You don’t have to be in a classroom or doing your homework after school to learn something new. It’s a well-known fact that younger children learn naturally through playing and physical interaction, so as parents, you should allow them as much opportunity to develop in a safe and playful environment as possible. There are plenty of exciting toys that can provide as much education as fun for growing children, teaching them everything from general knowledge and vocabulary to mathematical skills. These are five that have the Absolutely Mama seal of approval.

Butterfly Garden Kit with Live Voucher, £19.99.

Butterflies are one of the most fascinating creatures of the animal world. Teaching children its development process from caterpillar, to cocoon, to butterfly doesn’t have to all be diagrams and textbooks, so why not let them see and even help out in raising their very own butterflies? The Butterfly Garden Kit is available to purchase between March – September, (so temperatures are suitable for the butterflies to be released), and provides five live caterpillars, food, a 30cm-tall mesh Butterfly Garden habitat and feeding pipette so you are able to raise and release your very own butterflies!

Avaliable to purchase from http://www.brightminds.co.uk/butterfly-garden-kit-with-live-voucher/p2404

Learning Resources Primary Science Lab Set, £24.99.

Let your little scientist get their first taste of real experiments with this lab set. Not only will they look the part with their lab coat and oversized goggles, but the set provides ten different experiments for your child to try. Trials include everything from bobbing raisins and growing greenery to floating and sinking and colour mixing.

Avaliable to purchase from http://www.stickerstocker.co.uk/learning-resources-primary-science-set.html

Tidlo Kitchen Station, £69.99

The Tidlo Kitchen Set by John Crane is perfect for letting your toddler discover their inner Jamie Oliver or Nigella. Complete with a hob, oven, sink, pots, pans, utensils, play food, and even a matching tea towel, this gorgeous station is designed for both boys and girls to have hours of creative fun, role play and team interaction. We imagine you’ll be getting invited to many bedroom dinner parties after this purchase.

Avaliable to purchase from http://www.brightminds.co.uk/tidlo-kitchen-station/p3063

T Rex Projector, £24.99

If you’re lacking the time to take your children to a history museum, you can now bring the museum into your house. The T Rex Projector enables young children to study and explore over 24 species of dinosaur on an enlarged scale in the comfort of their own bedroom. Take a trip into the past and learn facts about each species as you journey across the slides.

Avaliable to purchase from http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/2282895.htm

Learning Resources Pizza Fraction Fun, £16.99

Fractions and other mathematical skills are made fun and easy using pizzas and tasty treats. With over seven different games and methods for teaching children maths, you can find the right game suitable for teaching your child at a relaxed pace with the values of 1, 1/2, 1/3, 1/4, 1/6, 1/8, 1/9, 1/12 and 1/16 . All the games are adaptable to teach children studying at different learning levels, providing mathematical help over a period of several years – definitely plenty of bang for your buck.

Avaliable to purchase from http://www.brightminds.co.uk/pizza-fraction-fun/p37

By Charlotte Emerson