It’s estimated that there are approx. 3 million gifted kids in grades K-12 in the United States. That’s about 6% of the student population.

So how do you tell if your child is one of them? Consider some of the Characteristics of Young Gifted Children. Some kids will show signs of an excellent memory, strong vocabulary, or an extended attention span; especially in an area that interests them. They may master basic skills quickly, and with less practice. Others may exhibit an elevated aptitude for music or the arts. Some will show signs of exceptional imagination and curiosity. They may display unique powers of observation and attention to detail. But, it’s important to note that a child doesn’t have to possess all of these traits to be gifted; as with all children, gifted kids have widely different needs, strengths, and weaknesses.

The fact of the matter is that a gifted child enjoys the same games, toys and activities as other children. However, the speed of mastering those activities may vary and, as a result, the leap to more complex activities may be accelerated.

Consequently, parents may notice that their intellectually advanced child is attracted to toys that are geared towards older children. And there’s no harm in letting them delve into the more challenging toys and games, as long as the child’s age and abilities are taken into account, and provided they pose no physical risk (like choking hazards.)

Gifted kids enjoy a challenge. Games, puzzles and toys that exercise their minds, allow for creativity, or contain elements that feed his or her area of interest will keep them engrossed longer than toys and puzzles that are easily solved, or require repetitive actions. Toys that come fully assembled, or require little or no creativity or imagination, will most likely end up under the bed in a matter of minutes.

Playing is an important function for all children. Even though they may talk and act like adults at times, gifted kids, especially those who have heightened senses of imagination and creativity, need to play. Appropriate toys, games and puzzles will address the unique characteristics of a gifted child, and keep their busy minds satisfied.

What do Toys Teach?

The truth is that all experiences develop the brain. The key to cognitive educational toys is to develop a number of different skills that are ultimately used in complex ways later in life.

A rich variety of play gives kids the opportunity to learn and develop their physical, social, creative and intellectual skills. For example, through 'pretend,' children develop language and imagination -- the underpinnings for reading and writing. A craft or construction kit involves fine motor skills and building dexterity, along with the ability to read and follow directions, working in a step-by-step sequence and staying with a task that is less than instantaneous

1. Building toys: Building toys for each age group are among the best playthings for developing children's spatial reasoning as well as their ability to stick with a task. The younger the child, the more open-ended the building material should be,".

2. Art supplies. Art exploration introduces children to the science of how colors work together, and allows for creative and nonverbal self-expression.

3. Props for play-acting and role-playing: These are the food for imagination and language development.

4. Board games that involve matching, counting and turn-taking.

5. Sports equipment. Playing sports develops coordination and big muscles along with a sense of teamwork and fair play -- important learning that is often overlooked.

6. Puzzles. These develop visual discrimination and patience to stay with a less than instant task.

Many educational toys have evolved into impressive electronic gizmos and gadgets that prompt a child to supply one thing; entering a missing letter or number for example. Suddenly flashing lights and digital tunes reward the child for supplying the correct answer. There is little or no inventive thinking required because the toy is directing the activity.

There’s a plethora of electronic toys on the market… PC games for almost every age level, video games, handheld electronic games, even laptops for toddlers; all with powerful stimulation. Eventually a child becomes tolerant of the initial stimulation, and requires even more stimulation to attain the same level of appeal. The end result of this constant stimulus is shorter attention spans.

Alas, with today’s clever marketing, these are exactly the types of toys your child will request. And though they may have some educational value, these toys should be intermingled with those that promote creativity, improve motor skills or encourage social interaction.

Enhanced play value stems from the educational toys that allow the child to direct the play. This includes the tried and true toys that have survived the test of time, despite their lack of bells and whistles.

Toys that encourage imaginative play will assist children in working out their own ideas, while learning new skills. These types of toys include building blocks, toy vehicles, dolls, dress up clothes, things that recreate real-life experiences or imaginary worlds, like doll houses or castles and play kitchens.

Small muscle control and hand-eye coordination are improved with toys that require manipulation, including construction sets, toys that interlock…like Lincoln Logs, puzzles, pegboards and model building.

Creative arts encourage self-expression as well as developing fine motor skills. Things like finger paint, crayons, scissors, glue, modeling clay and sidewalk chalk are ideal for fostering creative play.

Playing board games will aid in developing strategy and sequencing in addition to learning about rules and cooperation. There are quality board games available for every age group from toddlers to teens….from Hi-Ho Cheerio and Candy Land, to Chess and Backgammon.

Ultimately it is up to us to find a healthy balance between the electronic toys the kids want and the educational toys we know will allow them to gain knowledge through creative and physical play.

Anyone that has spent any time with a toddler knows that they are constantly moving, and they love to use their ever-increasing motor skills. As their motor skills develop, so do their brains, so it’s beneficial to provide them with physically stimulating toys. Toys that mix physical movement with learning will often produce optimum educational benefits.

Hand-eye coordination improves through toys like building blocks, lacing toys, shape sorters and simple puzzles. Fine motor skills are also increased with these activities.

This is also a good age to introduce the basics of numbers, letters, shapes and colors. Consider providing refrigerator magnets in numbers and letters that they can sort by color or size.

The first signs of imaginative play will also begin to emerge between 12 and 18 months of age, and will peak between 3 and 6 years. Pretend play encourages children to think creatively and helps improve memory and language skills. It also has the greatest impact on the development of key social skills and interactions. Things like play food, toy shopping carts, toy phones, dolls, and toy kitchens help your toddler mimic the daily activities they see around them.

But remember, toys need to entertain as well as educate. Any toy that ends up under the couch isn’t going to benefit your wallet or your toddler.

But let's face it, as adults, we've all but forgotten what it's like to be a kid. The truth is, kids like lots of noise, interaction and physical play. They want to bang on things, see a lot of color, hear a lot of sounds. They want to find out how and why things work. For most of kids, that means toys with a high level of interaction are needed to keep them engaged.

So, it only makes sense that most toys are educational toys... as long as they provide both physical and imaginative play, even as they build cognitive and motor development.

Children exposed to skill and knowledge building toys will embrace learning more readily, and feel comfortable with it. In addition, many children will find extra satisfaction in the challenge that these toys provide.

Educational toys by themselves won't necessarily produce smart kids. But, there are strong indicators that not only do they contribute to a childs intelligence, they motivate and promote imagination.

The fact that toys can bring fun into the learning equation is the key to understanding their real value to our children.

Make it fun and learning is inevitable.