Good Educational Christmas Gifts

I'm not sure what to get your son, but I know of a great store to look. Lakeshore Learning store...

wwww.lakeshorelearning.com

They are very helpful and have so many wonderful educational toys. I went to the actual store a few weeks ago and they helped me pick out something for my two year old daughter.

I wish you lots of luck!!! Merry Christmas.

Leap Frog has great educational toys. They have a few that go on the fridge that my kids really love.

The DVD The Letter Factory by Leap Frog is excellent. My younger son - Nicholas who is 2 - learned all his letters and the sounds they make before he could really talk. He still doesn't talk much but by golly he knows his letters.

I think it's wonderful that you're committed to reading to him more. That is the best start you can give him toward loving reading and learning so that he will do well in school. I think you should get him a variety of little board books so you don't have to worry about rips and tears and he can handle them and look at them when you aren't able to read to him. If you aren't sure what books to pick, stop by your closest library and ask for recommendations. My son loves Goodnight Gorilla, Llama, Llama, Red Pajama, and Kittens First Full Moon. Also puzzles and blocks are great. That little teacher store behind Earth Fare in South Windemere has great wooden puzzles and toys that are educational and aren't just marketing ploys to get you to watch some cartoon or movie. I think cartoons are fine in moderation but I hate that every toy has some link to an animated series. Good luck and have fun shopping!

I love ANY lift-the-flap book. It is interactive and kids LOVE them. I do not know how advanced your son is, but my 2 year old loves rhyming books and books that have questions because she loves to answer them. Good luck and it's so great you will be reading. One of the best things to do with your kids! I love it.

Hi T.,
The leap frog hand held games are really good. My son has one and they teach them their shapes and all that stuff. Plus it also makes them feel like they are playing a video game but they are learning at the same time.
Good Luck and Merry Christmas!!

Leap Frog and VTech have great educational toys that I have been using for years both at my house and in my classroom.

you might still find some educational value in spongebob by reading spongebob books to him! When I worked at a bookstore I remember telling a parents that it's easiest to get kids excited about reading when you're reading something they already know or like! So check out some picture or chapter books with spongebob in them and then use it as a tool to move onto other interest areas! Best wishes! Jess

I found these 2 websites very helpful and you don't have to worry about Toxic paint or recall.
www.oompatoys.com
www.brightoctober.com
I hope they help out.

There are many web sites you should go to:

www.discoverytoys.com
www.educationaltoysplanet.com
www.littlesmarties.com
www.backtobasictoys.com

You can usually shop by age on these sites.

You should also go to the store "Learning Express" they always have great educational toys (and free gift wrap/gift tags).

Another place would be your local store for "home schoolers" and teachers supplies like "The School Box."

Good luck and Happy Holidays!

L.

Leap Frog has a ton of education toys, books, dvds, etc. Definatly recommend the Leap Frog dvds...taught our son a lot about spelling/phonics. We have the Leap Frog Leap Pad which is good too (educational books).
We just bought the V-smile (v-tech) pocket game (similar to like a game boy but educational games..like math, reading, etc).

Go into the store and go down the section with Leap Frog and the other brands..you will find plenty!! :)

I have a 4 y/o and when he was two I went through the same thing. I would consider getting some sesame street DVD's first and then move him along to Baby Einstein. Both are very educational and keeps the child focused and stimulated.

God love you, so young and naive. Don't you know that they will like the box more then anything!!! Just kidding.
I like Baby Einstein dvds and cds. Reading is the best thing for them. You can also buy books that are "cardboard" and won't tear easily. Even though he is not reading them, after you have read them to him he will start to mimmick them and tell the story back to you. He can then "read" them to other adults in his life. This will possibly nurture is love for reading and books which is always a good foundation in all education.
Good luck.
K.

That's wonderful to hear! Anything at this age, I think is educational. Playing and pretend play is just starting at this age. For my 2 year old I got him a train with tracks (Thomas the train seems to be a biggy!). Legos and Mega Blocks are huge at this age! Puzzles are also a biggy!

Good luck!

First cut out the sponge bob and get him intrested in sesame street , anything on pbs except teletubbies. Spongebob is not allowed in our house because it dosnt exactly teach good things. neither is barney but for an entirely different reason lol!

and leapfrog has some great educational stuff for a 2 yr old my son just turned 3 and he's been playing with the my first leap pad for a while now.

I love the Leapster system. They even have a Sponge Bob game. Yes, it is a video game but they are learning at the same time. My son has had one since he was 3 and it really helped him learn letter and numbers. V-tech has a system called V-Smile that I think is geared more for 2 year olds. It is educational too. If he has to be glued to the tv at least he will be learning something. Also, don't rule out books with his favorite characters that you can read to him. Puzzles featuring them are good too.

I laughed a little at Beth saying she banned spongebob. While it shouldnt be what you use for educational purposes it is still fun and funny and it's not bad for children to like spongebob. But me and my husband also like to buy our children educational toys so I reccomend looking into leap frog and things similar. Toys r us offers alot of toys that are great for teaching a young one their abc's 123's and ect...You could go to their website and check out a few to read reviews on such on the products.