In fact, most toy manufacturers would prefer to make plastic and synthetic material toys because they cost a lot less to make, as opposed to wood toys. Second, it takes a lot of skill and creativity to craft wooden educational toys. Plastic and electronic toys can just be machine made and easily mass produced. This way, you don't have to worry if the toy you're giving has sufficient value because you're sure the child will learn a lot of things from it. But, wait! Before you dash to the nearest toy store and grab the first children's educational toy you get your hands on, consider these three tips first. Yes, even buying children's educational toys have certain guidelines that need to be followed. Besides globes, electronic interactive books provide excellent and fun learning for your little ones. These books have maps that talk and say different names of capitals and states. And, of course, the very popular puzzles are helpful to your little geographer wannabes. They come in different fun shapes, designs and sizes. Schools have started to incorporate educational toys to their teaching methods, especially to preschoolers, because of this. With educational toys, not only children, but also parents, are changing their minds about the importance of toys as educational tools. Sure, they may come with a hefty price tag, but the expense is all worth it. What educational toys do is fill the gap that has been created by the lack of time parents have for their kids. In the past, both or either one of the parents had the time to help their kids with homework or read them dozens of stories. However, nowadays, this has become close to impossible because every has to make a living. For instance, activities in informal education are eventually used to strengthen formal education. One of the activities frequently used in informal learning environment is playing games among children, and having them play certain educational toys to achieve the desired result. Since children are by nature learners, and have this capacity to absorb almost everything, a good combination of educational toys and games can really produce encouraging results.