Educational Gifts for Kids

It can't be said enough - reading to children early and often is critical in establishing good reading habits. Reading is the foundation through which much of life's lessons - school and other - are learned. Developing a child's ability to read prepares them for school, expands their knowledge, and opens their mind to a whole new world of experiences.

Annually, the Toy Industry Association awards a toy the honor of being the Educational Toy of the Year. For 2009, that toy is the LeapFrog TAG Reading system. Like other LeapFrog toys, this gift is a stylus and interactive book format with book modules that help kids learn reading skills. Their are a multitude of games, stories, and reading concepts that are covered in the engaging stories and kids are not likely to become bored due to an expanding library.

Kids love to play games and games are great instructional tools. They teach sharing, taking turns, playing fair, and having fun in a group setting. However, parents often don't have the patience to play through one more round of Go Fish or Crazy Eights. Try a family game that appeals to all age levels and builds excitement.

Games like UNO Attack!® and SET Game fit the bill as does Blokus.

This toy has been out for years but never fails to entertain. In fact, kids may often find they have to pull this toy away from their parents in order to get any play time. All of the necessary pieces are included so that kids can build snap circuit assemblies that turn on a light (included), cause a fan to blow, shoot a spinner in the air, or cause a small current to pass from one switch to another. The pieces literally snap together making them easy for smaller hands to build, too, and also making for easy storage. In the five years we've had this toy, we've lost only a single piece. Not bad for a gift that comes with so many pieces.

I'm not keen on ant farms and we tried fish for awhile but the kids couldn't easily help with the upkeep. This little butterfly growing kit, however, is a great way to show kids how butterflies start as larvae, become caterpillars and then emerge as beautiful butterflies. This is a great way to expose kids to nature and how they share the planet with animals and insects.

Butterfly photo used under Creative Commons from fmc.nikon.d40.

In this day and age, when kids spend as much time on the internet as they do, you might want to consider an online membership to a reputable, safe game environment. I highly recommend Club Penguin. I have three boys - ages 15, 11, and 5 - and all have had accounts at Club Penguin. Currently, only the 11 year old and the 5 year old still play regularly. My five year old has been on Club Penguin for over a year. The parental controls allow you to set chat at a level appropriate for the age of your child - fixed sayings for younger children, and more extended chat for older children. Club Penguin is monitored for inappropriate activity and we've never had a bad experience.

Kids can play educational puzzle solving games to earn coins with which they can buy accessories, pets, and decorate their igloo. There is a community newspaper and kids get postcards online from Club Penguin. I truly believe my son has been able to learn to read not only because we read to him regularly but because he so strongly wanted to understand all of the words on Club Penguin. The site is creative and updated regularly. I've been known to play a little bit myself - only because my son needed help, of course. (Grin:)

A six month membership is $29.95 and one year is $57.95. If you're pressed the next year for what type of education gift to get a child in your life, simply renew the membership.

Photo used under Creative Commons from John Wilson 1969.