Maybe you have a hard time sneaking vitamins into your child’s morning breakfast, but sneaking some brainpower into their daily dose of playtime can be much easier. These toys allow a child to enjoy independent play with the added benefit of ensuring that some learning happens along the way.
For Pint-Sized Philosophers
Lay the groundwork for your little one to recognize great historical minds like Einstein, Shakespeare, and Confucius with a whole gang of plush Genius Dolls by Lalei. Each cute doll bears a striking likeness to its namesake and is a great way to get kids chatting about ideas like philosophy and literature at a young age as they incorporate these real-life geniuses into their play routine.
Price varies, beandolls.com
For Any Flower Child
Getting a handle on counting can be made a whole lot easier when you add a smiling, garden-inspired friend. French toy company Boikido’s flower counting toy ensures that everything comes up roses as your toddler begins to learn numbers. The petals of are color coded (with numbers 1-10 each getting its own hue) and feature indents for wooden pegs (again, each petal has its own number of peg slots). This makes it easy for kids to differentiate between the distinct numbers as well as associate the correct physical quantity with each number.
$24.99, amazon.com
For The Little Daredevil
The wonders of the physical world are often a point of fascination for young children. And what better way to guide their curiosity (in an edgy way, no less) than with a toy that both teaches and offers a sense of adventure? Brinca Dada’s Parachutists toy set is a dream come true for your budding action hero. The set includes two wooden parachutists with functioning chutes, and an educational booklet explaining the physics behind the force of gravity as well as how to engineer the toys to land on targets at specific angles.
$29, brincadada.com
For Art Historians
Nothing feeds a growing child’s intellect quite like the heady combination of inspiration and creativity–oh and some neon colors thrown in the mix. The Fine Art Scratch & Sketch book–available at the MoMA Store–teaches kids about classic works of art by inviting them to sketch out their own versions using fun activity pages and templates in a wildly entertaining scratch-paper book. Soon enough, you’ll be framing multi-hued Mona Lisas all over the house as your kiddo spouts out fun facts about DaVinci!
$12.99, momastore.org
Mia Weber is an independent lifestyle journalist, blogger, and social media consultant. Her passion for pop culture and fashion inspired her to create sopresh.blogspot.com—a guide to shopping, dining, travel, and easing the pain of the mundane. Mia recently relocated to NYC from Vermont, and is enjoying exploring the city while still serving as the social media voice for Vermont Vows & WellWed Magazines. She can be reached at [email protected] and found on Twitter at @MeezyWeb.
