The Egg-cellent Easter Gift Guide for Kids 2022
As we hop into Easter, you may be looking for some tips or ideas on what toys to buy for your children that are going to be well made, educational and most importantly, fun.
At the Good Play Guide, we are always looking for ways to make the world more playful. We believe the best toys are ones that children will return to again and again over time, providing benefits to their learning and development and the freedom to explore, have fun and get creative.
Read on for a guide to our favourite toys this Easter, organised by the type of toy that you are looking for – and rest assured that each one has been thoroughly tested by children and reviewed by experts.
STEM Gifts
STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) gifts are ideal because they allow children to grow and progress their skills alongside what they are learning in the classroom.
Da Vinci Kids App
£10.49
This app offers subscription options including Monthly, 6 Months, and Annual
This app from Da Vinci Kids is the perfect way to keep your children entertained and engaged, whilst also allowing them to develop their STEM and social-emotional learning skills. With hundreds of TV shows, documentaries and brain-boosting games and videos, the exciting array of content covers a multitude of topics – from Interactive arts and crafts to nature and science.
The app features lots of engaging content based on an educational theme, covering a number of topics, including maths, design and geography. The interactive games that are available vary in difficulty level, which allows children of different ages and abilities to develop their problem-solving skills.
Whilst testing the app, we found that parents’ minds were put at ease by having no external links or third-party advertisements featured in the app at all, meaning they felt they could leave children to navigate it independently and safely.
CONSTRUCTION AND CREATIVE PLAY GIFTS
While they are building something, children’s brains are constantly being stimulated, whether that is through the physical parts of building (e.g. hand-eye coordination and balance), the planning (e.g. creativity and spatial awareness), or the fixing (e.g. problem-solving and logical thinking). Construction toys make an ideal gift as they provide lots of play value, and can become whatever your child imagines them to be.
Crazy Forts
£39.99
A great way to get children engaged in construction play is to combine it with their imaginative play. Crazy Forts allows children to bring a structure from their imagination to life as they work together (encouraging collaborative play) to construct it.
This kit is ideal for helping children develop their problem-solving skills as they work out the floor plan and shape of their structure. A rocket today, an undiscovered cave tomorrow, a princess castle one day and a wild horse in a corral next week are all possible with Crazy Forts.
Whilst testing the app, we found that parents’ minds were put at ease by having no external links or third-party advertisements featured in the app at all, meaning they felt they could leave children to navigate it independently and safely.
Crazy Forts in the Dark
£44.99
If, like us, you just can’t get enough of Crazy Forts, they also have a Glow in the Dark Kit! Glow in the Dark Crazy Forts comes with 69 child-safe glow in the dark toggles and rods that join together to build any play space from your child’s imagination. Working together successfully to build their construction provides children with a great way to develop important social skills such as cooperation, negotiation and teamwork.
GEOMAG SUPERCOLOR PANELS – 100% RECYCLED PLASTIC
£22.50
As children get slightly older, the improved dexterity in their hands and fingers allows them to manipulate smaller objects and experiment with more complex construction toys. Geomag Supercolor Panels allow children to explore concepts such as magnetism and polarity as they experiment with the shapes, magnetic spheres, and rods.
Playing with toys featuring different 2D and 3D shapes helps to develop their visual thinking skills as they start to be able to mentally visualise and rotate objects, to work out and describe their features.
Geomag Supercolor items are all made from recycled plastic which the planet, as well as the children, will love!
MAGICUBE FULL COLOR – 100% RECYCLED PLASTIC
£25-50
Chunky construction blocks are ideal for younger children who enjoy experimenting and honing their hand-eye coordination through building.
Geomag Magicubes are vibrant primary colours and identifying and sorting them helps children develop their colour recognition and problem-solving skills. Creative construction sets like this also encourage creative problem-solving which is a key part of STEM learning.
Magicube is the perfect preschooler’s introduction to building and construction.
Conclusion
Our Easter picks are brilliant choices for the Easter holidays and will keep your child both engaged and educated over your break.
Use this guide to help best choose sustainable gifts that are able to grow with your child as they develop, offering them longevity in their play and the learning benefits they receive. We promise they will last longer than the Easter eggs…