The Best Electronic Educational Toys Belfast
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(Companies listed on this page are in no way endorsed by Supernanny or Supernanny.co.uk) The Best Electronic Educational Toys
By Sarah Ebner Editor, School Gate Supernanny Expert 24/09/2008
Before we start, it's vital to point out that you start educating your children from the moment they are born. Each time you talk to them, sing to them, show them a book or take them for a walk, pointing out the trees or birds, you are helping to expand their knowledge. Toys, particularly ones that claim to be "educational" should not be used as substitutes for talking and reading (books and building blocks are brilliant for pre-schoolers). Your child needs you to interact with him, not just a fancy toy, and many educational ones don't require much human interaction.
Having said that, some electronic educational toys are well worth a look - if you can handle all that beeping! Some help with colour recognition, others with telling the time or learning letters. Here are some that we tried out, and which impressed us.
Top Toy: Fridge Phonics , LeapFrog, age: 2+ Years, RRP: £14.99
This is a very good toy for a pre-schooler who is keen to learn his or her letters. Our three-year-old tester was entranced, and his parents were pretty impressed too!
The game works via magnetic letters which talk and sing when children place them into the reader. The letters can be used to spell out words on the fridge, but also put into the reader which tells you the sound, and sings songs as well. The reader also sings the alphabet, and even pronounces Z correctly (not as the American "zee"). Good fun, and educational without feeling pushy.
4/5
Fix the Mix! Sequencing game , LeapFrog, age: 3-6, £14.99
This sequencing game is another example of how LeapFrog are getting its electronic educational toys right. It's great fun - children need to twist and spin components to put songs and patterns in the right order - but at the same time, it develops fine motor skills, helps with learning how to put things in order and makes them concentrate. It has three different levels and even offers children the possibility of playing against each other, which is an interactive bonus!
Note that our three-year-old tester found it a bit bamboozling initially, but soon caught on and was thrilled as he managed to do it, and keep improving. Even the five and two six-year-olds were fans, so this one would work for slightly older children too.
4/5
Barbie Diamond Castle Laptop, Oregon Scientific, age: 3+, £19.99
This brand new pre-school laptop was a huge hit with our three and four year old girl testers (their male friend was not quite as impressed; perhaps all that pink put him off!). It's very nicely sized (perfect for little hands) and has eight activities which are all intended to aid learning and development. Yes, it's a little bit cheesy, but any Barbie loving girl will enjoy it, and I do think it has educational value, with some very good games (especially the sequencing ones).
3 and a half out of 5
Busy Time Thomas , Tomy, age: 3+, £19.99
This is a really lovely way to introduce Thomas fans...