US Educational Toys Market 2024–2033

Reports Description

As per the current market research conducted by the CMI Team, the US Educational Toys Market is expected to record a CAGR of 9.2% from 2024 to 2033. In 2024, the market size is projected to reach a valuation of USD 11,122.2 Million. By 2033, the valuation is anticipated to reach USD 24,558.2 Million.

The US educational toys market encompasses an assortment of diversified products aimed at supporting kids learning and development. It can encompass toys that enhance children’s cognition, help enhance psychomotor abilities, encourage creativity, or even develop social-emotional skills.

The biggest sub-segments range across these areas. Technological advancement has transformed the market over time, innovating by adding digital elements with apps and more interactive features. The market is fuelled by increasing demand for fresh, engaging, and educational products from parents with an increased focus on education for early childhood.

US Educational Toys Market – Significant Growth Factors

The US Educational Toys Market presents significant growth opportunities due to several factors:

• Growing Interest in STEM Education: Growing interest in STEM requires growing pieces of learning toys that develop STEM skills and build investments in educational plays on children concerning subjects on STEM.

• Treat grows Parental awareness: The parents now understand and realize that the toys their children play with are not just cognitive products but emotional and social development products; thus, there is growing investment in such products based on consumer demand.

• Advancements in Technology: The integration of technology to the learning toys not only introduced interactional digital elements and apps with several software that had to be consumed by wise parents, trainers, and educators, but also turned the market to blow up with all learning innovations.

• E-learning and Remote Education: Growth- As the Covid-19 pandemic changes boundaries for e-learning and remote education, educational toys capable of augmenting home-based schooling and are well-equipped with digital learning tools are in greater demand.

• Better ECO Friendly and Sustainable Products: Consumers now demand heavy quantities of green and sustainable products. This customer trend presents an opportunity for companies to leverage their position as eco-friendly education toy manufacturers and sellers, thereby tapping into the market for responsible and sustainable products.

• Emerging Markets and Global Expansion: The main opportunities for expansion currently or shortly are in emerging markets or regions where the middle-class consumer population is growing. New consumer segments and further expansion are created with a type of educational toy fulfilling the differentiated needs of cultures and education programs.

US Educational Toys Market – Key Developments

The US Educational Toys Market saw several significant developments over the past years based on an intense desire of companies to strengthen their presence in the market and leverage synergies for better products and profitability. A notable example of the most significant mergers and acquisitions in the US Educational Toys Market are as follows:

• In 2024, On National Sticker Day, Melissa & Doug made public to the market their 2024 release of Sticker WOW!, reusable, mess-free sticker stampers with 24-page activity pads per set and featuring activities that can help children to do fine motor practice, problem-solving, and imagination.

• In 2023, LeapFrog Enterprises, Inc., announced the availability of new additions to its award-winning infant and preschool lines. These categories of food role-play toys include the Build-a-Slice Pizza Cart™, Match & Learn Cookies, Rainbow Tea for Two™ and Rainbow Learning Lights Mixer.

Such increasing key development by the major players has allowed them to grow rapidly. Furthermore, such innovations create growth opportunities across the US educational toys market.

US Educational Toys Market – Significant Threats

Significant Growth Opportunities in US Educational Toys Market includes:

• High Market Competition: The market would be an aggressive competition for many players, brands, and new entrants-and thus, the competitors will wage a price war, which would threaten the low-profit margins of firms that it would be hard to keep market shares.

• Technological Changes: It can be an issue due to rapid technological changes to stay at pace with the speed of innovation and development, and the products would date faster with higher costs to continue innovating and developing.

• Regulatory and Safety Compliance: The regulatory and safety standards of the toys are expensive and burdensome on the operating side. It may escalate into a legal issue if they are not followed; therefore, product recall and erosion of the brand’s reputation.

• Economic Uncertainty: This factor of recession or economic slowdown is a simple filter into the purchasing power of consumers. In such an event, spending on goods such as educational toys perceived as unnecessary diminishes. This, in turn, affects sales and market growth adversely, particularly during unsettled economies.

• Change in Consumer Preferences: Changes in consumer preferences and trends increase demand within the market at a decent pace. Companies have to evolve with new modes of learning and the features of toys. If that is not the case, companies lose their quotient and sales.

Category-Wise Insights

By Product Type:

• Building & Construction Sets: Building & Construction Sets Interlocking components through which children build structures and designs help develop spatial awareness and problem-solving skills. This category enjoys the modularity and flexibility of building systems that promote creativity and STEM learning. Innovations include sets that can interact with digital platforms and themed kits that cater to interests on all angles of education and imaginative play.

• Role Play Toys: Role Play Toys Role play toys allow children to simulate how actual life is, thus aiding them in learning social-emotional and cognitive skills. Interactive and realistic role play kits include miniature kitchen machines, medical kits, and toolsets. More and more role play is needed to portray diversity in professions and cultures, taking on perspectives to promote social learning through immersion.

• Art & Craft Kits: Materials and instructions for various art projects enhance a child’s imagination and fine motor skills. More requests are coming in for kits that offer eco-friendly materials are based on STEAM principles: Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics. Many children request themed and personalized kits to learn different artistic techniques and make unique pieces.

• STEM Toys: STEM toys are created to introduce essential concepts of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics through practical experiments and engaging learning experiences. High-end products include robotics kits, coding toys, and science experiments in the emerging division. Problem-solving skills and critical thinking are encouraged, and digital components and practical uses are now more widely integrated to get kids to participate in STEM learning.

• Games & Puzzles: Games & Puzzles Examples of games and puzzles are board games, card games, and jigsaw puzzles that are proven to advance cognitive development, strategic thinking, and problem-solving skills. The market is gaining interest in educational games combining learning with fun, especially the digital versions, and cooperative games that prompt group involvement. Puzzles also evolve with themes on literacy and numeracy and other developmental areas.

• Musical Toys/Instruments: A musical instrument is designed to introduce children to music, rhythm, and sounds and develop their auditory skills and coordination. There is a trend towards interactive musical instruments incorporating digital apps, such as customizable sounds. Beginner-friendly instruments and electronic music makers make learning music fun and encourage creativity.

• Others: Others consist of various educational toys that are not part of the categories mentioned above. It includes some niche products for new areas of learning. This range of educational products involves innovation and niche products in augmented reality that include AR learning tools and multi-sensory experiences. The focus shifts towards customized and adaptive learning products that are precisely aligned with the needs and interests of education.

By Age Group

• Toddlers: Children aged 1-3 years are at a crucial age in physical and intellectual development. Educational toys for this age group are based on developing motor skills, sensory perceptions, and basic problem-solving. Toddlers’ market trends are interactive and full of sensory play, which enhances early learning, with the bestsellers being stacking blocks, soft books, and musical toys.

• Preschoolers: Preschoolers (3-5 years) are learning basic cognitive, social, and emotional skills. Educational toys for preschools in teaching will promote learning through creative play and imagination. Interest in a specific toy will encourage creativity, early literacy, and other social interactions with others. The most popular products come in the form of interactive books, building blocks, and simple puzzles. Lately, there has been an added trend to include digital elements and applications in the product to enhance the hands-on nature of the product even further.

• Kindergarten: Cognitive abilities are continually perfected. Educational toys support complex learning and problem-solving for kindergarten children. Kindergarten children should be marketed using educational toys about STEM learning, basic coding, or increasingly complex puzzles. There is an increased demand for products like early math and language games and technology-integrated toys to engage the learners interactively.

By Material

• Plastic: Plastic educational toys are manufactured from various types of plastic materials. They provide durability and flexibility in terms of design. They include, among others, building blocks, puzzles, and action figures. Plastic toys are even now very popular because of their affordability and the wide variety of designs. Trends include the use of recycled plastics and non-toxic materials. This is on account of concern over safety standards and the environment. Innovations in the technique of molding plastic also enable more sophisticated and engaging designs.

• Wood: Wooden educational toys are made from natural wood, which has durability and classic looks. Such includes blocks for building, puzzle toys, and manipulatives. Wood toys are gaining preference due to sustainability and robustness. Trends that are witnessed here include the use of sustainable wood and chemical-free finishes. The demand is seen more for handcrafted, artisanal designs and educational toys blending traditional play with modern learning outcomes.

• Fabric: Soft, flexible material is used in fabric learning playthings. It can be dressed with fabric components such as felt or plush. The category encompasses soft toys, educational cloth books, and play items for sensory stimulation. The category remains popular, as all such items are safe and comfortable for infants and toddlers. Current trends in the product include the use of organic hypoallergenic materials and interactive components in the way of textures and sounds to encourage sensate and interactional development.

• Electronic: Education toys with digital elements, such as screen and sensor monitors, interactive aspects of education toys, learning tables and learning games, and coding robots. These are now growing in use because they present an engaging and personalized learning experience for children. Adding artificial intelligence and augmented reality to educational content is trending in the education toy market to make the content enjoyable for kids. It’s also trending to get user-friendly technology suitable for the age and developmental stage.

• Others: Other materials can include metals and glass or biodegradable. Examples are metal science kits or any educational tools based on glass materials. Innovation and sustainability form the basis of the “Others” segment. However, trends like environment-friendliness, for instance, through biodegradable material or complex multi-material designs offer distinctive experiences through education surface. Also unfolding is an interest in niche markets and the culture of custom-made products for education.

By Distribution Channel

• Online: Online sales channel incorporates selling educational toys through e-commerce, brand websites, and online marketplaces. The advantages of this channel are convenience and broader reach to the consumer for direct sales. E-commerce adoption has been on the roll, hence the rapid growth of the online segment. The preference of features for users regarding virtual try-on and interactive content also comprised a preference for more tailored suggestions and growth in the subscription-based models for educational toys.

• Offline: Offline channels comprised toys, specialty departmental stores, and education stores. The advantages of offline distribution are that it enables the consumer to contact and see the product before purchasing. This shifted the perspective of the offline market, which is now positioned with experiential retail, where demonstration studies and education workshops are located at the back of the store. There has also been acceptance of in-store technology and click-and-collect services for improving shopping and filling the gap left by the creation between on-line and offline.

Report Scope

Competitive Landscape – US Educational Toys Market

The US Educational Toys Market is highly competitive, with a large number of manufacturers and retailers operating in the US. Some of the key players in the market include:

• LEGO Group
• Mattel Inc.
• Hasbro Inc.
• VTech Holdings Limited
• Melissa & Doug LLC
• Educational Insights Inc.
• Fisher-Price Inc.
• Kiddieland Toys Limited
• Ravensburger AG
• The Learning Resources Inc.
• Hape International
• LeapFrog Enterprises Inc.
• PlanToys Co. Ltd.
• Brio AB
• Galt Toys Ltd.
• Others

These companies operate in the market through various strategies such as innovation, mergers and acquisitions, and partnerships.

The new entrants in the US Educational Toys Market come in the form of Osmo and Sphero, offering products featuring innovative augmented reality and robotics, thus making learning tools more interesting. Osmo provides edutainment games that also offer a combination of physical and digital play, while Sphero concentrates on coding and STEM toy products.

The leaders are LEGO and VTech, which continually innovate their produce with the latest available technology and many other ranges of products. Two such companies are LEGO, which excels through the sets with STEM and creativity, and VTech, which integrates its digital nature with educational toys, hence making the products appeal to a broad audience across consumers.

The US Educational Toys Market is segmented as follows:

By Product Type

• Building & Construction Sets
• Role Play Toys
• Art & Craft Kit
• STEM Toys
• Games & Puzzles
• Musical Toys/Instruments
• Others

By Age Group

• Toddlers
• Preschoolers
• Kindergarten

By Material

• Plastic
• Wood
• Fabric
• Electronic
• Others

By Distribution Channel

• Online Retail
  • E-commerce Websites
  • Brand Websites
• Offline Retail
  • Specialty Stores
  • Supermarkets and Hypermarkets
  • Department Stores
  • Others