Toys That Teach for Babies & Toddlers

Toddlers spend a lot of time playing with toys. They love them. Toddlers will play with just about anything that you give them, so why not give them a toy that teaches? What a wonderful idea!

It's never too early for a toddler to get familiar with the alphabet. The letters of the alphabet set the stage for all that needs to be learned regarding both reading and writing. They are the first step in both. The toddler years fly by quickly and by age four your child should at least be able to recite the alphabet. By five they should be able to identify them by sight and to also write their own names. By the end of kindergarten be able to read and write several words. They'll need help to do so. They need help learning. The earlier they start learning, or are introduced to the letters of the alphabet the earlier they will learn.

Toddlers love to play with toys, and also need to learn and get familiar with the alphabet. Offering your toddler a toy that can help them learn the alphabet is a great way to let them enjoy playing while they learn!

The little wooden alphabet train toy in the picture is an example of such a toy. Toddlers will see those blocks over and over again, each time they play. Toddlers who see the letters of the alphabet will have an easier time learning to identify the alphabet by sight when they are a bit older. They will be familiar with the sight of the letters so when it comes time to learn the letter names it will be simple. Parents can also point to a letter, say it's name and have their toddler try to say it as well.

An added benefit of a toy like this is that although it is meant to teach the alphabet it can teach other things as well. Each letter is a color. While parents are point to letters and saying their names they can also say the name of the color. For example the letter A: A parent could point and say "Look the letter A", "The letter A is blue." Toddlers learn when parents teach. If a parent is to consistently do this the toddler will learn to identify colors and the letters of the alphabet at the same time. He or she will learn these things much easier and much more quickly than toddlers whose parents do not.

Toddlers naturally love to play with toys. Toys that teach are always a parents best bet. Offering toddlers toys that can teach them things such as the alphabet or the numbers is like killing two birds with one stone. The toddler is happily play while also learning.