Best Educational & Learning Toys for Kids

From learning counting and the ABCs to telling stories, LEGO® learning toys could help pave the perfect learning pathway for your child and supplement their education.

Our learning toys can help kids develop problem-solving skills and motor skills while building and engaging in creative roleplay. These activities are also great for building resilience, developing curiosity, and encouraging collaboration. Kids can even start learning how to code and other advanced STEM skills as they tap into the world of technology.

What makes a good learning toy?

The more we study children’s brains and development, the more evidence we see that children learn best through play. Whether it’s improving motor skills, encouraging imaginative play or teaching them about everyday life, there’s a LEGO® toy for every child at every age.

When it comes to choosing the right toy, the first thing to think about is their age and developmental stage. Can they walk and talk yet? What skills are they working on? What can this toy teach them?

A good learning toy allows for open-ended play, meaning there are many different play opportunities. There isn’t one intended outcome or a “right” way to play. Instead, kids can use their imagination and use the toy in ways that they can come up with themselves.

As they grow older, there may be more focus on academic instruction, but playful learning is still necessary! Kids can make meaningful connections between joyful experiences and their education, setting the stage for them to become life-long learners with a love of exploration and discovery.

Finally, it’s important to make sure the toy can keep up with your little adventurer. Kids love to explore, and sometimes that means giving their toys a serious workout. So, durability and safety matter a lot. Look for toys made from sturdy, kid-safe materials that are age-appropriate and designed to last.

What type of learning toy is right for your little builder?

LEGO® DUPLO®, designed to support toddlers' development, isn’t just about fun and playtime. Playing with DUPLO sets helps kids build two key skill areas: EQ skills (socialization and emotional intelligence) and IQ skills (cognition and creativity). These categories cover critical areas of development, whether it's thinking logically and developing patience or problem solving and creative thinking.

LEGO DUPLO uses a color system – blue, green and purple – with each color representing a different skill under either the IQ or EQ categories. This allows you to choose a toy that is specific to your child, no matter their developmental stage or which skills you’d like them to focus on.

Blue DUPLO sets help kids develop logical thinking, a major IQ skill, while also exploring self-expression, a vital EQ skill. These sets are all-round a great way to build confidence in little builders!

Green DUPLO sets are slightly more challenging, helping kids to build patience by trying different solutions to building problems. These sets also help their creativity as they’ll need to come up with their own ways to solve challenges.

It’s all about teamwork and problem solving with purple DUPLO sets. These toys help kids build essential social skills they’ll need as they get older, learning to take turns playing, strengthening their communication and providing a healthy challenge when it comes to building.

How do you know which LEGO DUPLO set is in which category? Simply check the color on the box, or the info on the product page!

Creative Building Toys

Creative building toys promote open-ended play and building, which helps kids develop their imagination, problem-solving skills, and confidence.

To help them build their creativity, the LEGO® Creator Sea Animals (31158) 3in1 set lets kids build and rebuild their own underwater world. With just one set, they can mix and match the same bricks to create 6 sea creatures, from turtles and jellyfish to a mighty squid! This set combines storytelling, problem-solving, and learning fine motor skills for kids.

For even more creative play, the LEGO Medium Creative Brick Box (10696) offers bricks in 35 colors, encouraging open-ended play and allowing kids to build their very own creations from scratch. And for toddlers just starting out, the Deluxe Brick Box (10914) includes larger, toddler-safe pieces that support hands-on learning, shape recognition, and early creative thinking.

Storytelling and Roleplay Toys

Children learn to make sense of the world around them through storytelling and roleplay. These types of toys help build language skills, encourage empathy, and support emotional development by letting kids act out familiar situations or create imaginative scenarios.

Let little builders explore their emotions and everyday experiences with LEGO® DUPLO® sets designed to encourage conversation and creativity. The LEGO DUPLO First Time at the Airport (10443) turns traveling into adventure. From check-in to takeoff, it helps toddlers roleplay big moments and feel ready for the real thing.

The Big Feelings & Emotions (10415) set helps toddlers explore emotions through play. This set is a gentle way to talk about feelings and understand others, which are key building blocks for empathy.

If you’re seeking a toy for slightly older kids who love dreaming up their own stories, then the LEGO Friends Comic Book and Game Store (42674) and LEGO® City Arctic Explorer Ship (60368) are great options for exploring real-world scenarios, whether they’re comic book fans or aspiring arctic explorers! Or dive into fantasy sets like LEGO NINJAGO® Dragonian Storm Village (71841) and LEGO DREAMZzz™ Izzie and Bunchurro the Gaming Bunny (71490) to power up imaginations and let kids dive into teamwork, friendship, and creative thinking.

STEM Toys

STEM toys mix science, tech, engineering, art, and math into one awesome learning adventure. They’re perfect for curious minds and mini makers ready to build big ideas!

The LEGO® Technic™ Heavy-Duty Bulldozer (42163) gives kids 7+ a hands-on intro to engineering. With real working tracks and a gear-powered blade, it's a great way to learn how machines work while building something seriously cool.

For younger builders, the LEGO DUPLO® Interactive Adventure Train (10427) offers an exciting mix of lights, sound and storytelling. A 57‑piece set for children aged 2+, it features a push‑along train with built‑in lights and sounds, 3 "action bricks" that trigger different effects, and a customization brick that lets kids record and play their own sounds via the free DUPLO Interactive Trains app.

The set also includes four DUPLO figures and bricks to build 3 destination scenes, like a park, beach, or station, and 14 track pieces that form a fun, re-buildable loop.

Literacy and Math Learning Toys

These playful sets turn early literacy and math into hands-on fun, helping toddlers and preschoolers build their brains while they build with bricks.

The LEGO® DUPLO® Alphabet Truck (10421) is perfect for preschoolers ready to roll into letters! Little learners aged 2+ can build and drive a pastel truck, hitching it to a trailer packed with 26 colorful alphabet bricks.

But if it’s numbers your toddler is learning, the LEGO DUPLO Number Train – Learn to Count (10954) is a fun 23-piece set designed for getting to grips with basic numbers and counting. This colorful push-along train includes 10 vibrant number bricks for the numbers 0-9, 2 DUPLO figures, and a playful pup companion.

Looking for more LEGO® sets?

Explore endless play possibilities with sets for every age, interest, and building style. Whether your child loves animals, vehicles, or fantasy worlds, there’s a perfect LEGO® set waiting for them!