Once a year I break away from websites and apps to check out some tangible educational games and toys for your holiday shopping list. I’m not a toy and games expert, but my uncle Christopher Byrne has been working in the toy industry for more than 30 years. Some of you may have seen him on Oprah, the Today Show, and other nationally syndicated shows. So when I want to find out which educational toys and games are popular right now I turn to his company’s website, Time to Play. I spent some time exploring Time to Play this morning and found five toys and games that I think kids will enjoy playing with while learning at the same time.

LeapFrog has been popular for years. I just learned that they have a couple of interactive maps that look like fun. They offer interactive maps like LeapFrog Tag Maps: USA which allow children to use the LeapFrog reader to explore the map. They also offer the LeapFrog Tag Solar System Adventure Pack which is an interactive map of the solar system. Learn more about the solar system adventure pack in the video below.

For the children in your life that are just learning to write, Mead offers Letter Stories Dry Erase Flashcards. These flashcards have uppercase and lowercase letters for children to trace.

My family played a lot of board games when we were growing up. In fact, we still play them when we get together during the holidays. (My uncle Chris hates to lose at board games). Two educational board games that look good to me are Wise Alec Family Trivia Game and Flag Frenzy! see Flag Frenzy in action in the video below.