Best learning and educational toys for kids

Top pick: The Block Set (70 pieces) — the most versatile learning toy here. Open-ended building, sorting and shape play grow with a child from toddler stacking to preschool pattern-making, and it's the highest-rated of the bunch.

Who the others suit:

• Montessori Learning Castle — toddlers 2–5 who like hands-on shape sorting plus a first xylophone; wooden and battery-free.
• FunMagic Magnetic Tiles — a big-piece STEM starter that's easy for small hands and endlessly re-buildable.
• K'NEX Dynamic Dinos and Smartivity Motor Gadgets — school-age kids who want to build something that moves.
• I Dig Dinosaurs T-Rex kit — a short, messy-fun science project for a dinosaur fan.
• LeapFrog Fridge Phonics and Scholastic Alphabet Flash Cards — early letter sounds and reading practice.
• Fisher-Price Laugh & Learn tablet or controller — babies and young toddlers; the tablet has three learning levels.