Top 7 Child-Safe Educational Toys in 2026

June 22, 2026

The educational toy aisle won't tell you what matters most: is it safe, and will it actually help your child grow? As parents of three, we've done that digging for you. These 7 educational toys earned the highest safety scores in our catalog right now — every one is a toy we'd happily hand our own kids.

Each pick is independently scored out of 100 for material safety, choking risk, recall history, and certifications, then checked against current recall data. No sponsorships, no guesswork — just our honest assessment, best-first.

How we scored these

Our Safety Score weighs what a toy is made of, whether it poses a choking risk for its age, its recall history, and which independent safety certifications it carries (like ASTM F963 and CPSIA). A score in the 90s means a toy we'd trust without a second thought.

Our top educational toys right now

1. Green Toys Stacking Cups

Green Toys My First Stacker nesting and stacking cups in whimsical colors

Safety 95/100 · Development 74/100 · Ages 6 mo–3 yr. From Green Toys, it's one of our top-rated educational toys for this age — high marks for safety and genuine developmental value.

See the full safety breakdown in our Green Toys Stacking Cups review.

2. Lovevery The Play Kits (0-12 months)

Lovevery The Looker Play Kit baby toys flatlay with high-contrast cards, mittens, and play gym pieces

Safety 95/100 · Development 90/100 · Ages 0 mo–1 yr. From Lovevery, it's one of our top-rated educational toys for this age — high marks for safety and genuine developmental value.

See the full safety breakdown in our Lovevery The Play Kits (0-12 months) review.

3. PlanToys My First Camera

PlanToys My First Camera wooden toy camera with kaleidoscope lens

Safety 94/100 · Development 79/100 · Ages 18 mo–4 yr. From PlanToys, it's one of our top-rated educational toys for this age — high marks for safety and genuine developmental value.

See the full safety breakdown in our PlanToys My First Camera review.

4. PlanToys Stacking Ring

PlanToys wooden Stacking Ring set with colorful rings on a foldable center rod

Safety 94/100 · Development 78/100 · Ages 1 yr–3 yr. From PlanToys, it's one of our top-rated educational toys for this age — high marks for safety and genuine developmental value.

See the full safety breakdown in our PlanToys Stacking Ring review.

5. Hape Pound & Tap Bench with Xylophone

Hape Pound and Tap Bench with slide-out xylophone wooden musical toy with mallet and colored balls

Safety 93/100 · Development 87/100 · Ages 1 yr–3 yr. From Hape, it's one of our top-rated educational toys for this age — high marks for safety and genuine developmental value.

See the full safety breakdown in our Hape Pound & Tap Bench with Xylophone review.

6. LEGO DUPLO Number Train - Learn to Count

LEGO DUPLO Number Train 10847 buildable locomotive with number bricks 0 to 9 and DUPLO figures

Safety 93/100 · Development 84/100 · Ages 18 mo–5 yr. From LEGO DUPLO, it's one of our top-rated educational toys for this age — high marks for safety and genuine developmental value.

See the full safety breakdown in our LEGO DUPLO Number Train - Learn to Count review.

7. Hape Shape Sorter Xylophone and Piano

Hape Shape Sorter Xylophone wooden toy with puzzle blocks, baton, and colorful xylophone base

Safety 92/100 · Development 87/100 · Ages 1 yr–3 yr. From Hape, it's one of our top-rated educational toys for this age — high marks for safety and genuine developmental value.

See the full safety breakdown in our Hape Shape Sorter Xylophone and Piano review.

Choosing the right one for your child

Any toy on this list is one we'd feel good about putting in our own kids' hands. Browse every toy we've safety-scored on our reviews page, and if you'd like our safest picks and recall alerts in your inbox, join the SafeNest newsletter below.

Helping parents choose safer, smarter toys with confidence — that's why we built SafeNest.