Stevanne “Dr. Toy” Auerbach, Ph.D. recently released her choices for Best Educational Products for 2010. This is one of many annual reports released by the noted child development authority and Director of the Institute for Childhood Resources.
Dr. Toy selects items for her various Top 10 lists using wide criteria. Among many others, these include: age appropriateness, durability, learning skills, safety, value, ease of use and when appropriate, auditory quality.
“Simple toys, when used properly, can help develop complex learning skills,” says Dr. Ken Gibson, author of “Unlock the Einstein Inside: Applying New Brain Science to Wake Up the Smart in your Child.” “Cognitive skills, like attention, auditory and visual processing, memory and processing speed, are essential tools that help kids become better learners. Research now shows that learning skills can be taught – and therefore improved – and kids learn best when they’re having fun.”
Here are Dr. Toy’s picks for 10 Best Educational Products of 2010:
1. Gingerbread Shape Sorter (Learning Resources)
For ages 2 – 3; $18.99 www.learningresources.com
This durable plastic cottage has six holes to match the candy-shaped pieces. Use this toy to help early learners with color and shape recognition, fine motor skills and imaginative play.
“Shape-sorting games for toddlers are good for building cognitive skills like spatial reasoning and visual processing,” explains Tanya Mitchell, Vice President of Research and Development for LearningRx (LearningRx.com), a national brain-training franchise. “A foundation of strong cognitive skills makes learning easier later.”
2. Grasshopper Preschool Prep Kit (Grasshopper Kits)
For ages 3 – 5; $49.95; www.grasshopperkits.com
With its built-in easel and organized compartments, this no-spill carrying case is as functional as its contents. Inside, the kit includes games, bumpy line coloring pages, letter-building cards, magnetic fish and full-color guidebooks. Designed by an occupational therapist with an advanced specialty in pediatrics, the prep kit helps children with writing, focus and sharing.
3. Learning in Two Languages (Hap-Pal Music)
For ages 3 – 5; $14.95; www.happalmer.com
Each song on this CD is sung in both English and Spanish. There are also sing-along tracks. Not only does the CD teach language, but it also encourages movement!
4. 3D Sneaky Singin’ Sea Creatures (Patch Products)
For ages 3 – 7; $14.99; www.patchproducts.com
This 46-piece floor puzzle is more than meets the eye. Once the pieces are assembled, children can put on the 3-D glasses and watch the creatures appear to swim toward them! Plus, the numbers 0-9 and all the letters of the alphabet are hidden in the puzzle.
5. Stay-on-Track Packs (Pearson)
For ages 5 – 12; $46.67; www.pearsonschool.com
Keep your student’s learning skills strong throughout vacation with this review pack. Each pack contains a calendar of 50 activities and a how-to guide.
“The ‘Summer Slide’ is a genuine concern,” says Dr. Gibson. “The average student loses approximately 2.6 months of grade-level equivalency in math computations skills over the summer months and research shows that ALL young people experience learning losses when they don’t engage in educational activities over the summer months. Review packs like these that encourage children to stay engaged in reading fluency, math computations and creative writing during time away from school can only be helpful.”
6. Jump Into Numbers (Sandvik Innovations)
For ages 3 – 4; $10.99; www.sandvikinnovations.com
With a focus on early number skills, Jump Into Numbers includes magnetic and write-on/wipe-off activities. Other titles include Rocket Into Reading, Go Wild for Words, and Dive Into Math.
7. Animal Stackers Barn Yard (Tier Toys)
For ages 3 – 7; $29.99; www.tiertoys.com
This brightly colored barn includes 51 detailed pieces for the littlest farmer-to-be. Pieces include horses, sheep, pigs, cows, fences, a tractor and more.
8. Audubon Birds – Babies (Wild Republic)
For ages 3 – 12; $7.99; www.wildrepublic.com
These baby birds produce an authentic bird call provided by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology! Each bird comes with information about its appearance, eating habits, sound and habitat maps.
9. Dragonflies Scramble Squares (b. dazzle, inc.)
For ages 4 – 12; $8.95; www.b-dazzle.com
If you like challenging educational puzzles that can keep your children captivated for hours, scramble squares can do the trick. They’re inexpensive and come in a variety of patterns.
“These types of puzzles are great for strengthening attention, visual processing and planning,” says Mitchell of LearningRx. “Best of all, puzzles for all age levels are generally very affordable.”
10. Best Multiplication Songs Ever! (Abligio Books)
For ages 6 – 12; $14.95; www.abligio.com
This CD helps children learn their times tables using multiple intelligences, such as linguistic, logical/mathematical, musical and kinesthetic. There are also music-only performance tracks to help reinforce learning through repetition.
Want to learn more about games that build essential learning tools? Download a free chart showing well-known games and the cognitive skills they build (attention, processing speed, memory, logic and reasoning, visual and auditory processing) at www.unlocktheeinsteininside.com.
To view other Top 10 lists, visit www.DrToy.com.
