Once upon a time we sold toys. They were happy days. But our first love was play. Play in all its forms: structured and unstructured, independent and co-operative. Following the success of our courses, Get Set Five and A Year With My Child, we decided it was time for a change of focus. People loved …
The Grimm’s Large Rainbow remains a favourite with children as they grow through the early years and beyond. Toddlers like to stack, sort and build with the colourful arches. As they get older, they begin to use pieces for small-world play, making caves and dens and tunnels for car chases. The pieces slide together neatly …
Show them early on that writing is a joy, and the battle to perfect handwriting and correct grammar is more than half-won. To make writing something they look forward to, you could try creating a dedicated writing corner at home. Make an inviting area – in their room or somewhere else not too busy – …
You will need: mud sand mixing bowl, wooden spoon, jug apron To make mud pies: Mix together four cups of mud, one cup of sand and some water. Once you have achieved a good consistency (not too runny) mould your pies into your desired shape and leave to set. You can add PVA glue to …
Setting goals, winning and losing, taking turns, counting and sharing are just some of the great skills a board game can encourage. And making your own game, as well as playing it, means double the fun. Your board game can be based on anything you like. A favourite character or story is always good – …
Download It’s tempting to think of colouring in as inferior to drawing. It’s not creative (although it can be), and it requires less skill. But for a preschooler, it can be the perfect stepping stone on the way to better pen-control. Colouring in relies on repetition. The same strokes, side-by-side, the pencil slowly edging across the …
Download Happy Colouring from 100 Toys! We hope you enjoy colouring this beautiful forest picture by our wonderful illustrator, Evgeniya.
Download Happy Christmas from 100 Toys! We hope you enjoy colouring this beautiful festive picture by our wonderful illustrator, Evgeniya, featuring our as-yet un-named 100 Toys fox. Suggestions on a post-card (or email!).
This is a great way to bring all kinds of toys together in one activity. Use blocks (and old shoe boxes or bowls or anything you like) to build the zoo, and fill it with all your toy animals and play people. You can make different enclosures for the different animals. But make sure there …
Wrapping presents doesn’t need to involve real presents or real wrapping paper. And with under-fives in charge it almost definitely won’t involve a perfectly wrapped present! But don’t let any of that stop you enjoying this fun and easy activity. There are lots of reasons why children enjoy it, and why it’s so great for …
