by Catalogs.com Info Guru Aurora LaJambre

Fostering a child’s math, science and language skills early on creates a fun, active learning environment at home.

Toys and games can introduce them to complex concepts in a tangible way.

Here are the top education toys for 8 year olds.

10. Journey to a Prehistoric world

Authentic dinosaur figures are a timeless toy to capture a child’s imagination. These enormous creatures once walked our planet, this fact alone reinforces what a wondrous planet we live on. Made with realistic details, dinosaur figures stimulate the imagination. Children grow naturally curious about how different ones behaved, how they survived, what was the world like when they roamed free?

9. Programming fun

There aren’t many toys out there designed to peak curiosity in programming. That’s part of the reason the Robot Turtle board games are such a hit with families. Players are too busy having fun to realize they’re learning the fundamentals of coding and programming. This is a fast game to learn and each round is over quick so it doesn’t take a long time commitment. There’s no winning or losing. Basically players make up boards and then solve them by playing with the turtle and writing a program.

8. Code games

Education toys for 8 year olds teach them to apply many of the math skills they’re learning in school. Code breaking games that require children to work together to crack codes, solve puzzles and piece together clues improve concentration and social skills. Taking math out of the classroom shows kids how fun it is.

7. Strategic dominoes and scrabble

New education toys for children like one called Qwirkle combine dominos and scrabble to help students develop critical skills. The whole family can have some fun while older children work on pattern recognition for older players and younger ones memorize colors and shapes.

6. Talking chess set

Learning to play chess instills qualities and skills that help young students excel, from computing logical sequences to anticipate an opponent’s next move, to reading into details in order to consider every possible combination. A motivated chess player is rewarded for discipline with victorious wins. Talking chess sets come with the time parents may not always have.

5. Snap circuits

Children playing with electricity? Absolutely! Snap circuits is a smart kit of about 60 pieces designed to teach kids how electricity works. These education toys for 8 year olds engage children’s natural curiosity. The pieces snap together easily and can combine to create usable circuit boards.

4. Math games

Getting a grasp on division, multiplication and fractions takes practice. A number of math games put a playful twist on the tried and true method of flashcard quizzing. Some are designed for entire classrooms while others are perfect for small groups of friends or siblings to play.

3. The science of fun

Science kits and measuring sets are classic education toys for 8 years olds as well as their younger siblings. As they learn to follow precise instructions and measure carefully, they’re rewarded with products like puffy paint, slime and goo. Younger ones can help with the pouring and mixing.

2. Bug time

Children are fascinated with bugs – how these miniature creatures look, behave and interact with the world. Hexbug Nanos take this curiosity and run away it. They’re small robotic bugs that act like the real thing. No batteries required so they introduce children to robotics by running on vibration alone. Kids can also flex they’re engineering muscle by experimenting with the tracks as they do with train sets.

1. Magna tiles

Magnetic tiles are perfect rainy day fun. Similar to building blocks, only the magnetic pieces hold together so kids don’t have the frustration of watching their creations constantly crash. Instead the possibilities ignite the imagination. Used with Legos or other blocks, they can build elaborate constructions from bridges and tunnels to towers taller than they are.