“The Bambini beads are very popular in our house – Presley just gets so much satisfaction from sliding the beads along the thread.”

Buy online at Tup Tup

Price: £8.45

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Initial thoughts: When our Bambini beads arrived, they looked so enticing! My son wanted to play with them straight away. You get 12 large, wooden beads of different shapes and sizes, and a lace to thread them on to. The Bambini beads are bright and colourful, and come in a zip-up bag, ideal for keeping them together. The packaging says they’re suitable for 3+.

We liked: Bambini beads are perfect for helping children learn fine motor skills and coordination. Presley was entertained for over an hour on his first play with this toy. He wanted me to show him how to thread the beads, and then he had a go himself. The holes in the beads are big enough for little fingers to be able to manage threading, after a little practice. Presley got a lot of satisfaction from lacing the beads along the lace.

The beads themselves are wooden and perfectly finished – no rough edges. We’d noticed in the shops that many of these sorts of toys are aimed at girls but these are very gender-neutral.

We weren’t so keen: The only thing I can fault is the lack of instructions – it took us ages to work out how to use the small wooden guiding peg to push the lace through the larger beads! In case you’re similarly mystified, the knack is to put the lace in the bead and then push it through with the peg.

Overall: 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.

[Sandy, Baby Baby]