The 100 Toys Guides

Choose from any or all five of our free guides to play and development for the under 5s.

All five guides

Want everything at once? Get all our guides in one go by clicking the link below.

Fewer, better toys

The antidote to boredom is not more toys – it’s fewer. Organise your playspace, rotate the toys you put out and offer materials that demand focus and extend thinking. You already have everything you need at home. The trick is knowing how to present it.

Independent play

Is your child by your side all day? Do you long for just five minutes’ peace? Independent play is the answer. Help your child to become a confident self-starter who makes her own fun.

Babies

What are the essential experiences that all babies should enjoy? How does physical strength and co-ordination help learning? Read our guide to find out.

Toddlers

The toddler years are a time when children learn to separate from their parents and head off in search of new experiences. It’s a time of fun and discovery but it’s not complicated. All you need are simple materials, carefully presented.

Preschoolers

100 Toys guide to preschoolers

Preschoolers are getting ready to go out into the world. The goal is to arrive at school, in Stig Brostrom’s words, ‘feeling suitable’, feeling like they belong, like they are ready.

They need a toolset of simple skills. The good news is that it can all be done through play.