Award-winning options: Toys, games and books can help kids learn

Whether they're at home or in the classroom -- toys, games, and books can help kids learn. Toy expert and speech language pathologist Sherry Artemenko with Play on Words joins FOX6 WakeUp with some award-winning options for parents and teachers to consider. 

We’re featuring PAL Award toys, games and books that offer fantastic support to teachers and parents as they work with kids virtually or in the classroom this fall.

Magna Tiles Structures--Galaxy Rocketship, 3+, ($49.95)

  • Gonna blast off with our Galaxy Rocketship by Magna Tiles Structures
  • "Oh cool, a magna tile rocket, can I make it right now?”
  • Construct the stages of the rocket
  • Cool factor is all 24 tiles are double sided with galaxy images-planets, astronaut--pretend play
  • Compatible with magna tiles-make docking station, lift off pads-embellish story
  • Build language skills -> reading and writing

Whatsitsface, Newborn and up, ($24.99)

  • Here are my new best friends, puppy, kitty and bear
  • Help kids express their feelings, turn knob and flip faces, 6 emotions
  • Increase child’s EQ, emotional quotient
  • How does he feel? Did you feel___? How can we help a friend who
  • FaceTimed with kids after first day of school. scared-fire drill
  • Kids lead the pretend play and change faces

Jiggle & Giggle Fishing Set by VTech, 2-5 years, ($24.99)

  • Drop a fishing line into pretend pool of sea creatures
  • Orange lobster, yellow puffer fish, pink octopus, blue marlin
  • Light up bobber connects with a jiggle
  • Kids learn listening skills, following directions, colors, numbers, songs
  • Deep sea bucket collects the animals for clean up

Large Dino Research Station by Schleich, 4+, ($99.99)

  • Incredible pretend play potential with 33 interactive pieces
  • Hidden deep in Amazon jungle, important research, last living dinosaurs
  • Team of 3 brothers operate the command center, stand on the viewing platform to shoot tranquilizer dart gun, put newly captured dinos in the quarantine room, examine the dinos and release them through a trap door to special enclosure
  • 2 hand painted realistic dinosaurs
  • Set contains rotating crane and cable winch, fence for break outs

Slappy Camper by MindWare, 5+, ($19.95)

  • Our slappy campers race to gather gear for camping trip
  • Draw a card and look for matching gear, slap with marshmallow stick
  • Pack carefully, fill in grid on camper like a puzzle, can’t rearrange gear
  • Winner tells story of camping trip using his gear--hilarious
  • Visual matching, spatial, motor language skills, early literacy

Jambo Books 0-13 years, ($34.99/ month)

  • Jambo means “hello” in Swahili
  • Subscription service of outstanding stories starring children of color as the main characters and introducing kids to different cultures.
  • Popular children’s themes--loving grandparents, raising pets etc.
  • 2-3 books delivered each month in age range requested Go to playonwords.com for more information to purchase these products