Most kids can spot an educational toy a mile away. Pretty smart kids, right? That's because traditional teaching toys consist of little more than mind-numbing flash cards with obvious spelling or math lessons.

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. Consequently, for the majority of kids, an educational toy with a high level of interaction is necessary to keep them engaged.

So, it only makes sense that the best educational toys for kids are those that stimulate physical and imaginative play, while furtively building 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 feel satisfaction in the challenge that these toys provide.

Educational toys themselves won't necessarily produce brilliant children. However, there are strong indicators that not only do they contribute to a childs intelligence, they motivate and promote imagination. The fact that educational 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 bound to follow.