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Toys to Help Kids to Learn English

All toys are educational, to a certain extent, as most teach specific skills, and all of them teach kids how to play. However there are toys that go further still and help children to learn languages. The past decade has seen a great increase in the number of bilingual interactive electronic toys, for example.

These can teach children the alphabet, numbers, shapes and colours from as early as 12 months old. They use sound effects, nursery rhymes and flashing lights to maintain children's interest levels as they learn. The toys can be colourful, interactive playhouses, gardens or farmyards which focus on specific groups of words. These toys are not just useful for kids learning English but can be extremely helpful to hesitant parents also wishing to improve their bilingual skills.

There are clocks to teach the time, with a built-in quiz facility to reinforce and test learning, which are suitable for slightly older children; talking cubes to teach numbers, letters, shapes and colours, as well as improving the younger child's motor skills and helping him develop confidence from an early age; and smart drivers for toddlers. These simulate adult cars, with an interactive steering wheel and dashboard incorporating all the accessories, noises and buttons of a real vehicle. With a little imagination, these can be used in an endless number of ways to teach and reinforce vocabulary and grammar.

The talking computer or PC playbook is a particularly versatile tool and a great favourite with children of two years and upwards. It is an electronic teacher with a variety of interesting learning activities: letters, words, spelling practice and hours of musical fun to keep a child entertained while learning.

Learning English with these great toys has moved language teaching and learning into the twenty-first century. Indeed there is no excuse now for any child not to be skilled enough in English to integrate confidently with his peers by the time he starts school.

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