Get ready for open-ended play at its best with Grapat loose parts. These small wooden mandala counters from Grapat are great for developing mathematical thinking, especially counting and times tables. Children also love to explore patterns and make circular mandala-style pictures with the shapes. They can also be used in small worlds and imaginative play. …
Close your eyes. Now imagine a ‘classic’ children’s toy, something educational, something iconic. There’s a good chance the toy you imagined was a set of stacking rings. These conical towers of concentric rings are perhaps the quintessential toy. Stacking toys have been a cornerstone in children’s playrooms for generations, fascinating young minds with their simple …
A bag of old-fashioned marbles can give children an early glimpse into the wonders of maths and physics, with their geometric patterns and varying sizes and speeds. Their unpredictable movements over uneven surfaces can inspire new games (try rolling them through the bobbles on a manhole cover), then there’s all the counting, sorting and opportunities …