5 Types of Learning Toys That Can Boost Critical Thinking Among Children Aged 8 To 14 Years

The ages between 8 to 14 years are quite volatile, and this is the time when children have a lot of stimuli to be excited by. Children often do not understand how to handle external stimuli in a fruitful way. As such, as parents, you should start using learning toys to help them in their cognitive development.

So, what are learning toys?

As you can make out from the name itself, the major aim of such toys is to make sure that they can boost learning among children. It works better than conventional learning tools because children can retain the information learnt through them for a far longer period of time. But it is equally important that you choose the right kind of learning toys for the optimal results.

Today, we will discuss the 5 types of toys that can aid critical thinking in students. This power will help them to analyse situations from an objective point of view and come up with creative solutions that they face.

Top 5 Learning Toys You Can Use to Aid Critical Thinking Ability in Children.

As we have already mentioned, the age range between 8 to 14 is when the children will receive new stimuli. When you choose to introduce them to learning toys, it is like sharpening their mind for the future. In this respect, the top 5 types of learning toys that one can make use of are:

1. Scientific Apparatus-Building Games

Scientific Apparatus-building toys are based on the internationally recognized principles of STEAM learning. What is it? STEAM learning is a learning methodology in which the focus is on five domains, namely science, technology, engineering, arts, and maths.

The scientific apparatus-building games are designed in such a way that the kids are required to think hard enough to build the apparatus. It could be anything like a telescope or microscope. Such toys help in explaining scientific concepts in a fun and engaging way while keeping children engaged for hours.

2. Chess-based Games

You must have been hearing this from the inception, but chess is indeed one of the best learning toys for children between 8 to 14 years. There is no such game that will be able to foster the skill of critical thinking in a child as much as a spirited game of chess.

The calculation of the game is such that the kids have to spend some time to find out which is the right move and how it can impact the game. For kids who are between the age of 8 to 14, toys like Chess Attack are exceptionally well-oriented. You will be able to get a good chess board game from none other than India’s favourite STEAM toy store, Smartivity. .

3. Puzzles and Crosswords

Individuals often believe it has to be only board games when we talk about learning toys. However, that is not the case for sure. Critical thinking is an ability that one has to develop over time, and games like puzzles and crosswords will aid you in this case. Specific puzzles and crosswords for kids of this age are usually great for sharpening the mind.

4. Science Games

Toys today help kids learn more than books. Science-based games are particularly useful in packing a lot of information in a fun way. Smartivity has a range of science-based toys and games that help children master useful scientific concepts like optics, thermodynamics, aerodynamics and suchlike.

Some of the best types of toys you can get for your kids in the field are DIY Space Shooter or the Chain Reaction Colliding Dominos from Smartivity. All these require the kid to have a presence of mind and think about each step before they move forward.

5. Music Apparatus Building

And finally, when it comes to toys, we also have to talk about the domain of music. What does this mean? It means that the kids can build their very first musical apparatus while learning all about musical notes.

The one type of musical toy that has become exceptionally popular is the Xylofun Music Machine. This is a STEAM-based construction toy that can help a kid learn all about how musical instruments work. They will next use their knowledge and thinking ability to formulate their first musical instrument. This is a great learning toy for those who are musically inclined.