Educational Toys: What’s Hot This Holiday Season?

by Jyl Johnson Pattee on October 6th, 2010 | No Comments »

Last week, I attended a Holiday Showcase in New York City hosted by Litzky PR and the fabulous folks from Time to Play. It was comparable to an expo—a really fun expo, because it was full of the latest and greatest toys!

I went with one goal in mind: To find toys that teach. While I was oohing and aahing over tech treats and eye candy, I was on the lookout for toys that'd make learning fun and one in particular caught my eye and kept me busy for a while.

I about missed the entire expo due to my lengthy conversation with the inventor of the Perplexus, Michael McGinnis (read more about him and his creation here and here). Michael says it best:

Perplexus is not easy. It is a skill and action game that takes time to master. The game helps develop hand-eye coordination and spatial skills. There is an "ah hah" moment when someone for the first time picks up the game, says, "what the heck is this thing? What do I do?", and then understands the entire concept.

I don't know how to explain the truth behind this statement other than to say that I experienced this "a hah and LOL" moment, when I realized the difference of this maze from other 2 dimensional puzzles. It's both fun and educational. It forces you to problem solve, think outside the box, and be quick while at the same time being patient—all skills I'd love my kids to learn.

Score! I brought two home—one for each of my boys. They'll love getting them for Christmas!

What educational toys are on your holiday shopping list this season?

Disclosure: Time to Play generously treated me to this Holiday Showcase, including toys to sample and review. This was by far my favorite toy!

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Jyl Johnson Pattee

An active part of the Mom It Forward team, Jyl primarily writes about parenting, social good, and all things travel related. In a past life, Jyl was an award-winning copywriter and designer of corporate training programs for Fortune 100 companies. Offline, Jyl is married to @TroyPattee; a mom to two teen boys and a beagle named #Hashtag; loves large amounts of cheese, dancing, and traveling; and lives in the beautiful Rocky Mountains. Topping her bucket list is the goal to visit 50 countries by the time she's 50.