There aren’t too many toys that can actually be considered truly educational; toys that spark the interest of children and make them want to learn more about things work. Frivolous toys such as video games, action figures and trading cards aren’t particularly education, they won’t teach your children anything and they won’t further their development.
Toys used to be quite the opposite though. For example, Mechano would teach children about engineering, how to design things that worked and build them. Many engineers today started by using Mechano as children, as the toy ignited their interest in engineering.
Hornby is another toy that has the capacity to teach children, to educate them. To use a Hornby train set you need to piece the set together, build it meticulously and learn how to organise which trains move in which track in order to avoid each other.
Radio controlled cars, planes helicopters are also great toys for teaching children. They often come in kits, which require assembly (teaching building and engineering skills) and when they are finished they require great skill to pilot and drive effectively. Is it any wonder that F1 World Champion Lewis Hamilton started building and racing radio controlled cars?