3 Great Educational Toys that Combine Learning and Fun

Parents should really be commended for the way they embrace the spirit of the holiday season. They endure adverse weather, long lines, and - often - disappointment in their search for that perfect holiday gift for their child. Of course, most of us would endure that and a whole lot more to see our kids happy.

But instead of just jumping on the regular bandwagon this year and chasing the seasonal "hot toy" like everyone else, what if you chose a slightly different path? Truth be told, there are lots of cool toys on the market that provide almost endless entertainment, but wouldn't it be awesome if your kids were also learning at the same time that they're playing? With that as the goal, what follows is a list of really cool educational toys and gifts:

Vtech Mobigo Touch Learning System: This is an awesome handheld learning/gaming system for kids. It helps encourage the development of basic, rudimentary skills in counting, spelling and problem-solving. Moreover, the state-of-the-art touchscreen gives gameplay a contemporary feel, while the slide-out QWERTY provides an introduction to the standard keyboard layout. In shortm it is a very engaging and interactive gift.

Baby Einstein Count and Compose Piano: An exceptionally cool learning gift, this toy piano has three teaching modes (keyboard, composer and counting) and has a "keyboard" that consists of five large colorful keys numbered 1-5. Depending on what the current mode is, pressing a key can play a single musical note (keyboard mode) or portions of classical music (composer mode). In counting mode, the toy the number of the key is announced before music is played. In addition, there is a language selector which allows for the numbers to be pronounced in either English, Spanish or French. Finally, another dial lets the child choose whether the musical notes are played on a flute, xylophone or piano.

Leapfrog Phonics Pond: This device (which has the letters of the alphabet on buttons on its front) does a great job of teaching phonics in various ways, including: (a) Finding Letters by Sound - Children are given the sound of a letter and asked to identify it; (b) Spelling - Various words are spelled out, and children are asked to press the corresponding letters that make up that word; and (c) Music - Children are prompted to press a letter, which will cause music to be played - mostly perennial favorites like "This Old Man," "Yankee Doodle," and the like.

It should be clearly understood the list above is by no means everything you might be able to find in terms of educatonal gift ideas. There's a myriad of exceptional toys and gifts out there that will help your child reach his full potential, while also being a lot of fun. In my opinion, you'd be giving your child the best of both worlds with such a gift, which is something they may not understand now but which will serve them well in the future.

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