Toys that inspire learning

Learning toys don’t have to be boring. The best educational toys turn topics such as math, geography, science and language into fascinating playthings that kids can’t put down. They learn real-life skills like critical thinking, problem solving and communication – all while having fun. Here is a round up of great learning toys we love. We think the kids in your life will love them too.

Ages birth-2 years

Friendship Activity Cube $59.99
Seven fun activity sides including a ball maze, shape puzzle, and turning gears help build fine motor skills and an understanding of animals, colors and shapes. Available locally at Over the Rainbow Toys, Classic Toys, or for additional retailers, visit hape.com.

Whimsy City Fabric Book $28.99
This fabric book is like none other, unfolding into a small town with optic, sensory and acoustic surprises like the finger puppet Froggy, who tours the town in his car. Available locally at Classic Toys, and Over the Rainbow Toys, or visit habausa.com.

Planet Blocks $20
Learn the planets in a fun, new way. Each block has pictorial information on a different planet, and they give kids the chance to learn about the solar system. Available locally at Over the Rainbow Toys, Classic Toys, and Enchanted Forest Toys, or visit unclegoose.com.

Guidecraft Grippies Builders $59.99
These smooth, bumpy and wavy magnetic pieces come together to give toddlers a safe way to explore geometry and basic engineering concepts. Available locally at Over the Rainbow Toys, or visit guidecraft.com.

Seek-a-Boo $19.95
This matching game builds kids’ vocabulary and memory. Space out the tiles and also exercise kids’ gross motor skills. Available at the Juneau Imagination Station, or visit mindware.com.

Ages 3-5 years

Rainbow Fish Shimmers Mosaics $29.99
Learn about mosaics and exercise counting skills on the numbered templates, or use a blank background for free creativity. Available locally at Over the Rainbow Toys, Learning Essentials, and Enchanted Forest Toys, or visit mindware.com.

Q-bitz Jr. $19.95
Match the card’s pattern with designed blocks to foster the development of visual intelligence, which is necessary for math and STEM success. Available locally at Over the Rainbow Toys, Learning Essentials, and Enchanted Forest Toys, or visit mindware.com.

Think & Learn Code-a-pillar $50
Take apart the Code-a-Pillar’s segments and put him back together in different orders to make him travel in new ways, developing problem-solving, planning and sequencing skills every time. For local retailers, visit fisher-price.mattel.com.

Robot Engineer $49.95
Large, colorful pieces make this kit easy for small hands to handle, and its moving parts teach them about simple machines and gear trains. Available locally at Classic toys, Over the Rainbow Toys, and Learning Essentials, or visit thamesandkosmos.com.

Ages 6-9 years

Micro Robots $19.99
This quick, engaging game challenges as many players as you can fit around the table to determine a robot’s movement from one spot to another. Be the first to determine how to move the robot to a target space and how many steps this process will take. Available at Over the Rainbow Toys, or visit zmangames.com.

Bug Discovery Lab & Incredible Insects Journal $21.99
Send explorers out to collect bugs and learn all about them by observing them in the terrarium. Set the bug free and start again to fill the journal. Available locally at Classic Toys, Learning Essentials, and Juneau’s Imagination Station, or visit educationalinsights.com.

Bloxels: Build your own video game $34.99
Capture your arrangement of blocks with the mobile device app and turn it into a video game playable on tablets and computers. Available at bloxelsbuilder.com.

Roller Coaster Challenge $29.99
Follow the challenge cards or create a roller coaster on your own, free form. Watch how the car interacts with dips, curves and loops. Available locally at Classic Toys, and Over the Rainbow Toys, or visit thinkfun.com.

Color Cube Sudoku $19.99
Flip and rearrange the color cubes to form a pattern where all colors appear once in every row and column. Available locally at Classic Toys, and Over the Rainbow Toys, or visit thinkfun.com.

Ages 10-12 years

Gizmos & Gadgets Kit $199.95
This app-enabled toolbox transforms passive screen time into a passion for hands-on inventing, problem solving and creativity with 13 bits and 56 accessories. For local retailers, visit littlebits.com.

Glowing Chemistry $39.95
Includes 22 experiments for your kids to conduct their own glowing chemical reactions and become fascinated with the world’s luminous mysteries. Available locally at Classic toys, Over the Rainbow Toys, and Learning Essentials, or visit thamesandkosmos.com.

Circuit Maze $29.99
Replicate the circuit on 60 challenge cards and get an introductory lesson to electrical engineering by bringing light to each beacon. Available at Classic Toys, and Over the Rainbow Toys, or visit thinkfun.com.

Amalgam $32
Move your pawn around the cauldron and collect as many points as you can. With numerous possible moves each turn, this unique card game helps develop strategic thinking. Available at simplyfun.com.

Ages 13+ years

Snippets $25
Take the three-letter “snippet” from the card and make any word you can: proper nouns, slang, abbreviations, or foreign languages. Anything goes, making it anyone’s game. Available at snippetsgame.com.

Imagine $14.99
Take dozens of transparent cards and overlap them to communicate clues that need to be solved – all with no miming or drawing needed. This great guessing game encourages creativity and out-of-the-box thinking. Available at gamewright.com.

Metal Earth 3D Metal Model DIY Kits $7+
Transform sheets of intricately detailed metal into an amazing 3D model. Each model increases attention to detail. Bonus: Look into the history of the model for continued learning. Available at Just Imagine Toys, and Barnes & Noble, or visit fascinations.com.

Nanotechnology $124.95
Get a feel for how small the nanometer is and experiment with different properties of surfaces and make mixtures to gain an understanding of nanoscopic particles and their properties. Available at Classic Toys, Over the Rainbow Toys, and Learning Essentials, or visit thamesandkosmos.com.