Everything a baby encounters in the first months of life can be described as education toys. Babies enter the world with no experience and no exposure to the new world around them. Each time one of their five senses is aroused they are learning something about their environment. Choosing an education toy for a baby is almost as simple as exposing them to any new experience in life.
Education toys should focus on the senses of sight, hearing, smell, touch or taste. This is the way babies connect with their world in the early days of their life. They have no communication skills yet, other than crying, so everything they come in contact with expands their world.
For new babies cloth books and stuffed animals will engage their sense of touch. These items require no interaction but still allow the baby to learn about his world. Mobiles and spinning toys mounted above their cribs will provide a focal point for their eyes as they explore their world, looking for broader horizons.
As babies grow their senses expand as well. Balls and other soft toys without sharp edges give them a chance to begin developing eye and hand coordination as they grasp, hold, push, throw or shake toys within their reach. In these early stages of life education is not a matter of facts and figures, it is more about discovering what everything looks like and how it feels.
Books of nursery rhymes and children’s stories can be read to babies even before there is any discernible understanding on their part. Hearing the voice of a parent or other caring adult will build a sense of security for the baby. At the point where words begin to take on meaning the baby will already be ahead of the game as he was hearing words and ideas from the earliest time of his life.
Babies approaching the first year of life become much more interactive. They will start to take part in playing with others. Balls, blocks and other toys can be handed back and forth. Simple games geared to the level of a baby will train him to react to his environment. Placing large puzzle pieces in a puzzle board will develop coordination skills.
The world is one big educational experience for babies in the first year of life. Education toys for babies do not need to be expensive or elaborate.