Classically educating parents work hard to create a learning environment, so that even when formal schooling isn’t happening, learning never stops. Educational toys are a great way to support that learning–whether you are a home school mom, or a family member wondering what to get those kids! Here’s some of my favorite ideas, organized by subject.
Geography
This simple wooden world map puzzle is great for preschoolers. The neat part, in my opinion, is that you could take the puzzle pieces and trace them for Blob Map practice! This puzzle is great for reinforcing the simple shapes of the continents for the youngest students.
For older students, Draw the World is my favorite geography resource. It walks students through the details of drawing the world and it gives tips and tricks for remembering what to do. We’ve had so much fun with this book in our house (and the rest of the series, which has each individual continent in detail).
Science
A good book of science experiments is always a great idea. Look for the kind that uses every day household items instead of ones that require complicated tools that make it nearly impossible to do the experiments. This one has lots of simple projects with explanations of how they work. Or try this one, that has kitchen science for learning in a real life setting.
For kids that love Legos, check out a book full of Lego science experiments. My son loved this one a couple of years ago.
Moving beyond books, a toy that has been wildly popular in our home is Snap Circuits. My son quickly moved from the projects suggest in the book to making up his own. It’s been great fun for several years going now.
Latin
It’s never too early to start exposing kiddos to Latin. Song School Latin is a fun way to introduce kids to Latin and get them excited for the years ahead. No, I’m not kidding. My youngest child already walks around the house singing, “A, Ae, Ae, Am, A!” He has no idea what it means but when he’s 12 and it’s time to break out Henle Latin, he will surely be glad that those declension songs are engrained in his brain.
Know a Classical Kid who loves Diary of a Wimpy Kid?!? Did you know that you can get the first book in the series completely translated into Latin? For real!
English/Grammar
Mad Libs are a really fun way to review English grammar without even realizing you are doing school–and isn’t that every home school mom’s ultimate goal?! From Star Wars to Frozen and everything else you can imagine, Mad Libs are a fantastic learning game that is so fun they won’t even question why it is a Christmas gift. Plus, the average price is $4. Can’t lose!
Scrabble Junior is a great board game for the kids not quite ready for the adult version.
For a fun night of story telling, Rory’s Story Cubes is a fun way to get the story going. Roll the dice for story prompts and make up a story to go along with your rolls. Also a great tool when a child can’t decide what to write.
History
Test your knowledge of all kinds of history with a fun game called Chronology. Try to put random events in order. Which came first? For singers of the Timeline Song, this game is great reinforcement–with lots of silliness mixed in.
Math
Math games are a great way to sneak in review of math facts while keeping the competitive spirit in the family alive and well. Try Absolute Zero, a card game with the goal of having zero point. Or try solving mysteries in a game of Mathological Liar! Someone’s math doesn’t quite add up–and that someone is guilty.
Other Great Fun and Learning
I’m heavily considering getting this for my son. You get to build your own droid and then write coding to control him. It would totally make him freak out!
Or have them build their own computer! What better way to get value out of computer time?!?
How about a series of books for babies that explains the basics of topics such as Quantam Physics? I’ve been eyeing this series at Target for several months and the next baby shower I go to, this is going to be the gift! Quantum Physics for Babies will not disappoint!
The Lego Architecture series is phenomenal for building creativity, ability to follow instructions, and reviewing history, culture and geography all at once. It’s hard to beat. Check out this great Shanghai set!
Mixing fun and learning is the goal of most home school moms. Support them in their goals with a great gift for their kids–something that mixes fun and learning so well, the kids don’t even realize they are learning! Happy gift giving!