The market for educational toys, games and, puzzles continues to grow. This growth can be attributed to lower costs of electronics parts, increased shelf space in the marketplace, and a growing demand for educational value in toys by parents. The worldwide market reached $1.7 Billion in 2005 and is estimated to be over $5 billion by 2010. Twenty years ago I had an educational toy called Alphie. It was in the shape of a robot. You put a card in the front panel and played a matching game. The card, however, was just a piece of plastic and no matter what card was in Alphie the answers were the same so ti wasn't long before I didn't even need the cards to get a perfect score. Educational toys have come a long way since then.

Children have this natural desire to learn and the earlier your child starts, the smarter they become. Any toy can be described as educational if it is being used to promote play in a meaningful way. Playing with educational toys , games, or puzzles is one of the means that help children to establish contact with the world he is living in, especially during the infancy stage. One good example would be a toy train set. Interacting with the trains will promote hand eye coordination and the mastering of small movements. It also will encourage an awareness of cause and effect. Toys don't just teach cognitive ability, they motivate the child practice them and encourage the child natural inventiveness and imagination.

However, it is not enough to just hand you child the toy and leave them alone. This is no better than just setting them in front of the television. Parents must embark on the "magical learning experience" together if the toy is to have any real value. No matter what developmental toys your youngsters like to play with, playing with you is more important to their development. It is in your participation in the playing that determines the benefit a specific toy has for the child who is playing with it.

It is important to focus on your child's needs for physical and emotional development. You should look for toys that can help them grow in those areas. For example, a baby needs toys that can help him learn to reach and grasp, to encourage learning hand eye coordination. Toddlers, however, need toys they can pack around with them as they explore the world around them. Toy laptops and mobile phones are of value to young children as an aid to imaginative play. Look for toys that will not stifle a child's imagination. Too often, electronic toys merely encourage button pushing rather than stimulate the child to learn and explore(like the Alphie toy I talked about). With electronic toys, interaction is the key. Also, avoid toys that can be easily lost or broken. Children play rough sometimes and if it breaks the first time they drop it then it was a poor investment.

More than anything, children want to have fun. So look for educational toys that are fun for your child, fun for you, and stimulating to their minds.