Six year olds are a very difficult age to buy for, they are no longer ‘little ones’ but they are also not advanced enough for certain toys. It is a very difficult road to walk in order to find something that in their eyes is cool yet still not too advanced that they do not enjoy playing with it. It has to be age appropriate toys.
Most 6 year olds still want to learn, explore and most importantly play. That’s why finding educational toys that allow them to continue doing to learn and grow at the same time are so important.
Some key points to consider when purchasing the best educational toys for 6 year olds is:
Cost: Toys can vary in price hugely, depending on where they are being purchased from and the brand of the toy. If you are going to make a significant financial investment in a toy, ensure that it will continue to grow with the child and not be thrown on a shelf when the child becomes too old to play with it in a few weeks time.
Longevity: in my opinion the best toys you can buy are the ones that children continue to play with, well after the suggested age range has come and gone.
Intended use: Is the toy intended to be used in the child’s own home or is intended to be able to be a mobile entertainment tool. You would then need to consider the toys size, ease of transportation, space the toy takes up when set up and any mess that can be contained.
Educational Value: If your purpose is to buy an educational toy for your six year old, then you need to have a clear understanding of what its educational aim is and is this going to be easily achieved by the 6 year old you are purchasing for. Some will be very obvious what their educational purpose is while others may need some reading around.
Lily’s Home Do-It-Yourself Children’s First Clock Kit
This is an amazing piece of kit for any budding engineer. It comes complete with all the pieces required to build a fully functioning wind up clock. All the pieces are bright and colourful, perfect for smaller hands to manipulate easily.
This toy not only promotes cognitive development and obviously learning to tell the time on an analogue clock – many children do not have the ability to use an analogue clock due to the digital version that is on many electronic devices.
Rory’s Story Cubes Bundle
Rory’s Story cubes are a pocket sized story generator that children can take anywhere.
It encourages creativity, imagination and spontaneous thinking. It helps to develop language skills, while helping to also develop social confidence for those quieter little ones.
Take as many or as few dice as you wish and let their imagination explode! There really are no limits to this toy and you will be amazed at the stories that they can imagine and articulate.
Bounty Hunter Junior T.I.D Metal Detector
This metal detector provides a fun and unusual way to get children outdoors.
As they hunt for treasure they learn how the detector works and can even workout what they have found before they even start digging by using its 3 target ID categories.
Children are developing their fine and gross motor skills, while also enhancing their STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and math) subject learning
Brainstorm Toys Outdoor Adventure Microscope
Outdoor adventure microscope has been designed for your little explorers to take on the go with them. It comes complete with a lanyard so it can always be kept close when exploration is on the agenda.
This toy is again supporting and encouraging the STEAM subjects. Fine and gross motor skills will be developed further along with language and vocabulary in your 6 year old.
Mudpuppy Map of Europe Puzzle
70 piece traditional jigsaw with an educational twist.
This educational toy is a map of europe, providing a great opportunity for children to learn european geography.
Bright and colourful pictures on each piece, show what each country/region are known for. Helping children to learn not only the country but a piece of information and also the geographical location of the country.
Further learning is provided by each country being in English on the front and then translated to French, Spanish and German on the rear.