Lovely quality and design, and lots of fun, these robots will help build fine motor skills and problem-solving. Flea has also enjoyed playing with them imaginatively and they’re sturdy enough to stand up to lots of energetic play, with no small pieces or sharp edges to bother the little ones. A lovely option for children of all ages.
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“Zoobookoo Diva Dice are a great learning tool, but more importantly a really fun game for the whole family to play together.”
Buy online at Zoobookoo
Price: £6.50
Initial thoughts: Maths is not my forte and when I found out I’d be testing the Diva Dice from ZooBookoo to review, my heart sank a little, thinking that my abysmal mathematical skills would be exposed to my five year old.
ZooBooKoo’s Diva Dice is a dice game where players have to do mental arithmetic, and other players get to check your answers. My little girl wrongly assumes mum knows everything and I was really worried I’ve end up shattering her illusions!
We Liked: The game comes with three pink diva devils, two yellow number dice, one orange maths “ahhh!” die and a little black drawstring bag. The basic idea of the game is to throw the dice, do some mental maths, and then challenge your opponents to check your answers.
We really enjoyed playing the game and it only took a few minutes to pick up the rules. It’s suitable for two to four players, so suitable for the whole family to play along. This is great for family bonding but I must confess in our house Mummy and Daddy perhaps got a bit too competitive!
Both of our little girls really enjoyed getting the opportunity to check my answers – especially when I was wrong (although that wasn’t as often as I feared). I really liked how the game encourages the children to play with mental maths, and the girls really didn’t realise how much they were learning as they played.
We weren’t too keen: The game is really quick to learn but some of the subtractions were a little too difficult for my five year old, who is at the KS1 recommended level. We did also have a few squabbles over who had the most diva devils, and I think it would be good to include more to pad out the game a little.
Overall: The Diva Dice game is a great learning tool, which provides fun and family entertainment at a great price. We had loads of fun and I think the fact this is portable means it’s the sort of game we’d take on holiday or to relatives’ houses – it even comes in its own bag.
[Clare W - Clareybabble]
When I was asked to review a book entitled “Toilet Trivia” with my children, I was a little apprehensive about what this would be like! However from the moment I opened it we were in stitches and amazement. For example – did you know that in Australia you can’t wear hot-pink trousers past 4 o’clock on a Sunday or that in France it’s against the law to die unless you’ve already purchased a cemetery plot?! (Like what are they going to do – sue you?! Haha)
This bright and colourful imaginative toy is a great way to help children with their hand eye coordination while also having fun and being creative. It’s just what I’m looking for when buying stocking fillers – not too expensive, no batteries or small parts. This sort of thing is a win win for me and we thoroughly enjoyed it!
These handkerchiefs from the Nappy Laundry are really bright and funky and feature numbers (sums) or the alphabet. They are ‘child’ sized and made from a nice robust cotton. A really nice idea and environmentally friendly (how many packets of tissues do we get through in a week?)
A great gift for under 2s, the Fisher Price Little People Farm Set is great quality, durable and lots of fun.
I liked the way you could make so many bubbles at once and the the small dish that you fill with bubble mix in was really easy to use. You dip the front of the gun in the dish and then point it and press the trigger. Loads of bubbles come out. I was so impressed with this. We were amazed that something that just blows out bubbles can be so much fun. We had a great time with it all afternoon.
“Not another doll?” was my husband’s first response when Melanie the rag doll arrived in our house, but i was actually quite pleased as she was a welcome relief to the mountain of crying plastic dolls strewn across the play room. Melanie comes complete with pretty blond plaited pig tails, pink gingham pyjamas and a giant smile, she’s soft and very cuddly.
We do absolutely love these new Chan Pie Gnon teethers from Vulli as toys and people have commented on how cool they are. They are definitely worth having, but as teethers we prefer Sophie the Giraffe, mainly as its legs and head are a lot easier for her to get in her mouth
A classic game that is hard to beat, if all players are in the right mood (and no one’s had a curry the night before). Adults and teenagers seem to tire of it more quickly than younger children, at least in this house. It’s longevity probably means it’s a game most toy cupboards shouldn’t be without.
The My First Lacing Tools set is a lovely present for a young child, and one that gives you a lot of toy for your money. It’s going to get lots of play, and is robust enough to still be around for the next child.
Bambini beads make a lovely gift for children aged 3 and above, and I’d buy them for boys or girls, which is a refreshing change. It’s an educational toy, but so much fun to play with, too! Great value for money and it’s so popular in our house.
A good looking traditional toy drum which is fun to play with but would probably benefit from being a little sturdier. We will only use it for occasional play.
I can’t recommend this little bucket of Play-Doh enough, the price is fantastic and it is guaranteed to keep your little ones occupied, really encouraging them to use their imagination. Love it.
I can’t recommend this little bucket of Play-Doh enough, the price is fantastic and it is guaranteed to keep your little ones occupied, really encouraging them to use their imagination. Love it.
This is a great bike and ideal for teaching your child to balance in preparation for a pedal bike. It’s the perfect size for small children. S has started to balance whilst using it but I can see it taking a while for him to learn what to do. Given time I think he would get the hang of balancing and be well on the way to riding a big boy’s bike all by himself.
