5 Interactive Toys That Teach Maths and Problem Solving

Maths and problem-solving are lifelong skills that your kids need and must develop. Your kids' daily tasks and activities involve solving "problems" like getting dressed and tying shoelaces. During play time and with the right toys, you can create experiences that enhance their problem-solving skills.

These skills require a lot of brain power, full attention and concentration. That’s why it can be hard work for most parents and getting kids engaged can be hard, too. But kids can learn maths and solve tricky situations through play and toys.  

There are educational toys that are designed to offer countless possibilities for your kids to grow and learn maths and problem solving more effectively. 

Maths and Problem Solving toys for kids

1. Puzzles

Puzzles offer great maths-related challenges that your kids will surely enjoy. Early puzzle play lays the groundwork for the development of your kids' maths and problem solving skills. 

Single Shape Puzzles are good for infants. This type of puzzles makes your child get a grip of mathematical concepts such as geometry and shapes, then move on to more complex ones as your child grows like Jigsaw puzzles or Tangrams.

Through puzzles too, your child develops strategic thinking and problem solving skills as he or she reaches for a solution to solve or complete the puzzles. 

2. Board games

Board games help kids practise learning numbers, count spaces, and develop mental maths and critical thinking skills. Some board games teach mathematical operations and arithmetic. And some make your kid develop the attitude of looking at a problem with the intent of finding ways to solve it. 

Board games make kids analyse the problem before they come up with a solution. It increases your kids' learning efficiency which they could apply when they face real problems  in real-life situations. 

3. Abacus

With an abacus, your child hones their maths skills and develops proficiency in calculations. It’s a great way to practise their maths so they can learn to solve maths problems on their own. It enhances the skills of problem solving, concentration and analytical ability as well which will help them improve their maths performances and will build their confidence when they grow older. 

4. Stacking blocks/cups

Stacking blocks like the rainbow discs in 4 vertical dowels can help your kids count and learn other match concepts like shapes, size, patterns, area more. 

By building blocks they learn to do problem solving. When your child likes to build a tall building out of all the cups or blocks, he would ask himself, “how do I do that?” It will make him think of ways or formulate ideas so he could build buildings.

5. Maths dice

Maths dice helps your child improve his or her mental maths. This is an interactive toy that you and your child can play together. Roll the dice and create equations or a target number. Or you can ask your child to roll two dice and add or subtract them together. Modify the complexity of the game or rule based on your kids ability to do maths. 

Simple activities to teach your kids maths and problem solving

1. Following Patterns

Use blocks, cups or other available resources to play this interactive activity. First, you have to make a pattern and let your child recreate the pattern. 

This activity enhances their counting skills as they count the blocks or cups in order for them to make the same pattern. It also trains them to analyse the given information which is the pattern and recreate it in their own ways. 

2. Building a maze

Build or draw a maze in a large space. Make two passages- the entrance and the exit. Let your child find his or her way out of the maze. Add obstacles on their way out, make the maze a little bit complex to allow your child to think more creatively and strategically. 

3. Rough and tumble play

Tug of war using a fabric or cloth, ball catching, or digging for treasures engage your kids in physical and strategic play. It enhances your kids' problem-solving skills. They think of a strategy to use their physical abilities and win.

4. Constructive play

In this play, your kids will use open-ended materials like blocks, water, sand or paint to create or build something. They learn to focus their attention and make decisions so they can construct something out of the materials they have.  

Most problems in problem solving have more than one solution and that makes your child extend a range of strategies to approach and solve the problem. Interactive toys help your child obtain strategic and creative thinking, which can be applicable to maths and problem-solving.

Allow your child to explore new ideas and extend their creativity through simple activities that involve maths. Provide them interesting situations where they can work on their basic problem solving skills that will make them learn more about their surroundings.