To me, the best kind of toy is one that is both fun and functional. Can you learn something while having a blast? Even if it is something extremely simple about physics, or about colors, it certainly makes parents feel better. Children learn more through play than we think they do. From toddlers to teens, I’ve rounded up some of the best educational toys for gift-giving.

Doorway Puppet Theater Ideal for homes that don’t have the space for a full-sized theater. Well heck, I’m going to say that unless you have some sort of mansion, this is probably the way to go.

Deluxe Play Cube Absolutely ideal for toddlers. I was lucky enough to inherit one of these cubes, and they are fantastic. They are durable, last forever, and kids are endlessly fascinated with them.

Classic Acoustic Guitar Why spend twenty dollars on a guitar that is just going to break in a few months? Spend a few extra dollars for this award-winning guitar that features nylon strings, real turnable machine heads, and an accurate fingerboard. Also comes with a songbook and color-coded finger position markers for easy learning.

>Lockstitch Sewing Machine and Kit Indulge your future Project Runway contestant with adjustable stitch lengths, 2 speeds, easy drop-in bobbin, foot pedal, and dual power options. Features a case with thread, trim, ribbons, and a booklet for project ideas.

Giant 6-Foot Motion Tower I cannot wait for when my own son is big enough for this! Your budding engineer can build a tower up to six feet in height, complete with ball trampolines and baskets. Kit comes complete with tracks, funnel, motorized elevator, 6 balls, and instructional CD that teaches physics and engineering principles. Just like the ones in museums!

Super Art Table Their inner Van Gogh is channeled through this chalkboard tabletop surface featuring 3 recessed cup holes, 3 cups, printed canvas storage bag, paper roll, and a child-safe paper cutter. The paper roll holder feeds paper from under the table to the tabletop.

Smart Globe Deluxe Touch the wireless interactive pen any place on the SmartGlobe and learn thousands of amazing facts about the world. Compare populations, learn flying times between destinations, hear national anthems, understand currencies, and so much more. Includes USB connection for downloading up-to-date world news and new information.

Deluxe Circuit Kit Children learn the basics by building electronic experiments such as alarms, flashlights, doorbells, and more ~ even launch a propeller with the dual-speed fan. We have one of these, and we love it, especially the propeller!

Piano Wizard Award winning Piano Wizard’s four-step process to reading music makes learning to play the piano fun and easy. Includes 100 songs and lessons, and a 49-note digital keyboard that plugs right into your Mac or PC. Fun for the entire family.

Power House Energy Kit Kit The award-winning Power House helps early teens discover the ways energy can be created from sun, wind, plants, and electro-chemical reactions; Kit comes with an incredible 96-page full-color lab manual that introduces key concepts and describes dozens of experiments and scientific activities.

This entry was posted on Sunday, November 9th, 2008 at 7:37 am by Glinda and is filed under Art, Bargain Alert!, Bring the Fun, Christmas, Education, Gifts, Holidays, Shopping, Toys. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.