It may be your birthday or you got all A's on your report card. Your parents promised to take you to the favorite place that all kids dream of: the toy store! With shelves and shelves of toys, wrapped in shiny, colorful boxes, how do you know which toy to choose? Some toys are just fun to play with for the first day or two. Then you get bored of them and they end up under your bed or in your messy closet, like a stuffed animal or a toy car. But some toys will give you hours and hours of fun playtime, and they will last a lifetime. Did you know that playing with the right kind of toy is not just about having fun, but it actually makes you smarter and works your brain? Let's explore the world of toys and pick out the best ones that help make kids smarter! Legos and building blocks All types of building blocks set your imagination free as you put them together to make a train or a castle or a tower. Playing with blocks and Legos helps you improve your creativity skills.The different ways you can play with Legos are endless. Some packs come with step-by-step instructions for you to construct all kinds of fascinating things: a helicopter, transformer robot, airplane, pirate ship, police station, princess castle, or a horse stable. When playing with Legos, you train your hands and eyes to work together, you read and follow instructions, and you figure out how to fit pieces together. You never know, you may be getting the basic practice you need to one day become a great engineer or architect! Jigsaw puzzles The human mind has two sides, left and right. The left side of the brain is used mainly for math, problem-solving, and putting things in order. The right side of the brain is more artistic and creative. Putting together a jigsaw puzzle makes both the the right and left side of the brain work, and makes them both stronger. They are so much fun to do and when you are done, your mom can glue the pieces together, frame it, and hang it on the wall of your room. A beginner's microscope Most toy stores have a microscope for kids. You will be amazed at what you can discover when you look at things under the microscope. At your age, you are probably curious about almost anything, and a microscope gives you the chance to see what the tiniest things look like up close. Interesting things that you can try inspecting with your new microscope are: sugar, salt, bread mold, feathers, bird seeds, grass, chicken skin, spider web, flower parts, a human hair, part of a lady bug or a leaf, and more. Spiral art This cool art kit is one that you really want to have. Once you start making designs, you will never want to stop. It is easy to use, and you draw patterns with different colors using the tools that the art kit comes with. It is not an expensive toy, and both the talented artist and the beginner can enjoy. Scrabble Are you having trouble learning your spelling words at school? A good way to study is by playing a game of Scrabble. It helps you practice spelling and also learn new vocabulary words. It helps you get better at math because each letter has a certain number of points and if you spell a whole word you have to add up the total number of points that you win. Clue Junior You will never tire of this fun board game. You are a detective who must solve the mystery of the missing cake. It helps you learn how to reach the right solution by crossing out some wrong guesses first, until you make a logical guess. This skill is called deduction. Monopoly If you are 8 years old, you can start playing Monopoly too. You buy land and can build houses and hotels and make other players pay your rent. If you are unlucky you might be sent to jail. This game is fun and it also teaches you how to count money, save your money, how to do business, and make deals with other players. Just be sure when you play with your friends or brothers and sisters to not get too loud because the game can get really exciting! Other good board games you could think of buying are Sorry, Candyland, Chinese Checkers, Chess, Battleship, or Mastermind.
