends, and inspire a love of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM).

Buy for $27.99 on Amazon

3. LeapFrog Scribble and Write

This wonderful writing toy helps children develop fine motor skills while learning to write their ABCs and 123s. Children trace letters and numbers made of small lights with a toy stylus. The tool has two modes, one where children are guided to trace one stroke at a time, and another mode where the goal is to trace the entire letter at once without lifting the stylus.

Buy for $21.99 on Amazon

Note: if your 4 year old finds this toy too difficult, get them the VTech Write & Learn Creative Center instead. It’s a more traditional writing and drawing tool, but doesn’t offer the direct constructive feedback of the LeapFrog Scribble and Write.

4. The Never-Bored Kid Book, Ages 4-5

This activity book contains over 160 pages of exercises involve cutting, tracing, glueing, coloring, solving puzzles, and more. Children build fine motor skills and strengthen their problem solving abilities as they complete the diverse exercises. Make sure to also give your child a good set of safety scissors.

Buy for $8.65 on Amazon

5. Wipe Clean Early Learning Activity Book

The more tools your child has to promote reading and writing skills the better. This wipe-clean workbook helps them learn the alphabet, practice spelling, writing, math, and more. Every 4 year old deserves an activity book of this quality to help them grow.

Buy for $9.21 on Amazon

6. VTech Little Apps Tablet, Black

This kid-friendly tablet is packed with 12 developmental activities with progressive learning levels. It’s so good it’s also on our list of the best toys for 3 year old boys and can be used through the age of 5.

This little tool teaches kids the alphabet, numbers (1-10), spelling, counting, math, and reading. There are many children’s toys that only do a fraction of this toy’s functions for the same price.

Buy for $14.97 on Amazon

7. Melissa & Doug See & Spell Wooden Toy

Help your 4 year old develop familiarity with letters and their sounds using spelling toy. It comes with 16 three and four word spelling puzzles. These puzzles help children develop a critical sight-reading vocabulary while also practicing fine motor control. This is a great tool to move your child forward on the path to literacy.

Buy for $14.97 on Amazon

8. Back 2 Nature Outdoor Set for Kids – Binoculars, Flashlight, Compass & Magnifying Glass

Inspire curiosity and a love of the outdoors in your 4 year old with this great adventure toy set. Boys love using the binoculars and magnifying glass to explore objects near and far. The flashlight is a great toy on its own. It has a crank to produce light and doesn’t require charging. The compass can be used to start teaching your child about direction. This is a great toy set to get your 4 year old active and exploring.

Buy for $25.99 on Amazon

9. Educational Insights Playfoam Combo Party Pack

Developmental toys don’t have to be boring. Case in point: this squishy playfoam, or floam. It’s made of lots of squishy foam covered in a sticky material that doesn’t leave residue on your hands, but allows the playfoam to be sculpted. This party pack of playfoam promotes creativity, sharing, and cooperation, and is great as a birthday present for your own child or a friend’s.

Buy for $20.99 on Amazon

10. Educational Insights Design & Drill Activity Center

Nurture your child’s creativity, hand-eye coordination, matching, patterning, and problem-solving skills with this design and drill set.

Children drill kid-sized screws into a board to create beautiful designs with a real electric drill. They can build one of 20 design cards that come with the box, or build their own masterpiece. This is a great way to get your kids learning while developing fine motor skills.

Buy for $34.89 on Amazon

Thank you

Toys for Other Age Ranges

Criteria for Placement

While listing the best educational resources is never an exact science, we’ve done our best find products that rank highly on the following criteria:

Developmental impact: Many toys out there like plush dolls are somewhat limited in their developmental impact. We’ve critically evaluated the toys on this list for their impact on physical, cognitive, social, and emotional development.
Safety: All toys on this list are safe to use, free of toxic compounds like lead and BPA
Durability: Toddlers love to throw, sit on, and hit everything in site. The toys on this list are fit to withstand the bumps and hard landings.
Price: Parenting doesn’t need to be outrageously expensive. We looked for the cheapest products that still meet our developmental and quality requirements.

References

Developmental milestones for typical 4 year olds – understood.org

The Secret to Giving Positive Feedback without Hurting Anyone’s Feelings

Do you find that most people, whether it’s your kids or your employees, get defensive when you give them feedback? Have you struggled with how to give positive feedback in a way that it will actually be received? If so, then you’re in luck. You’re about to learn a secret technique, not taught in schools, to giving constructive criticism that will actually get you the outcomes you desire.

By learning this technique, you WILL be able to change your kids, significant other, employees, and even crabby old family members in positive ways.

Are you ready to learn the secret technique for giving feedback that actually works and doesn’t burn bridges? For a limited time, unlock the secret with 3 easy payments of… just kidding.

The secret to giving good feedback is called… the hamburger method.

The hamburger method for giving feedback goes like this:

Good
Bad
Good

You were expecting something more profound or difficult? Fortunately, that’s it. The hamburger method means that before giving any constructive criticism, you first say something nice. And after giving any constructive feedback, say something nice again.

Let’s walk through an example, and then explain why it works.

Imagine you have an 8 year old son that’s left a big mess in your kitchen.

If you’re like most parents, when you see the mess you get angry and shout, “Clean up your mess Bobby. I told you before. Come clean this up. You’re such a slob. If you leave it like this again you’re grounded”. Sound familiar?

When children receive this kind of “feedback”, they feel criticized and judged. They often become defensive and negative. Verbal abuse causes adrenaline and other stress compounds to be released in the child’s blood stream and they enter fight or flight mode. Neither party ends up happy or receptive.

But now that you know about the hamburger method, you won’t make that mistake. You’ll say something like this instead: “Hi Bobby. Thanks for the great job getting ready this morning. You’re a great kid. I love you. Could I give you a little feedback? You left a mess in the kitchen. Would you mind cleaning it up, and making sure to leave it clean after every use? It’s important we all do our part to have a nice home. Thanks son. I really appreciate you. You’re a wonderful boy. Thank you for helping.”

That certainly felt like a softer way to handle the situation. Let’s walk through the parts of the hamburger method that make this work.

The Compliment Bun

Whenever you give someone a compliment, they become more soft and receptive to feedback. People want to hear more compliments about themselves so after just one compliment they start to listen. The old saying is true, “flattery gets you everywhere.”

Next time you’re trying to give someone feedback, start by giving a compliment.

If you can’t think of a compliment, then you should definitely NOT jump to the feedback patty. If you can’t see someone through a lens of appreciation, it means you’re looking at them the wrong way. Your perspective is negative and incorrect, and you need to soften up before taking any action. Until you can look at someone through eyes of love and appreciation, do not give negative feedback.

The Feedback Patty

After the first compliment bun, try to make it clear that you’re about to give feedback. If you’re not sure exactly what to say, you can literally just say, “Can I give you some feedback?” This obvious and clear framing helps people become receptive to what you have to say next.

The Context Condiments

After giving the feedback, be sure to explain WHY the child should follow the feedback, how it will benefit them, and why you’re giving it. Don’t just issue a blind command. Explain why it’s a good command.

For example, after asking a child to clean up their mess, you can explain to them that good people clean up after themselves, and you want them to grow up to be a great person, and we are all expected to leave things better than we found them, etc… Explaining why is like putting ketchup on your feedback patty. It makes it go down easier.

The Compliment Bun Again

Don’t forget, hamburgers have two buns. Sometimes feedback is tough to swallow, even when people are receptive. It’s important to wash down feedback with some more appreciation and compliments.

In short, don’t skip the buns.

Bon Appétit

Thanks for reading Smart Parenting Blog. Let us know if the hamburger method works for you – @SmartParentBlog

PS.

If you’re curious, I learned about the hamburger method while taking a course on Emotional Intelligence as a Product Manager at Google, and have been using it for years. Some people online also call it the “sandwich method.” You can learn a lot more by reading the Search Inside Yourself book that roughly matches the course.

Top 10 Best Toys & Gifts for 1 Year Old Boys in 2018

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Are you looking for a toy or gift for a 1-year-old boy? With so many options out there, finding the right toy can be intimidating. Luckily, we’ve researched hundreds of toys and pulled together a list of the 10 best toys that are not only super fun but also critical to helping 1 year old boys reach developmental milestones. If you’re in a hurry, skip to top toys list below. Otherwise, read on to learn about the developmental milestones children are expected to reach by the time they are 24 months old that factored in to this list.

Also note: this list is great for 1-year-old girls too. Many of the toys have girl color variations or are gender neutral.

1 Year Old Developmental Milestones

Children between 12 and 24 months make huge developmental strides which allow them to start exploring the world. In this fun year they often go from crawling to standing and walking. They develop fine motor skills like drinking from sippy cups and picking up objects. As they teeth, they’ll also eat more diverse foods which helps them develop the strength for speech.

Cognitively, a 1-year-old child is just beginning to understand everyday objects like spoons, and balls. They can follow simple directions like “sit down”. They can make the connection between words you say and the objects they represent like their nose, or a picture in a book.

Most 1 year olds will babble. They’re just starting to express themselves with real words like “no, mama”. They can recognize family members’ names as well. They experience the same emotions that full-grown humans do like happiness, sadness, and laughter. Sometimes they get frustrated when they can’t express themselves. 1 year olds still have limited social interactions with other children.

With those developmental considerations in mind, here’s our list of the top toys for 1-year-old boys.

10 Best Toys for 1 Year Old Boys Reviewed

1. VTech Drop & Go Dump Truck

You might be surprised to see a dump truck toy so high on our list, but don’t be fooled. This Drop & Go Dump Truck toy from VTech packs a heavy load of developmental value. The toy helps children improve their motor skills, counting, and spatial reasoning. Boys also just love dump trucks.

Toddlers put balls into the top of the red truck and watch them tumble into the yellow bucket. They can then pull the truck with a string, or push it to see the balls rumble inside the bucket. A lever lets the dump truck do what dump trucks to best – dump the balls, so your toddler can put them in again. This toy tests their ability to move objects in and out of containers.

Whether you’re buying this truck as a gift, or getting one for your own child, this toy will help your toddler develop both their fine and gross motor skills, all while having a blast.

Buy for $13.29 on Amazon

2. First 100 Words Board Book

While toddlers may still not be very skilled at speaking, they begin soaking up vocabulary like a sponge. This beautiful first words board book is great at developing that core vocabulary.

It contains 100 images on thick pages that toddlers can turn themselves. Parents sit with their toddlers and first introduce the words associated with each picture. Then they can ask the child to point to image of the word that they say. This process of learning early vocabulary is a wonderful experience for parent and child alike.

Buy for $3.94 on Amazon

3. VTech Sit-to-Stand Ultimate Alphabet Train

This versatile toy train will grow with your child as they transition from crawling to standing and walking. It can be used as a floor toy, with lots of learning activities to teach letters, numbers, and colors. The second train compartment comes with 13 double-sided alphabet blocks to teach the ABCs. Toddlers can sit, ride, push, and pull the train until they run out of fuel.

Buy for $38.99 on Amazon

4. VTech Turn and Learn Driver

This car dashboard toy is wonderful at stimulating a 1-year-old boy’s imagination, as well as helping them develop fine motor control and strength. As children grow from 1 to 2 year olds, their imaginations grow stronger. This toy is great at sparking their imaginative play. Toddlers love pretending to be like their parents driving too.

Buy for $14.19 on Amazon

5. CoolToys Deluxe Toy Workshop Playset

If your boy is 18 months or older, they will enjoy this toy workshop. It has numerous kid-friendly tools like hammers and screwdrivers, to help your toddler improve their fine motor control. It’s highly interactive, with activities for learning shapes, counting, colors, and the ABCs. Boys will love hammering, screwing, and building. This developmental playset may be slightly advanced for some early toddlers, but they will likely grow into the toy by 18 months.

Buy for $34.99 on Amazon

6. Mega Bloks 80-Piece Big Building Bag

This building block set is so good, it’s not just on this list. It’s also on our list of the 10 best toys for 2-year-old boys. Kids can play with these building blocks for years. The large pieces are great for tiny toddler hands. 1 year olds will likely just put two or three pieces together. As they get older, they’ll build increasingly larger and more imaginative structures. At a reasonable $15 price tag, this building blocks set gives you a great bang for your buck.

Buy for $14.92 on Amazon

7. VTech Busy Learners Activity Cube

For 6 months to 3 years old, this toy helps toddlers improve fine motor control while introducing them to animal names, animal sounds, shapes, and instruments. The toy has 5 sides that encourage hours of exploration, play, and movement.

Buy for $19.99 on Amazon

8. TOLO Toys Funtime Fishing Bath Toy

Bath time can be great for both development and fun. This fishing toy comes with 3 beautiful floating fish, and a reel with a magnetic worm. Children move the carefully reel to catch the magnetic fish. The toy not only makes bath time a lot of fun, it helps children improve their dexterity and even learn about the properties of water.

Buy for $18.99 on Amazon

9. Baby Einstein Take Along Tunes Musical Toy

Give your child the pleasure of wonderful baby-friendly classical music player. Children from 3 months old to 3 years old will love switching between 7 enjoyable melodies in this toy. The auditory stimulation is enhanced by blinking lights that dance across the screen.

Many parents bring this toy is along for car trips, because it’s an excellent toddler distraction and keeps them from getting fussy.

Buy for $8.99 on Amazon

10. Eyscar Stacking Cups

This set of 10 durable stacking cups will keep your child stimulated through many stages of development. Toddlers learn to place smaller cups on larger cups to make a big tower. They practice comparing sizes of objects and problem solving. The cups also promote dexterity. As toddlers stack higher, they improve gross motor skills and balance. They are more likely to start standing.

There are a number of stacking toys out there. We’ve picked one that is safe, cheap, well rated, and even helps teach counting. Bonus: each cup has different holes in the bottom for bath time fun.

Buy for $9.99 on Amazon

Toys for Other Age Ranges

Criteria for Placement

While listing the best educational resources is never an exact science, we’ve done our best find products that rank highly on the following criteria:

Developmental impact: Many toys out there like plush dolls are somewhat limited in their developmental impact. We’ve critically evaluated the toys on this list for their impact on physical, cognitive, social, and emotional development.
Safety: All toys on this list are safe to use, free of toxic compounds like lead and BPA
Durability: Toddlers love to throw, sit on, and hit everything in sight. The toys on this list are fit to withstand the bumps and hard landings.
Price: Parenting doesn’t need to be outrageously expensive. We looked for the cheapest products that still meet our developmental and quality requirements.

References

Developmental milestones for typical 1 year olds – understood.org

10 Best Toys & Gifts for 2 Year Old Boys in 2018

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Are you looking for the best toys for a 2-year-old boy that will be both entertaining and educational? Given the thousands of options, getting the best toy can seem daunting. Luckily, we’ve done the heavy lifting and found the best toys for boys that are educational, fun, and won’t break the bank.

The toys on this list are not only a treat to play with, they’re also designed to help children reach critical physical and cognitive development milestones. 2 year olds are just learning to run and jump with both feet. They’re expected to learn to throw and kick balls, balance on one foot, stack boxes, and climb stairs. They’re becoming more independent and can brush their own teeth, hold utensils and crayons with fingers instead of fists, and help a little with getting dressed. Cognitively, they’re able to follow 2 step directions, group objects by color and size, ask questions, talk about the past, and know over 200+ words. 2 year olds are also becoming more social and start to play with other kids.

We considered all of these critical developmental milestones in pulling together this list of the 10 best toys for 2-year-old boys. Children benefit from the stimulation these toys offer, and while we don’t suggest limiting your child to only the toys on this list, we think it’s a great start.

Note, this list is also great for 2-year-old girls. as the developmental standards are the same. Many of the products in the list are gender neutral or have color variations for both boys and girls.

1. VTech Smart Shots Sports Center

This soccer goal meets basketball hoop allows children to develop critical motor skills like kicking and throwing. Children improve their spacial reasoning skills playing with either a soccer-ball or basketball. It’s never too early to start practicing for the big championship. We love this sports center because it’s small enough to conveniently fit in most living rooms, giving even apartment dwellers the opportunity for athletic activity. Not surprisingly, this sports center is currently Amazon’s #1 best seller in electronic learning & educational toys.

Buy for $29.82 on Amazon

2. Fat Brain Toys Tobbles Neo

Tobbles Neo is one of the best stacking toys around. They’re not only beautiful and modern, but also great developmental tools. Children learn to stack smaller objects on top of bigger objects, and also explore their creativity with gravity-defying bends. The tobbles can even spin.

This toy teaches children problem solving skills, and stimulates creativity. The pieces are safe for small children and easy to clean with a wet paper towel.

Buy for $25.75 on Amazon

3. Thomas & Friends Fisher-Price Tough Trike

Tricycles are excellent developmental tools for 2 year olds. They help children develop full body motor skills, core strength and balance. Children love going fast and exploring their environment. The exercise is good for them too. Developing tricycle riding skills as a 2-year-old also leads nicely into the development of bicycle riding skills.

Buy for $30.99 on Amazon

4. ALEX Discover My First Scribble

This is an excellent choice for a toddler’s first coloring book. The illustrations are large and have little detail, which is great for toddlers who may get overwhelmed by regular grown-up coloring books. 2-year-olds will improve their finger and hand control as they scribble, which leads to improved drawing, writing, and painting abilities later in life. The book also comes with a fun set of stickers. Who doesn’t love stickers.

Buy for $9.58 on Amazon

If you don’t have any crayons or markers around, we recommend checking out these natural and safe beeswax crayons for toddlers.

5. VTech Touch & Teach Word Book

This interactive book contains 12 touch sensitive pages helping children learn over 100 essential words. The book is great at teaching the ABCs, and has 4 different play modes. It’s a great toy for children as young as 18 months to 4 years. An added bonus is that children improve motor skills pressing buttons that speak and play music.

Buy for $17.99 on Amazon

6. Numbers Colors Shapes Board Book

This great little book has 100 color pictures to teach your toddler numbers, colors, shapes and more. The book has thick pages which make it easy for your toddler to turn, and the cover is soft and squishy so it’s easy to hold.

Parents sit with their children and introduce the various objects on each page. Then they ask the child to point to the right picture for one of the words they introduced. Over time, children become familiar with critical concepts and vocabulary.

Practicing together with an old-fashioned book is a beautiful, simple, and fun experience for parent and child alike. Parents will get priceless memories seeing their child learn.

Buy for $4.49 on Amazon

7. Mega Bloks 80-Piece Big Building Bag

This set contains 80 large-sized blocks for hours of fun play. Toddlers can stretch their imaginations constructing all kinds of objects. The blocks come in a nice zip up bag for easy clean up and transportation.

This is a great toy that your child can grow in to. 2 year olds may play with the blocks and only build a simple understanding of how they fit together. As they turn 3 and older they will begin building increasingly complex and imaginative structures.

Building blocks are great for problem solving, spacial reasoning, imagineering, and all-around good fun.

Buy for $14.92 on Amazon

8. Teach My Toddler Learning Kit

A toddler can never have too many resources for learning their ABCs, numbers, shapes, and colors. This comprehensive toddler learning kit is an excellent addition to any toddler’s play room. The learning kit includes 4 board books with thick pages, 4 posters, 7 puzzles and 55 flashcards. Even more importantly it includes a step by step teaching guide.

Parents can spend just 20 minutes every day with the learning kit to teach their little Einstein essential cognitive abilities. While the cards and materials in this kit are not the most colorful and fun, the educational value of the cards is still so high that the learning kit gets a spot on our list.

Buy for $28.99 on Amazon

9. Summer Infant My Size Potty

The average boys learns to go potty at 31 months old, but some start as early as 18 months. Many parents are eager to potty train their children. Make the learning process easier by buying your child a toddler-sized potty.

This potty looks and feels like an adult toilet. It features a handle that makes a flush sound, and a flip-up lid so your boy can learn to go standing up. It even includes a clip on splash guard which is especially useful for teaching boys. This toddler potty is a welcome addition to any toddler’s bathroom.

Buy for $24.86 on Amazon

10. Step2 Water Table Play-set

Wowza, this water table is dripping with fun. Kids will have hours of fun with this multi-level water table. Toddlers can scoop water from the bottom well into the top using a large water pail to create a waterfall. Children can rearrange the pieces of the waterfall to change how the water falls. They can throw in their favorite bath toys, or purchase a toy set from the manufacturer.

Children love playing with this great water table. In doing so they learn about properties of liquids, gravity, mass, and more. They also develop motor skills, problem solving abilities, and social skills as they play. This can be used either indoors or outdoors, depending on your child’s rambunctiousness.

Buy for $59.99 on Amazon

Other Age Ranges

For more toy and gift ideas for kids, check out our other great articles:

Criteria for Placement

While listing the best educational resources is never an exact science, we’ve done our best find products that rank highly on the following criteria:

Developmental impact: Many toys out there like plush dolls are somewhat limited in their developmental impact. We’ve critically evaluated the toys on this list for their impact on physical, cognitive, social, and emotional development.
Safety: All toys on this list are safe to use, free of toxic compounds like lead and BPA
Durability: Toddlers love to throw, sit on, and hit everything in sight. The toys on this list are fit to withstand the bumps and hard landings.
Price: Parenting doesn’t need to be outrageously expensive. We looked for the cheapest products that still meet our developmental and quality requirements.

10 Best Toys & Gifts for 3 Year Old Boys in 2018

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If there’s a 3-year-old boy in your life, you know just how creative, fun, and active they are. 3 year olds are working to improve their motor skills and can play with toys that have small moving parts and buttons. They’re learning more about the world and are ready to learn things like counting to 10 and naming basic colors. Many are quite talkative and can have basic two- to three-sentence conversations.

If you’re looking to buy a toy or gift for a 3-year-old, finding the best toy can be intimidating. There are thousands of options, but not to worry. We’ve pulled together a list of the best toys that are not only super fun, but also meet the developmental needs of typical 3 year olds, and won’t break the bank. These 10 best toys for 3 year old boys help both entertain and develop physical and cognitive abilities.

1. Crayola Inspiration Art Case

A critical developmental milestone for 3-4 year olds is the ability to draw a circle with a crayon or pencil. The Crayola Inspiration Art Case, full of bright markers and crayons, is a dream gift that will inspire your child to create more art than you have gallery space for. And as an added bonus, with each drawing they complete, children will be developing their fine motor skills. Wish we had one of these growing up.

Buy for $19.67 on Amazon

2. Smart Wallaby Musical Instruments Set

Musical play can be a large part of a 3-year-old’s day. Children learn about rhythm and timbre while having a blast. Pick up a wide variety of musical instruments in this compact set by Smart Wallaby.

Buy for $31.99 on Amazon

3. ETI Toys 101 Piece Building Blocks Set

3 year olds start to get the hang of toys with small moving parts and buttons. Give them an engineering blocks set specifically designed for 3 year olds to nurture their dexterity, creativity, and problem solving skills. This tool helps kids see how fun it is to be an engineer, and prepares them for success with science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) later in their development.

The blocks allow children to build 12 different toys, plus any number of their own unique creations.

Buy for $35.99 on Amazon

4. VTech Little Apps Tablet

3 year olds are just picking up the ability to learn numbers and letters. This feature packed kids tablet does great at helping them learn to count to 10, memorize the alphabet, soak up early vocabulary. There are 12 activity modes, sure to keep your 3 year stimulated for a long time. The tablet comes in black for boys, and pink for girls.

Buy for $14.97 on Amazon

5. Magna-Tiles Clear Colors 32 Piece Set

As three-year olds leave toddlerhood and enter a period of more imaginative play, they will be kept entertained for hours with a set of color magnetic tiles from Magna-Tiles. Children will develop spatial reasoning skills as they build their masterpiece.

Buy for $49.99 on Amazon

6. ZÜM CX Wooden Balance Bike

Help your 3 year old develop coordination with a great wooden balance bike that won’t break the bank. Children will improve their strength, balance, and motor skills as they cruise around. The jump to a full bicycle will be a little easier too. Boys will appreciate the style of this ZÜM wooden bike.

Buy for $48.99 on Amazon

7. Play-Doh Fun Factory Deluxe Set

Play-Doh helps kids imaginations run wild while also improving their dexterity and strength. The extra tools in the deluxe set add even more fun and stimulation. Kids can make all kinds of creatures and objects. We’ve yet to see a child that wasn’t excited to receive Play-Doh.

Buy for $18.31 on Amazon

8. LEGO DUPLO Creative Play Set

Building blocks like Legos help children develop all kinds of skills ranging from motor skills, to spacial reasoning, to problem solving. This Lego DUPLO set is specifically sized for 3 year olds.

Buy for $29.29 on Amazon

9. Kidwerkz Dinosaur Toys

These great take apart toys help children develop find motor skills while encouraging team work and social development. The toys come assembled, and children use screwdrivers to take them apart and reassemble them. The toys even come with a bonus dinosaur coloring book, for your budding paleontologist. We encourage STEM toys for both boys and girls.

Buy for $19.99 on Amazon

10. LeapFrog Epic 7″ Android-based Kids Tablet

We are no luddites. Modern technologies like tablets can have a hugely positive impact on childhood development. They allow children to ignite their imaginations, learn more about the world, and develop academic and social skills. Children also find them highly engaging.

One of the best kids tablets around is the LeapFrog Epic. Kids play one of over 20 kid-friendly android apps. You can download more free Amazon Android apps onto it too. There’s even a kid-safe web browser. Just be sure to limit usage to some reasonable amount every day. As with all things, there needs to be balance.

Buy for $177.99 on Amazon

Note: if you already have an iPad lying around, save a little money and check out our list of the 5 best educational apps for iPad.

Other Age Ranges

Check out our lists of top developmental toys for other ages:

Criteria for Placement

While listing the best educational resources is never an exact science, we’ve done our best find products that rank highly on the following criteria:

Developmental impact: We’ve critically evaluated the toys on this list for their impact on physical, cognitive, social, and emotional development.
Safety: All toys on this list are safe to use, widely reviewed, and free of toxic compounds like lead and BPA.
Durability: Toddlers love to throw, sit on, and hit everything they can get a hold of. The toys on this list are fit to withstand the bumps and hard landings of a young child’s play.
Price: Parenting doesn’t need to be outrageously expensive. We looked for the cheapest products that still meet our developmental and quality requirements.

Thank you

We hope you’ve enjoyed this list of 10 great toys for 3 year olds. Play is an essential part of childhood. Giving your children the right toys ensures that play is also highly enriching. If you have any toy suggestions or feedback, reach out to us @SmartParentBlog.

Disclosure

At Smart Parenting, we are committed to editorially independent research and thoughtful writing. We do our best to objectively review the best parenting and educational products. Links to products are sometimes affiliate links, which support the blog.

42 Best Inspirational Teacher Quotes with Images

To teachers everywhere. You’ve heard it a thousand times: “It takes a village to raise a child.” Children need years of positive influence from numerous adults to reach their full potential. Teachers are a significant portion of that positive influence. Teachers leave a lifelong impact on children, and in many cases even spend more time with children then their parents. Teachers help children grow into unique and valued members of society.

You are their guiding North star, the educator that is shaping this planet’s future. But when you’re up to your neck in papers to grade, and the espresso just ain’t helping like it used to, it can be hard to see the forest for the trees. Here are a few powerful motivational quotes to help you see the beauty of your work. Keep your focus on the bigger picture and remember why you chose this in the first place. Feel free to share the images if you like.

10 of Our Favorite Inspirational Quotes for Teachers with Images

“Teachers who are crazy enough to think they can change the world usually do.” – Author unknown

The future is in your hands now. The world gets better because of your impact.

“Every kid is one caring adult away from being a success story.” – Josh Shipp

Imagine what kind of planet we’d have if every child had someone to help them reach their untapped potential.

“Our job is to teach the students we have. Not the ones we would like to have. Not the ones we used to have. Those we have right now. All of them.” – Dr. Kevin Maxwell

Ok so not all humans are created equal, but they all have potential to do amazing things.

“We expect teachers to reach unattainable goals with inadequate resources. The miracle is this: they often do.” – Haim Ginott

You are a superhero without a cape.

“Educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all.” – Aristotle

It seems like almost a no brainer, but we should always enforce kindness as much as grammar.

“One child, one teacher, one book, one pen can change the world.” – Malala Yousafzai

That teacher is you.

“You may not see the fruit of today’s work but you have seeded a lifetime of knowledge.” – Author unknown

Never take for granted the little things you teach, they could impact a child for years to come. My fourth grade teacher told me to question everything I do, 20 years later I still live by this and it has made me a wiser person

“There is no greater reward than working from your heart, and making a difference in the world.” – Carlos Santana

Teachers who teach from the heart stay with people forever. Thank you!

“Teaching is the one profession that creates all other professions.” – Author Unknown

Nobody would be here reading this right now without an amazing teacher like you. From learning to read to performing heart surgery, all is possible thanks to a teacher!

“Those who educate children well are more to be honored than they who produce them; for these only gave them life, those the art of living well.” –Aristotle

Feel free to share any of these image. Send us a tweet to let us know and it will bring us joy.

More Powerful Teacher Quotes We Love

“I am indebted to my father for living, but to my teacher for living well.” – Alexander the Great

“It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men.” – Frederick Douglass

“A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops.” – Henry Adams

“The beautiful thing about learning is that no one can take it away from you.” – BB King

“We teachers are rather good at magic, you know.” – J.K. Rowling

“Teachers who inspire know that teaching is like cultivating a garden. those who would have nothing to do with thorns must never attempt to gather flowers.” – Author unknown

“The mediocre teacher tells, the good teacher explains, the superior teacher demonstrates, the great teacher inspires.” – William Arthur Ward

“What is done to children, they will do to society.” – Karl Menninger

“Education is a better safeguard of liberty than a standing army.” – Edward Everett

“There is only one way… to get anybody to do anything. And that is by making the other person want to do it.” – Dale Carnegie

“He who opens a school door, closes a prison.” – Victor Hugo

“A good teacher is a doctor who heals ignorance and an artist who inspires creativity” – Author unknown

“What nobler employment, or more valuable to the state, than that of the man who instructs the rising generation.” – Marcus Tullius Cicero

“If someone is going down the wrong road, he doesn’t need motivation to speed him up. What he needs is education to turn him around.” – Jim Rohn

“The scientific mind does not so much provide the right answers as ask the right questions.” – Claude Levi-Strauss

“Poor is the pupil who does not surpass his master.” – Leonardo da Vinci

“Education is simply the soul of a society as it passes from one generation to another.” – Gilbert K. Chesterton

“Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.” – William Butlet Yeats

“The school is the last expenditure upon which America should be willing to economize.” – Franklin D. Roosevelt

“The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires.” – William Arthur Ward

“Teachers who inspire know that teaching is like cultivating a garden, and those who would have nothing to do with thorns must never attempt to gather flowers.” – Author unknown

“A mind is like a parachute. It doesn’t work if it is not open.” – Frank Zappa

“If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough.” – Albert Einstein

“I will venture to maintain that where the teacher is not pleasing to the pupil, there is no education.” – Xenophon

“Students don’t care how much you know until they know how much your care” – Anonymous

“Education breeds confidence. Confidence breeds hope. Hope breeds peace.” – Confucius

“Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn” – Benjamin Franklin

“The more that you read, the more things you will know, the more that you learn, the more places you’ll go” – Dr.Seuss

“It takes a big heart to help shape little minds.” – Unknown

“Never discourage anyone…who continually makes progress, no matter how slow.” – Plato

“I never teach my pupils. I only attempt to provide the conditions in which they can learn.” – Albert Einstein

“Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.” – Thomas Edison

6 Best Apps for Mental Math Practice & Learning Math Facts

Learning mental math, which is the ability to do math in your head without pen, paper, or finger counting, requires lots and lots of practice. Unfortunately, many children are simply not getting the practice and repetition they need. In 2017, over 50% of 4th graders were not proficient in 4th grade Common Core math standards. Slower learners, like those with autism, end up falling further and further behind.

Luckily, new educational apps for iPad, iPhone, and Android are taking math learning to the next level. Kids can use these apps at school or at home to learn, practice, and master mental math. This enables children to devote more brain power to learning new concepts, rather than counting.

If you have an iPad, iPhone, or Android device, consider giving your children any of these 6 best math apps for math drills and mental math practice. Your child deserves the world’s best tools to help them master addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.

1. Math Ace

Launched in the summer of 2018, Math Ace is one of the newest and most effective mental math practice apps for gifted and autistic children alike. Download Math Ace 1st Grade, Math Ace 2nd Grade, or Math Ace 3rd Grade for iOS. Each app is a full Common Core mastery workbook disguised as a game.

Math Ace breaks the Common Core math standards for each year into minute-long math challenges. They’re like digital worksheets, that adapt to student mistakes to improve learning.

What puts Math Ace the top of our list is that it excels at both learning and fun. For every minute of math practice, students are given a token to blast off into orbit in a fun jetpack mini-game which usually lasts under one minute. Students earn medals doing math practice to level up their jetpack and fly higher into space.

Within 10 minutes of app usage, students answer between 100 to 200 math facts, higher than the other apps we’ve tested. And the dynamic nature of the challenges is very effective.

The app design is beautiful, and easy to use. There’s one large list of challenges which makes it easy to track your child’s progress.

Simulator Screen Shot - iPhone 8 - 2018-07-22 at 08.04.35 — Learning multiplication tables is broken down into one challenge per row.

We recommend setting a goal for you children to earn 10 medals every day. They’ll be on a fast track to mental math mastery. Start a free trial with Math Ace for one week, which gives you full access to all Ace Apps including Math Ace and Spelling Ace. After that, full access is $19.99 / 3 months.

Download Math Ace 1st Grade – Master counting, adding and subtracting within 20
Download Math Ace 2nd Grade – Master adding and subtracting within 100, time, and money
Download Math Ace 3rd Grade – Master multiplication and division within 100 and fractions

The Ace Apps website states that apps for Android are coming soon.

2. Splash Math

Second on our list is Splash Math, a wonderful all around math learning program, with a wide range of questions and fun, colorful design. Students choose between different subjects like “Subtracting within 1000” or “Measurements”. Within each category, there are a number of levels. Students have to answer around 40 or 50 questions correct per level.

In 10 minutes of play, students will answer about 60 math questions. While slightly less effective than Math Ace for mental math mastery, Splash Math is a great tool for your child to use every day. Unlike Math Ace, which repeats questions that students get wrong until they achieve mastery, Splash Math appears to select questions randomly. The Splash Math challenges are also untimed. If your child feels too much pressure from timed challenges, then Splash Math is a nice casual alternative.

Start a free trial for one week. After that, full access costs $19.99 / 3 months.

Download Splash Math for iOS. Not yet on Android.

3. Kids Academy Talented and Gifted

Kids Academy is an e-learning platform for Pre-K through 3rd grade. It has a fun visual design, and offers thousands of challenges. Each challenge contains a set of pages with a number of cute problems on them. Students answer the problems by circling with their finger. Kids Academy is like practicing paper worksheets on the phone.

In 10 minutes of usage, students can answer between 50 to 100 math problems, which is great. The worksheets do not appear to be as dynamic as in Math Ace. Mistakes do not cause problems to be repeated.

A graded worksheet in Kids Academy understands which answers students circle with their fingers.

Kids Academy costs $19.99 / month, or $49.99 annually. While Kids Academy is a great overall e-learning platform, it’s less effective at developing mental math mastery quickly than the apps above.

Download Kids Academy for iOS and Kids Academy for Android.

4. Prodigy

Prodigy is a fun role playing game (RPG) with math problems folded in to the battles. While not as useful at helping students achieve mental math mastery quickly as Math Ace, Prodigy deserves attention because it makes math practice super fun. And it’s free.

In 10 minutes of play, students will answer about 30 math questions. The actual amount varies depending on how many battles students get in to.

Prodigy is free and widely recommended by teachers. It gets third place on our list because of how fun the RPG game is, although it’s less effective at mental math mastery. Kids who may be resistant to learning can get sucked in to the game.

Prodigy is free to all students. The developers make money by selling in-app upgrades and real world toys.

Download Prodigy for iOS and Prodigy for Android.

5. SmartKids

SmartKids offers an impressive selection of mini-games to teach a wide range of topics. Kids go wild for this app. While SmartKids is a great overall e-learning platform, the pace of the mini-games means that students only answer a few math problems per minute of app usage. In 10 minutes of play, students may only answer between 20 and 30 math problems.

If your child really needs to catch up, we recommend one of the other apps above. Each mini-game requires the player to learn the rules of the game, and leaves less room for learning mental math. Tracking a child’s proficiency is also harder.

Smart Kids is $7.99/month or $79.99/year

Download Smart Kids for iOS, and Smart Kids for Android

6. XtraMath

XtraMath gets a last place on our list, not because we particularly love the app, but because it’s one of the most widely used, and we feel it should be mentioned.

With XtraMath students pick a program like addition, subtraction, multiplication, or division. They then jump in to an extensive placement test of all questions within that program. Then students are given sets of more questions which target the student’s weakest areas.

Much like Math Ace, XtraMath gets students to do lots of math per minute of app usage. Where it’s lacking is fun. The app feels like a prison. The lack of a timer or progress bar during the placement test makes it feel like it will never end. In our experience children prefer other apps over XtraMath. Nevertheless, if your child needs extra practice, and if you can motivate them with outside rewards, they will benefit from XtraMath.

We applaud XtraMath for the matrix of questions design above, which makes it easy for parents and teachers to track proficiency.

Download XtraMath on iOS for $4.99.

We hope your child enjoys using the apps above to develop great mental math skills. Do you know of any apps that should be on the list? Reach out to us: @SmartParentingBlog