|
 |
| mumsnet: toys |
| Lego Creator Large Bucket £10.00 |
|
What mumsnet members said about it:
"What can I say? It's a world-beater. Planning, engineering, concentration, imagination - Lego can do anything". "An old favourite that never goes out of fashion - and it's easy to add to. The only limit to this is the imagination and your supply of bricks." "If we threw out all their other toys, they'd hardly notice. My boys play with Lego every single day, in so many different ways. They have loads of the stuff, but every birthday or Christmas all they want is more Lego".
buy it
manufacturer: Lego
|
| Barbie From £3.99 |
|
What mumsnet members said about it:
"Although I'm forever baffled as to how any one 'person' can need so much stuff, Barbie's great for creative play - and my lot are (almost) as happy creating their own barbie dens/ outfits as having new ones bought." "The availability of separate outfits/ accessories to buy, means you don't have to splash out too much money to make a Barbie fan happy - and you're never short of inspiration for presents." "You can't fight it - most little girls (and a few boys) just love Barbie."
buy it
manufacturer: Mattel
|
| Action Man £7.94 |
|
What mumsnet members said about it:
"My son started collecting Action Man toys at about five, lost interest for a year or so, and has now gone back to it big time at age eight and a half, so these toys, though expensive, do at least seem to have a long shelf life!? ?There?s now a good selection of accessory packs so there?s a less costly way to give Action Man presents." ?As the brand has been around for so long, it would seem a better gift choice than some of the more transient trends."
buy it
manufacturer: Hasbro
|
| Folding Scooter £9.99 |
|
What mumsnet members said about it:
"Yes I know my son's a fashion victim, and I'm sure these are this generation's skateboard - but he loves his scooter with a passion and all his friends are jealous." "It's healthier than Gameboy" plus "this one is easy to store, easy to handle and cool to be seen on." "Ours have proved to be a favourite for a while now, so I don't think they're just a fad." "My son uses his scooter to ride to School, which comes in handy when we're running a bit late."
buy it
|
| Pictory Book Kits £9.00 |
|
What mumsnet members said about it:
"My four year old did her first a few months back and we think they are absolutely brilliant. You do get quite a few pages so it doesn't matter if the odd one goes a bit wonky.? ?We did a page of the story a day with them drawing a picture and me writing the words that they suggested." "You get back a laminated book which you can keep forever - it's a fabulous record of what they are doing/ interested in - and I plan to do one every six months or so."
buy it
|
| Girls dressing-up box £19.94 |
|
What mumsnet members said about it:
"Steer clear of those precious little 'home made' numbers that cost the earth in little shops, they often fall apart after a fortnight." "A starter box with some obvious outfits. Then you can fill it up with your embarrassing cast offs each time you clean out your wardrobe." "Very useful for parties too." "A bargain box. My daughter spends hours dressing up. It makes all the other toys appear pointless."
buy it
manufacturer: Dekkertoys
|
| Playmobil From £6.99 |
|
What mumsnet members said about it:
"Playmobil - is the big winner in our house, in fact all my children (all girls aged two, six and eight) play with it." "We carry it around in backpacks when we're travelling or out to lunch, and they play endlessly with their Playmobil house, a big investment last Christmas but worth every penny.""You don't get to build things with it but it's still fun". "Great for the imagination and very robust."
buy it
manufacturer: Playmobil
|
| Football League Table £19.99 |
|
What mumsnet members said about it:
"A good starter table that's durable and not too expensive." "Easy to put together which is not the case with some." "They can get a lot of fun from it even before they're able to actually connect man to ball but I'd say it's not worth splashing out on an expensive one until they're older as ours has taken a real bashing." "My boys loved it from about four and a half upwards and of course, adults seem to gravitate towards this too."
buy it
manufacturer: Smoby
|
| LeapPad £24.95 |
|
What mumsnet members said about it:
"With only a small selection of the leap pad books it has proved so much fun for both children aged six and four. They love all the activities and it is great for helping my four year old to start to read". "There's an extensive library of books available now and lots of different exercises and games to do with each book. My son's favourite is ?Scooby Doo' and my daughter loves the ?Incredibles'. This year I've bought my son the maths book to follow his interests. It's also a great toy for long car journeys."
buy it
manufacturer: LeapPad
|
| Top Trumps £5.49 |
|
What mumsnet members said about it:
There are so many varieties of Top Trumps now, they're great for teaching kids to read large numbers.? "My son spends hours setting his cards out in order of age, number of goals scored, number of caps etc. (he has football top trumps). For the price, they've been a really good buy." "I was so pleased when my kids got into Top Trumps because they were a real favourite with me as a child. It's enabled me to revisit my youth and get excited about the CC and speed of sports cars once again!"
buy it
|
| Sylvanian Families From £3.99 |
|
What mumsnet members said about it:
"There's endless fun to be had once you start collecting the Sylvanian Family range - my daughter gets hours of pleasure just from looking at the catalogue. There are lots of animal families, houses and all the furniture. It's solidly made with incredible detail and exactly the sort of thing I would have loved when I was about five years old." "The canal boat has been a particular success in our house. It can be loaded up and pushed across the floor from one place to another,as well as used as a house etc. You can use all sorts of toys with it and it has proved stronger than other similar toys we have acquired over the years".
buy it
manufacturer: Flair
|
| beyblades From £5.99 |
|
What mumsnet members said about it:
"Great game that keeps four year olds and upwards amused, so good if you have children of very different ages". "Very transportable. You can pull them apart and customise them so even if one bit of the beyblade gets broken or lost, you can still use the other pieces", "my son is obsessed with the whole beyblade phenomena... there's even the lingo to enjoy! They are good fun and we often found ourselves in family beyblade challengers". "If you're a child's new to them, definitely choose the ones that are already made up - they're a nightmare to assemble - that said, I quite enjoy the challenge of putting together a dragoon, now I've done it a few times".
buy it
manufacturer: Hasbro
|
| Challenger Laptop 28.97 |
|
What mumsnet members said about it:
?It looks like a 'real' laptop and there are a wide variety of games, suitable for four to five year olds. It has a decent sized screen, and a QUERTY keyboard, which allows the child to get used to a real pc?. ?From the parents' point of view, the music is a little strange, but not too annoying. Also, there is a sliding volume control, rather than a 'loud/even louder' option! ?Kids learn without realising when playing on the Vtech laptop?. ?It has out lasted loads of other toys in our house.?
buy it
|
| Insey Winsey Spider £7.50 |
|
What mumsnet members said about it:
"This is just about the only "board game" my four year old can manage. It's extremely simple and really helps them to grasp counting as well as winning and losing." "This is the game my two always bring out when friends come. It's a simple, durable counting game that doesn't last too long so they don't get bored."
manufacturer: Orchard Toys
|
| Marble Run £15.00 |
|
What mumsnet members said about it:
"Excellent for construction skills as well as hand-eye coordination." "Quite a feat to put together but good quality and well-made." "You can race up to four marbles at a time." "Get's quite competitive in our house but great fun!"
buy it
|
| My first Skalextric £28.95 |
|
What mumsnet members said about it:
"A classic, been around for ever so lots of mums and dads out there will be enthusiastic and knowledgeable about it", "a good male bonding toy". "Also, easy to pick up extra stuff at boot sales - there's lots of it floating around", "this gives you a good basic kit to get the kids started, they have lots of fun assembling track as well as racing the cars", "great for kids with a competitive spirit!"
buy it
manufacturer: Hornby
|
| Soccer goal set from £9.99 |
|
What mumsnet members said about it:
"Teriffic value goal with net that comes in three sizes." "My son spends hours kicking a ball in its general direction, and is suitably satisfied when it hits the back of the net (occasionally)." "It's not great for our patch of lawn but it's very good for him."
manufacturer: Manufacturer
|
| Bionicle from £4.99 |
|
What mumsnet members said about it:
?My kids love it - loads of constuction play making your own version (need several basic kits) - relatively cheap. We've had hours and hours of play from them - all ages from 3 upwards, though really for the 5,8 and 10 year old?. ?I admit I don?t really get bionicles but my son loves them. I have fun with him constructing them but the fascination with the end result still baffles me?. ?THE cool toy amongst my five year olds? school pals.?
buy it
|
| Boys dressing-up box £24.99 |
|
What mumsnet members said about it:
"Dressing up clothes are great from about three years up, I found. This box contains five different outfits to mix and match including a cowboy, pirate and clown." "Very long lasting - has given enjoyment from three and a half onwards."
buy it
manufacturer: Dekkertoys
|
| Buzz Lightyear From £9.99 |
|
What mumsnet members said about it:
?Our son wasn't even born when Toy Story was a hit in the cinema, but Buzz is still a hit in our house. He's 'head' of all the toys and gets involved in amazing scrapes.? ?Great for imaginative play - and a change from all the army associations of action man." "We have gone through a lot of Buzzes. He always seems to break in our house and rarely speaks but we always look out for one at school fares and Carboot stalls because it's the toy my son plays with more than any other."
buy it
manufacturer: Manufacturer
|
| Frustration £7.99 |
|
What mumsnet members said about it:
"Looks a bit different to when I played it as a child, but still has that satisfying, fun, pop-up dice thrower that kids still love". "There's a fair bit of cheating, but at least it doesn't take forever to play like some board games." "It's cheap, easy, fun and it'll last"
buy it
manufacturer: MB Games
|
| Guess Who £9.99 |
|
What mumsnet members said about it:
A great game for a four/five year old. When my son received it for his birthday I groaned because he never really got into toys and also initially setting it up does take a bit of time. However, it?s a really good simple idea for a game and we?ve played it over and over and ?as yet?haven?t broken or lost any of the pieces?. ?It?s a great game and one that I actually enjoy playing as much as my son. It encourages using observational skills and also teaches children how to work things through by process of elimination?. "There's also a travel Guess Who".
buy it
manufacturer: MB Games
|
| Twister £9.49 |
|
What mumsnet members said about it:
"Very physical for a board game and so a novel way to let off steam indoors on a rainy day", "good toy for small parties as well", "ageless and timeless game which never fails to amuse". "Buy it for Christmas because there's nothing like the whole family having a game of Twister on Christmas day. This is a great toy to get out if you've a group of kids round or for a family get-together."
buy it
manufacturer: MB Games
|
| Walkie Talkies £9.99 |
|
What mumsnet members said about it:
"Walkie talkies are a good investment as they stand the test of time. We bought these for a four year old and he and his brother still play with them - aged eight and six." "A fun toy that gets them to use their imaginations and is great fun when inviting a friend round to play."
buy it
|
| Noah's Ark Giant Floor Puzzle £16.95 |
|
What mumsnet members said about it:
"These wooden puzzles are really well made - chunky enough for young hands and to withstand a bit of misuse but the puzzles are tricky enough to keep my four year old engaged." "Because they're so big they've got lots of detail going on". "If your child's into puzzles this is a really good bet."
manufacturer: BigJigs
|
| Mousebrush £34.99 |
|
What mumsnet members said about it:
"My daughter absolutely loved the CD-Rom games and activity centre which comes complete with art materials to make your own badges, stickers, t-shirt design, cards etc. There is also a range of games to play and story books to create." "The Mousebrush characters are bright and lively and my daughter's favourite was Casso the colourful mousebrush. As well as being enjoyable, I have seen an improvement in her computer and mouse control skills. I would definitely recommend it!"
buy it
manufacturer: FEVA
|
