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Ocean themed educational toys and games for kids
Buying educational toys for your kids is the best way to start early education. If you love the sea as much as we do and are wondering how to teach the little ones to protect our waters, here we show you some good marine life books and ocean-themed games for kids!
Written by Anett Szaszi
Anett is a certified scuba diver, freediver, and an expert in snorkeling with more than 10 years of experience. She fell in love with the ocean while snorkeling in the Red Sea on a vacation to Egypt back in 2008. Since then, she has been traveling to discover the world’s best snorkeling spots and sharing her experience and tips to inspire others. Find her photos on @anett.szaszi Instagram too!
Why are educational toys important?
It is said less is more and we absolutely agree with this if it comes to toys. Go back to roots: buy less, but valuable toys for the kids and spend more time together. Playing games together brings fun to the whole family. But educational toys not only provide children with some happy moments but also have positive impacts on early development.
We encourage you to purchase educational toys as a birthday or Christmas gift for kids over fancy, sometimes useless presents!
Benefits of educational toys
- motor skills development
- help children to explore and understand the world
- teach life lessons
- support creativity and imagination
- while playing together kids learn how to share and solve conflicts
- increase IQ, social and emotional skills
Best educational ocean toys
We build the future together and our planet faces serious problems. Climate changes, coral bleaching, and ocean plastic pollution are actual and urgent problems. Therefore, it is crucial to start your children educating about the importance of our oceans as early as possible.
When at the beach, get them a snorkeling raft or kids snorkel gear if they are big enough to use it and show them how beautiful creatures live in the sea. If they are too little to go snorkeling yet, read ocean-themed books or play ocean games together and start teaching them about the importance of protecting the environment while simply having fun.
No matter whether you look for a gift for babies, toddlers or bigger children, you can choose from a wide variety of ocean toys, board games and marine life books! Let us give you some ideas on what the best ocean educational toys are!
Marine life books for kids
Coral Reef Coloring book
Kids and also adults who love art and the sea will find this coloring book enjoyable. Creating your own colorful world of ocean creatures will provide the family with a lot of fun!
- dive into a world full of colors through this awesome coral reef coloring book
- explore the undersea life through 44 drawings
- recommended for kids 8-14 years
This Coral Reef Coloring Book helps the little ones to learn some cool facts about the fish, coral, and other creatures from the descriptions under the pictures. Recommended for kids from 8 years.
Smart Kids Coral Reef Guide
Do your kids have a curiosity about sea life? Get a coral reef guide and learn together about sea creatures! The brightly colored photos will catch kids’ attention while you can teach them some marine biology about fish and sea creatures.
- this Smart Kids Coral Reef guide is perfect to teach kids about the ocean
- easily understandable yet interesting facts about sea creatures
- stunning underwater photos
Moreover, this Smart Kids Coral Reef Guide is printed on paper from sustainable forests! A perfect ocean-themed educational gift for children between 4-7 years.
Jump into science – Explore coral reefs with Sylvia Earle
What could be a better start of exploring the beauty of the sea than learning from Sylvia Earle? The famous American marine biologist, National Geographic explorer, author, and lecturer is inviting kids on an undersea journey and introduces the importance of protecting corals.
- a perfect marine life book for kids to explore the ocean
- Dr Sylvia Earle explains how underwater ecosystems work
- the colorful illustrations will catch children's attentions
The Jump into Science is certainly the best marine life book for kids who love the ocean! Age range: 4-8 years
Ocean Board Games
Ocean-Opoly Board Game
Did you like Monopoly? Then Ocean-Opoly will become a family favorite! This great educational ocean board game has all the fun of a traditional property trading game but with underwater twists. Collect the most sand dollars and win the game!
- an educational board game for sea lovers
- fun and interesting like Monopoly with an underwater scene
- recommended from 8 years and up
The Ocean-Opoly is a highly recommended present for children but the whole family will have fun for sure. Age range: 8 years and up.
Ocean Bingo Board Game
The Ocean Bingo is an interesting fun and educational ocean board game designed for the whole family. Younger children will love the colorful pictures, older ones the challenge of racing to get bingo!
- a fun educational board game designed for the whole family
- 42 card with detailed information about sea creatures
- discover the underwater world through colorful pictures and get Bingo
Ocean Bingo is not only a fun board game, but from the descriptions on the back of each card, everyone can learn interesting facts about marine animals too! Recommended from 3 years to 15 years.
ECO Coral Reef Game Board Game
Let your child be a little marine biologist! This exciting and fun ocean board game draws attention to the conservation of marine life. By collecting coral reef images, the goal is to move the turtles – player markers made of quality wood – forward the ocean.
- strategic tile laying board game for 2-4 players
- by collecting pictures of the marine life, players create an ecological underwater garden
- with thick good quality tiles and cute wooden turtle tile markers
Kids will be introduced to marine science in an entertaining way, and learn about anemones, coral and fish. The player whose turtle reaches the finish line – the water – first wins the game!
Ocean puzzle
Petit Collage Ocean Friends Puzzle
It is a proven fact that puzzles present many benefits for children as they develop and are considered one of the best educational toys! Such a wonderful way of having fun while developing physical, cognitive, and emotional skills as well as developing fine and gross motor skills and hand-eye coordination.
- an easy yet fun puzzle for the little ones in the shape of marine animals
- develops kids motor skills and creativity
- puzzle made from non-toxic materials
This easy beginner 24-piece floor puzzle is perfect for ages 3+. The figures are printed with non-toxic, vegetable-based ink on recycled paper. A challenging yet fun sea-themed game for the little ones!
Mudpuppy Ocean Search Puzzle
This 64 pieces puzzle is a fun 2-in-1 educational game for children between 4 and 7 years. Learning by playing: after completing the marine life puzzle, the kids can find and name the sea creatures in the picture!
- 2-in-1 64 pieces ocean animals puzzle
- complete the puzzle and find all the creatures
- kids safe materials: soy-based non-toxic ink printed on recycled paper
Ravensburger Ocean Turtles Puzzle
Bigger children can move on to this more advanced ocean puzzle. This 200 pieces jigsaw turtle puzzle is precision made, high quality and durable.
- advanced 200 pieces ocean life puzzle
- develops creativity and concentration
- top quality material, precision made product
The whole family will have fun while playing with this puzzle, moreover, skills such as concentration and creativity will develop too!
Tip: find here more of the best underwater puzzles for kids and adults!
Ocean toys for kids
Dew Drops Ocean Explorers Sensory Kit
A fantastic ocean-themed educational toy at a great price! Recommended for kids from 6 years who need help with developing sensory processing.
- 4 oz of beads in the colors of the sea and 15 different ocean toys
- teaches the kids about marine animals as well as reduces stress
- non-toxic, safe material
The colors in this kit are specifically selected to provide a deep-sea adventure. Hunting ocean creatures in the beads add extra fun as well as helps to reduce stress.
Baby Einstein Sea Dream
Does the sound of the sea make you calm? It makes babies too! This Baby Neptune plays soothing sounds and provides motion to help the baby fall asleep or stay calm during nap time.
- ocean sounds calm and help babies to fall asleep
- 25 minutes of gentle sounds and light effects
- adjustable light and volume, suitable for newborns too
The Baby Einstein Sea Dream is a perfect gift for newborn babies! Easy installation, fits on most crib rails.
Edushape Ocean Drum
Introduce the world of music to little ones with gentle ocean sounds! Edushape Ocean Drum was designed to fit babies’ small hands and is suitable for their sensitive hearing. Babies will explore the concept of cause and effect while using their hands to move the beads.
- introduce the world of songs through gentle ocean sound
- designed for little kids sensitive hearing
- moving the beads develops fine and motor skills
The Ocean Drum develops fine motor skills too, nice and useful aquarium-themed birthday gift idea for kids!
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