These engaging toys and games are brain food for growing minds!

As parents, we can be tempted to buy our children everything they ask for. But the toys and games advertised to kids often aren't necessarily the best for them. And at Beyond the Blackboard, we know you want to boost your child's brain power. We've tested so many educational toys and games, looking for just the right results. Here you'll find a selection of the best, truly educational, learning toys and games (and yes, they're fun too).

Teaching Talking Cash Register

With this play cash register, your child can practice coin identification, place value, addition and subtraction, as they play 4 different games that increase in difficulty as your kiddo becomes more advanced. The cash register features a coin slot, built-in scanner, and scale. If they'd rather not play the game? No problem! Our Teaching Talking Cash Register is also amazing for learning basic calculator skills, and of course, pretend play. Voice messages, sounds, and lights make transactions even more fun. This educational toy for toddlers, preschoolers, and kindergarteners is an awesome introduction to language, math, and science. Our pretend and play cash register is also a favorite STEM gifts for 2-5 year-olds. Develop their imaginations and hone skills!

Magnatab

We can tell you with certainty that Magnatab toys are great for young minds. Magnatab tablets are durable and offer access to fine motor and handwriting skills. And once your child gets a little older, they'll still love the feel of the pull of the magnets, and hearing that oh-so-satisfying clicking sound. And for exactly these reasons, Magnatabs are great for use at home or in the classroom.

Alphabet Go Fish

It can be an intimidating task, picking the best games to help your preschooler learn and develop in those couple years leading up to school. Beyond the Blackboard helps you take that load off of your shoulders by selecting only the very best games for our shops (both in-store and here at www.shopbeyondtheblackboard.com). With our $5.99 flat rate shipping, you can have games intended for different developmental stages delivered right to your home.

This game helps your child learn how to take turns, recognize similarities, and even develops early reading skills!

Slam Ships

When it comes to introducing kids to sight words, there are myriad options, but our team is confident that Slam Ships is one of the best. It takes your child through 5 different difficulty levels. This gives your kiddo an extra element of play, and they can challenge themselves to graduate to the next level of words.

Maybe the best part of the game for your child will be the suction cup, UFO-shaped slammers. Each one in a colorful hue and shaped for easy handling. 

How Am I Feeling?

Conversation and flashcard sets are great for younger kids because they encourage and improve emotional intelligence. We have carried several variations on this game, but the one we like most is this eeBoo game, and here's why: The broad range of emotions are represented by fruits and vegetables with no age, race, or gender. Also, the cards feature award-winning artwork by Saxton Freymann. The whole set is quite durable, too. And because the set is just $14.99 at the time of publishing, it makes a great gift for a teacher or school counselor.

Telling Time Game

This well-designed game is the perfect game for a young child who wants to be able to tell the time all by themselves. eeBoo's cute design and decidedly retro illustrations are well-detailed, so kids can make out the time. And cards are color-coded for the progression of skills.

Simple Math Bingo

We are, admittedly, suckers for beautifully illustrated games. And Simple Math Bingo almost feels like an indulgence. Build on early math skills with this fun-to-play bingo game. Draw a tile and reveal a number. Does it answer a problem on your board? All it requires is a little mental math! Be the first player to fill your board to win!

My First Bananagrams

This set of Bananagrams may look at first like an unnecessary update to the classic Bananagrams game, but based on our toy testing, it's also a perfect introduction to the world of word games for young children. It's ideal for pre-readers and early learners, and aligns with reading curriculums. Also included are combo-letter word building tiles, which are the first step to independent word creation.

Proof!

This Mental Math Magic game may look simple, but this game is so much more than a game. Proof! is an award-winning, fast, fun and addicting math game that the whole family can enjoy! Work your mental math magic as you race to find hidden equations hidden among the nine number cards. This mix was carefully crafted for fun for ages 9 and up.

Mathswatters Addition and Subtraction

This game intrigues young kids by captivating their attention and helps them develop gross motor skills and problem solving, all while practicing their addition and subtraction. It also adheres to a solid educational philosophy of simple games that help children learn through play. Mathswatters is one of our favorites because it has bright, eye-catching colors, and involves a toy fly swatter (and there's nothing not to like about that for toddlers and preschoolers).