Recently we have noticed that some of our toys can have unintended benefits. We were contacted earlier this week by a customer who told us something very interesting and incredibly heart-warming about a particular toy which has made us look at several similar toys in a different light. The following learning toys are recommended for their educational and developmental properties as well as – and this is very important to us at WoodenToyShop – the fact that they are, well, fun to play with.
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The Melissa and Doug Bead Maze will be familiar to most from trips to nurseries, libraries and health centres. There is a good reason that this type of toy is so popular: children enjoy the challenge of selecting a bead and trying to thread it through the maze from one point to another. This particular maze has 18 beads of different shapes and colours. The concentration, coordination and patience required to move the beads are all crucial skills for young children to learn. An alternative First Bead Maze is also available from Melissa and Doug. Both of these toys are recommended for children aged around 12 months and over.
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The Melissa and Doug Latches Board is the kind of toy that you look at and wonder what the fuss is all about. This is an illustrated board with six coloured doors, each of which is fastened with a different latch. Children love working out how to open each latch and then revealing what is hidden underneath. Fastening the latch is actually just as much fun as opening it, so this is the kind of toy that just keeps on giving! Parents also appreciate that this toy also encourages children to think about colours and basic numbers. This brilliant toy is recommended for children aged 3 years and over.
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Inquisitive kids will also enjoy mastering the Melissa and Doug Basic Skills Board. This hand crafted toy challenges children to learn how to fasten a press stud, tie a lace, fasten and unfasten a zip, use a button and finally how to buckle and unbuckle. Once again this is one of those very simple toys that teach children skills that we all take for granted but we all have to learn. This toy is recommended for children aged around 3 years and over.
Click on this image for more information and to buy the Doorbell House.
The Melissa and Doug Doorbell House is a relatively new addition to the WoodenToyShop range and is fast gaining a reputation as one of those toys that children simply can’t get enough of. This robust wooden house has four front doors, each of which is locked with a different key and each of which has a doorbell. So the children can ring the bell and then unlock the door themselves, as long as they select the correct key! This is a stimulating and rewarding wooden toy and grownups will be pleased to note that the keys are all attached to a sturdy fabric strap that is attached to the carry handle. We all know there is nothing worse than losing the front door key!
Young children are naturally curious and we hope this selection of toys will help grownups to encourage their curiosity and stimulate their developing brains. We were contacted this week by the manager of a care home for dementia sufferers who told us the Melissa and Doug Latches Board had made one of her residents a “very happy gentleman†each time he opened one of the doors and counted the animals inside. That was without doubt our favourite email of the week!
