Best Educational Toys, Activites & More!

Together Tunes (Neurosmith) Tested at our local Montessori School this soft musical block is a huge hit!  Each side features a classic childhood song like "Pop Goes The Weasel" and "Five Little Monkeys" and is accompanied by surprise activities to explore.  Our testers happen to love "Pop Goes The Weasel" the best.  It is played with over and over again and is hands down a classroom favorite.  It's also won the Oppenheim Platinum Award!  Ages 6 months - 5 years.  $59.95.

 Fridge Phonics Magnetic Letter Set (LeapFrog) Our testers ages 3 and 5 just love this since it was stuck to their fridge.  They loved pressing the buttons to hear the sounds each letter makes and the fact that music note button plays the Alphabet Song! Their mom loves the fact that it's helping with letter recognition.  Our tester things this is a must-have for any toddler/preschool aged child. Ages 2+, $17.99

Sounds On The Go (Small World Toys)  Tested in a day care setting the kids just loved these big puzzle pieces with easy-to-grasp wooden pegs.  Each vehicle makes a distinctive sound when it's put back in place.  Teachers loved the eye hand coordination it required, plus the shape recognition.  Ages 2+, $15.99  Click here to find a retailer near you.

Switch It Service Vehicles (Woodkins) Here's what the mother of our two testers had to say about the Switch It Service Vehicles.  "What a very pleasant surprise this delightful toy has been. At first glance my 3 year old son and 6 year old daughter didn't have much interest in this toy. However, a few days later, they literally spent the entire day playing with it!  With a sturdy wooden base and imaginative plastic clip on scenes, this toy captured my children's imagination. They had a ball clipping on different trucks to the wooden scene board, and then adding the various figures to "decorate" the scene. My son loved the fire truck and the garbage truck especially well. This toy may appear simple at first, but it really unleashed my children's imagination. It also bridged the age gap between them - a feat few toys can accomplish."  Ages 4 and up. $12.95

Tunes and Tale Lantern (Little Tykes)  This lantern looks very sweet with glow in the dark stars for night time and nursery rhymes for the day. It has a push down button on the top to rotate the nursery rhymes, This is easy to push however the other buttons are too difficult for a toddler to use. Overall the toy was enjoyable to the eleven-month-old who tested it and also to an older toddler of three years. Ages 6 months - 3 years, $19.99

Pop Up Alphabet (International Playthings) This pop up alphabet tool was a huge hit at the Montessori preschool that got to test it.  The toddlers loved it and the teachers thought it was great! It's an excellent learning tool that matches letters with a picture of the word.  Ages 3 years and up. $14.95

Smart Snacks™ Counting Cookies™ (Learning Resources, Ages 2-5, $12.95) -- This learning toy, tested by a bunch of students was found to appeal to a variety of ages. The teachers stated that it was "great for the toddler to count the cookies and drop into the jar. and wonderful  for the 3 and 4 year old child as an extension of number recognition and even more challenging, using the chips to count the cookies."

Care Bears Bedtime Lullaby Bear (Play Along Toys) Our 3-year old tester just loved his Care Bear.  The tummy lights up and the lullaby is soothing. Ages 3 and up.  $24.99

Smart Snacks™ Sorting Shapes Cupcakes™ (Learning Resources, Ages 2-5, $12.95) -- These very colorful and appealing cupcakes were enjoyed by our preschooler testers.  The teachers agreed that it is a "great activity promoting small motor skills, hand-eye coordination and shape recognition.  They did comment that the cupcake shape bottom is difficult for the child to remove; but when aligned properly, it is easy to reattach.