Tag Archives: toy

The Best Toys To Get Your Child Away From a Screen

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fishing game, wooden, toyCatch A Bug Wooden Fishing Game, £25 from Kikkerland – Magnetic fishing game with 2 rods and 11 pieces

This is one of my children’s favourite games. It had them entertained for hours. Can’t recommend it enough. 

Stack & Mix Wooden Building Blocks, £25 from Kikkerland – Stack, mix and build your own cool funny characters. The combinations are endless.

Children love to build blocks and these are bright, fun and excellent quality. 

Geomag Glow Eco Recycled 25 Piece Magnetic Building Set. You can’t beat Geomag for fun, extra excitement because it glows in the dark.

The Geomag Classic 100% Recycled line dedicated to everyone who wants to play with an explosion of colors delights even the most demanding of creative spirits. With Glow you can watch as your Geomag models light up in the dark thanks to the GLOW effect. What’s more, the practical storage boxes to keep the rods and spheres in neatly, as well as always with you, are also made of recycled plastic. The Glow 25-piece set includes 12 spheres, 12 magnetic rods and 1 plastic base.

A Water Pistol is a classic. My oldest child said playing with water pistols is ‘more fun than Nintendo.’ High praise indeed. 


A Bubble Gun. You can’t go wrong with one. It gives hours of fun to children. 

TOMY reveals the top toys every child wants to see under the Christmas tree this year

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With Christmas fast approaching and children’s letters to Father Christmas filling up quickly, leading global toy manufacturer, TOMY, is here to make this a Christmas to remember for the whole family.

Here are our top picks. I absolutely love the cute and fun Soothing Heart Panda for babies, the Dino Eggs is perfect for toddlers. It’s fun and a great way for them to learn and the MegaSketcher is a fantastic present that encourages creativity and is educational. We can’t recommend them enough.
Soothing Heart Panda

A calming plush panda after your own heart! Press the tummy to cycle through four bedtime melodies, each accompanied by a red light and a vibration synced to the rhythm of a resting heartbeat. Press it a fifth time and you’ll hear the heartbeat too! With a friendly, embroidered face and unique patterns and textures for baby to explore during play, it’s impossible not to fall in love.

RRP: £24.99

Suitable for ages 9months+

Stockists include: Amazon, Argos, Smyths, John Lewis and TRU Online 


Megasketcher

     

Take screen time offline with the Original Megasketcher magnetic drawing board. 

Megasketcher has a unique superior screen that allows budding artists to draw clear, crisp pictures everytime and now it comes with a fresh new look!

Megasketcher has been the best in the field of magnetic drawing boards for almost 30years and it’s premium quality offers the best drawing experience around and never compromsing on quality! 

Children love to draw and the Tomy Megasketcher needs no pencils to sharpen and there’s no mess, no paper, no waste and no WIFI

4 shape stampers are included to aid their designs and inspire their creativity.

Then the pictures magically disappear with one sweep of the eraser and they can start all over again!

A great product for encouraging creative minds and perfect for travel.

RRP: £18.99

Suitable for ages 3years+

Stockists include: Smyths, Argos, Amazon, Very, Littlewoods, John Lewis and Independent Toy Retailers

 

Film and TV Lovers

Spin & Hatch Dino Eggs

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Toomies brings that wonder to a new generation with Jurassic World Spin & Hatch Dino Eggs! These dinosaur toys are ready for adventure and designed to encourage developmental play for babies and toddlers. Spin & Hatch Dino Eggs is a spinning incubator that includes 5 cute colourful classic dinosaurs: T.rex, raptor, stegosaurus, triceratops & Pteranodon. Give each of these little dinos a shake and hear their sweet growling sounds. Matching each dinosaur with the correct colour shell encourages logic and problem-solving skills. It’s time to fill the spinning incubator with all five colourful eggs and help them hatch! Just push the lever down to watch them spin. Push faster and faster until POP! They’ve hatched! Match them up with their shells and do it again! Or load them back into the incubator and close the lid for easy storage. A fun way to work on fine motor skills while learning about action and reaction. However you choose to play, Toomies welcomes little explorers to a Jurassic World full of fun! 

RRP: £15.99

Suitable for ages 12months+

Stockists include: Amazon, Argos, Boots, The Entertainer, The Range, Tesco, John Lewis, Littlewoods, Next.co.uk, Selfridges, Very and Independent Retailers

Frost Loves KidiZoom PrintCam For Christmas & Beyond

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I love it when my kids get creative, and I love pictures of them, so this VTech KidiZoom PrintCam is more of a present for me, albeit one that they will love. This super-smart camera lets your kids instantly print pictures of themselves, no ink required. It has over 150 photo effects and activities. What’s more it can print up to 80 black & white photos per roll. It has three games and it also records video.

What’s more it has a comic strip maker, and you can even print off your own cards and pretend money. It’s a fantastic present and I cannot recommend it enough.

Move over David Bailey, step aside Mr Rankin – it’s time to meet the next generation of photography pros with the VTech KidiZoom PrintCam.

   kidizoom , print cam, christmas, kids, camera, creative,

Just in time for Christmas, VTech has got a fresh new addition to its KidiZoom line with the VTech KidiZoom PrintCam – a children’s camera for 5+ years that lets budding photographers print their images immediately, on the go, within minutes. No more waiting to get to a printer!

 

Unleash little ones’ creativity with included special photo effects, stamps and borders, as well as 3 games, panoramic prints, and a comic strip maker! It’s just as easy to create whacky selfies with the flip up lens that allows full use of the camera without changing hand positions! You can also turn your photos into line drawings to colour or use the print shop to print games, design and print your own cards, or even pretend money and accessories.

 

That’s not all though, when combined with a micro-SD Card (not supplied), it functions as a normal digital camera, enabling children to keep their images forever, whether that’s to print them out again in full colour, or for you to save and treasure them for years to come.

 

This is the ultimate device for imaginative and curious children and will unlock a world of creative and artistic opportunity – while you hopefully get some well-earned downtime!

 

RRP: £69.99 | Available from: Smyths Toys Superstores / Argos / Very and Amazon. 

 

Frost Loves Geomag Mechanics Loops and Turns 130 Piece Construction Set

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Geomag Mechanics Loops and Turns 130 Piece Construction Set £34.99 from The Entertainer. Mechanics Gravity Magnetic Track harnesses the invisible forces of magnetism and gravity through original and surprising means. The spheres inside the circuit are set in motion by an innovative magnetic cannon that uses the force of attraction of the accelerating magnet. Gravity is the innovative evolution of the Geomag Mechanics line. Developed with expert players in mind, the new construction system is based on an innovative "gravity motor": this uses the weight of the Geomag spheres to kickstart the mechanisms and movements of the Geomag Mechanics structures. The motion is provided by the invisible forces of Gravity and Magnetism, without using electricity or batteries. The play experience is based on these fundamental principles of physics. Mechanics Gravity is a STEM product that can truly stimulate curiosity and inspire to learn more about science.Geomag Mechanics Loops and Turns 130 Piece Construction Set £34.99 from The Entertainer. Mechanics Gravity Magnetic Track harnesses the invisible forces of magnetism and gravity through original and surprising means. The spheres inside the circuit are set in motion by an innovative magnetic cannon that uses the force of attraction of the accelerating magnet. Gravity is the innovative evolution of the Geomag Mechanics line. Developed with expert players in mind, the new construction system is based on an innovative “gravity motor”: this uses the weight of the Geomag spheres to kickstart the mechanisms and movements of the Geomag Mechanics structures. The motion is provided by the invisible forces of Gravity and Magnetism, without using electricity or batteries. The play experience is based on these fundamental principles of physics. Mechanics Gravity is a STEM product that can truly stimulate curiosity and inspire to learn more about science.

New Geomag Supercolor | Toy Reviews

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I am as much of a fan of Geomag as my children are. I am super excited that they have brought out two new products. The brand new Geomag Supercolor, which is made from 100% recycled plastic, is fantastic for learning in so many ways. It has limitless construction and a handy booklet to give you ideas for play. It offers hours of fun.

geomag shapes

Play with magnets and let creativity and imagination take over with the fun Geomag toy that works like pure magic. Thanks to the simple Geomag elements and the magic of magnetism, you can build endless 3D constructions with creativity and imagination. The elongated magnetic rods, steel balls and the various panel shapes make up the building system, which stimulates play and learning.

The Geomag 337 Supercolor Panels 35 Piece set costs £26 from Coolshop.co.uk

magicubes, magnetic toys, animals. , geomag magicubes, magnetic toys, animals, geomag

 

Next up is the gloriously fun Magicube. They are shapes you can make numerous animals out of. My daughter absolutely loves these. They are great for imaginative play and developing motor skills. They are also made from 100% recycled plastic. Highly recommended for your little one. Fab and fun.

 

Pre-school educational games to boost months of lost learning.

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This year has been a tough year for our children’s education. Thankfully help is at hand, here is toysandbears.com’s pick of the best pre-school educational games.

writing school, learning, educational, toys writing school, learning, educational, toys

My First Words Game £12.99 Self-correcting puzzles allow children to learn as they play. Encourages reading and learning letters, logical thinking, fine motor skills and independence

Numbers and Sums £12.99 Learn to count with the animals of the Savannah. Helps with numbers, early maths, logic, shapes, colours, fine motor skills and independent play

Writing School £19.99 Help pre-schoolers learn to read, write and draw with this progressive learning program of 16 worksheets to develop hand-eye coordination and improve manual dexterity

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Montessori My First Desk £29.99 Fun, colourful desk packed full of Montessori method activities. Stimulates sensory development, reading, writing and independence

Funny Labyrinths £14.99 Practise pre-writing skills. Improve fine motor skills, develop hand-eye coordination, and help children to prepare for writing.

Educational Games Collection – Pirates £17.99 3D pirate ship game. Four brightly coloured educational games in one. Improve fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination, curiosity and observation skills

Also available in “Farm” with a 3D farmhouse scene

Carotina Baby Memory Game – Animals £5.99 Self-correcting memory game made from thick cardboard tiles.

Carotina Baby 9 Progressive Puzzle Puppies £8.99, 9 self-correcting animal puzzles.

Carotina Baby Plus My First Feelings, £7.99 Puzzle to match feelings to the scenes, teach children to acknowledge feelings

 

 

Geomag Magicube Free Building Set of 24 Magnetic Blocks

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Geomag Magicube free building set of 24 Magnetic blocks

Out of all of the toys I have reviewed these Magicubes from Geomag are the ones I recommend the most. They are magnetic building blocks and so clever and versatile. They teach children colours, counting and how to use their imagination. Building the blocks is great for their coordination.

You can use these blocks to teach your children so many different things. They are a great tool for teaching.

Geomag Magicube free building set of 24 Magnetic blocks has the basics of stem and the magnets help build shapes easily. There are available here. I cannot recommend them enough, and neither can my children.

 

Leapfrog Shapes & Sharing Picnic Basket

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It is summer time and the living is easy. It is perfect picnic weather so this Shapes and Sharing Picnic basket from Leapfrog is the perfect toy. It is bright and colourful and it is great for learning.
Your child can learn about food, shapes and colours. Shape sorters are great toys for children, helping their coordination and learning all about different shapes. The picnic basket also sings and talks. I find toys with food are great for helping to encourage children to eat.
I highly recommend the Leapfrog Shapes & Sharing Picnic Basket because it is such a multitasker.

Leapfrog Shapes & Sharing Picnic Basket, toys, toy

Leapfrog Shapes & Sharing Picnic Basket, leapfrog, toy, toys, picnic basket,

Pretend to snack on yummy treats while exploring food, shapes and colours with the talking Shapes & Sharing Picnic Basket. The basket always says its pleases and thank yous too! Then put the pieces back in the basket with the shape sorter for fun on the go.

Leapfrog Shapes & Sharing Picnic Basket is available here.