Good Educational Electronic Toys for Toddlers and Preschoolers

When it comes to educational toys, electronic toys usually aren't the best. Construction toys, crafts, toys that encourage imaginative play, books and puzzles are far superior in educational value compared to many electronic toys. But there are some really good electronic toys. I will review just a few that I am familiar with.

This is an excellent toy for ages 2.5 and up. It is one I highly recommend for teaching toddlers and preschoolers to write. The Scribble and Write teaches how to draw lines and shapes, uppercase letters and lowercase letters.

Your child simply chooses what they want to write. The system first shows how to write it and then the child can try by simply following the lights with the pen. If you have a preschooler or kindergartner who doesn't want to learn to write, the Scribble and Write may be the answer. It really does make learning to write fun.

The Vtech Reader is basically an ereader for little kids. It is like an electronic version of Leapfrog's Leappad but you don't have to deal with separate books and cartridges (and torn books). You can buy cartridges and download six free books from the Vtech website.

Like other electronic toys, the books aren't cheap. Try to find books on sale. It is really nice that the system comes with some free books. You will have to by an SD card to download the books.

This is a great toy for children who are learning to read. They can read along and touch individual words. Each Vreader cartridge includes multiple games. The VReader is also available in pink and is good for 2.5 and up.

The Clickstart is a really good tool for teaching small children how to use a real computer. The mouse is the perfect size for little hands. This is a great toy for 2.5 to 4 year olds.

This toy really improves motor skills. My children went from having almost no control over the mouse to having complete control within a matter of days. Both were only 2.5 years old when they first used it. The system comes with built-in games that encourage both mouse control and keyboard use. My kids were easily navigating websites by themselves before the age of 3 thanks largely to what they learned first on the Clickstart.

I bought two games with the system: Animal Art Studio and Learning Carnival. The games are a real con of the system. If your child has access to a real computer with all of the great educational games that are available online, they may tire of the Clickstart games after a while. The graphics aren't all that great compared to what is found online and there is less learning value.

If you don't want your child to use your computer, the Clickstart is a great alternative for them. But if you do, you may not be impressed with the educational content of the games, compared to what is available on the Nick Jr. or PBS Sprout websites.

The Clickstart may be fun for only 6 months to a year but it may be worth it for getting your child off to an easy start in computer use. Stick to only one or two games, if you plan to let your child use a real computer. The Clickstart is also available in pink.

One real downside of electronic toys is that the cartridges tend to be very expensive with very few games. The Leapster 2 cartridges typically have 4 to 6 games with 3 levels. I only buy them when they are on sale because I wouldn't feel like I was getting my money's worth if I paid full price.

Like the Clickstart, the graphic quality is inferior to what you find online. Unlike the Clickstart, you can easily take the Leapster 2 anywhere you go. It is great for car trips and the doctor's waiting room.

And the games are very good from an educational standpoint. The are much better educationally than Clickstart games. They teach phonics, math, logic and spelling. The Leapster 2 comes with a built in Art game that is really well done and you can download a free game online. The Leapfrog website also has some free game previews that you can download.

The Leapster 2 is best for 3.5 and up but 2 year olds can easily learn to use the built-in Art games. The system is also available in pink.