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If you’ve ever found yourself muttering “they don’t make them like they used to”, then you’ll be pleasantly surprised by the toys on offer at Jaques of England. They offer both contemporary and classic wooden toys that are built to last, and display some quality workmanship.
This should come as no surprise, as Jaques are actually the oldest games company in the world. Established in 1795, they’re responsible for inventing Croquet, Ludo, Snakes and Ladders, Snap, Ping Pong and Tiddledy Winks amongst many other favourites!
As iconic as those games are, I was looking for something more toddler-friendly. I was delighted to find a large range of toys for kids with an educational element to them. First up was the Kids’ Learning Clock.
Kid’s Learning Clock
When it initially arrived, I was pleased to see that it was beautifully packaged in such a way as to make it possible to gift straight away. I’m terrible at wrapping presents, so this could be a godsend for me in the future! Delving into the package, and the quality is apparent from the off. No brittle or harmful plastics at use here!
As a bit of a watch collector, I was keen for my daughter to get a headstart with telling the time. The beauty of this teaching clock though, is that it encourages learning in several different ways. Of course, it familiarises kids with the positions of numbers on a clock’s dial, but with that it also helps children to grow accustomed to numbers in general. Each of the numbers is printed on a different-shaped block that fits in the relevant slot, promoting shape recognition, while the back of each block features a different animal. I know that at my daughter’s young age, the animals are the main draw for her, and she loves matching them up with their respective foods that are printed within the slots too!
Wooden Activity Cube
It’s a similar tale with the Wooden Activity Cube I ordered: beautifully packaged and solidly built. Now, my daughter is a beautiful and delicate little angel, but she certainly has a habit of dropping and knocking items over whenever she’s in the room. This means that many toys end up with damage after enough exposure to this marauding toddler. I’m confident though, that this activity cube will last her through her pre-school years and well beyond.
Like the learning clock, the activity cube features different shapes with numbers and animals printed on them. This repeated exposure to numbers in particular, is essential for helping toddlers learn these characters as they grow. There’s also the age-old challenge of finding the correct shapes for the correct holes, to encourage some basic geometry skills.
It’s bright and colourful, making it a sure-fire hit with tots. The bead tracks at the top of the cube, meanwhile, offer a chance to hone fine motor skills whilst navigating the beads along their winding paths.
My daughter loves both toys, and I’d certainly have no qualms about ordering from Jaques of London in the future. For sturdy toys and games that are built to last, they provide great value.