Toy Insider Associate Editor Jackie Cucco joined CT Live on NBC in Hartford to show off the best new toys to get younger kids ready for preschool. For more on the items featured in this segment, check out the product notes below. To learn more about the season’s best new toys, be sure to check out Toy Insider’s Spring and Summer Toy Guide.  

ORBOOT DINOS

As kids scan different icons on the globe, 3D dinosaurs will pop up on the screen and kids ca tap on any of the dinosaurs to learn more about them. The Orboot Dinos app teaches kids how to pronounce the dinosaur's name, how tall it is, where it lived, and more with more than 500 facts about 50…

Product Facts

  • MSRP:
  • $54.99
  • Age:
  • 4+

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“POKEMON PRIMERS” BOOK SERIES

“Pokémon Primers” helps young kids journey into the world of Pokémon while learning about subjects like the alphabet, numbers, shapes, and colors. Featuring adorable illustrations of popular Pokémon, as well as captivating storylines, “Pokémon Primers” come in a high-quality board book style with over 100 flaps for kids to interact with while developing a foundation…

Product Facts

  • MSRP:
  • $12.99; $17.99 CAD
  • Age:
  • 3+

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100 ANIMALS BOOK

The book's interactive pages feature illustrations and photographs of animals from 12 habitats and environments. Three modes teach kids animal names, animal sounds, and fun facts. The book has a bilingual setting to hear the information in English or Spanish.

Product Facts

  • MSRP:
  • $17.99
  • Age:
  • 18 MOS+

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LEARNING FRIENDS 100 WORDS BOOK

Kids can touch each picture to hear the animal friends say toddler-appropriate words, along with facts and sound effects. In Fun Sounds Mode, kids can touch the light-up star button to hear two learning songs.

Product Facts

  • MSRP:
  • $19.99
  • Age:
  • 18 MOS+

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PLAYFOAM SHAPE AND LEARN COUNTING CARDS

Preschoolers can build their number sense with this all-new Playfoam set featuring eight colored Playfoam bricks and 13 double-sided number cards. Cards feature numbers 1-10 and an object with the corresponding number of spaces. Set also includes three bonus cards Place squishy, squashy Playfoam pieces in the spaces indicated on each number card and begin…

Product Facts

  • MSRP:
  • $14.99
  • Age:
  • 3+

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MATHLINK CUBES NUMBERBLOCKS 1-10 ACTIVITY SET

Friendly TV series characters bring math learning to life! Numberblocks are the friendly characters from the award-winning CBeebies/BBC Numberblocks series. Kids can use the special edition MathLink Cubes Numberblocks to build their own characters.See how numbers really work by building Numberblocks from one to 10. Includes 30 activities that closely follow the episodes from series…

Product Facts

  • MSRP:
  • $24.99
  • Age:
  • 3+

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OSMO PRESCHOOL STARTER KIT

Inspire preschoolers to love learning! This comprehensive kit gives kids ages 3–5 the tools for future exploration. Kids are introduced to core subjects through open-ended play. The kit features Osmo's Little Genius Starter Kit and select early-learning games. Preschoolers interact with on-screen characters and physical game pieces. Learn letter recognition, vocabulary, construction, phonics, counting and…

Product Facts

  • MSRP:
  • $202.00
  • Age:
  • 3+

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The Toy Insider participates in affiliate programs that may generate revenue for the site when a purchase is made through the links below.

About the author

Bill Reese

Bill Reese

Bill Reese is Business Operations Manager at Adventure Media & Events, where he's worked since 2014. A former editor at Playbill and graduate of SUNY–Purchase, he spends most weekends rooting for the New York Red Bulls pro soccer team and making subway systems out of Brio trains with his little boy Jonah.

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