The Pink horse skipping rope is is a lovely skipping rope, that feels much more solid than the usual plastic sets I’ve seen in this price range. The price is very reasonable, at under £5 and it’s ethically made too.

The Lego minifigures are great quality and very affordable, but even so, I can see this range becoming VERY expensive very quickly if you keep getting duplicates – there are websites available that tell you the bar codes of the different figures if you want to cheat but even having looked at those I know the odds of me remembering what we’re looking for when I’m at the checkout in Tesco are pretty remote. A bit disappointing, for us, despite the quality of the toy itself, which is fine.

The Nerf Maverick dart gun is just the most fun EVER, and I’m amazed you can get a Nerf this good for under £10. Having said that, I’d recommend spending the extra £4.99 to get a spare pack of 20 Nerf darts, because you will inevitably end up losing some down the back of the sofa.

I was really excited when I saw the Battle Strikers game. I have seen it advertised on TV and I thought that it looked like loads of fun. The big box includes a game zone, magic finger controller and a turbo launcher that you use to launch your strikers into the game. The aim of Battle Strikers is to know out your partner’s striker and be crowned King of the battle!

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.

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)

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?)

So hands up who never went to an all nighter? Well if you didn’t here’s your chance to grab a bit of old school rave-style and party in your front room and for the rest of us, it’s time to embarrass yourself in front of your kids and throw some shapes like it’s 1992…or whenever it was.

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.

This is a lovely, offbeat way to spend an afternoon, and I think if you add some pretty pens and stickers, this charming vintage-style book makes a perfect gift. It’s a refreshing change from branded and character-led Disney books. It’s also a big hit with girls of all ages – my eight year old loves it, but many of my friends with younger kids are big fans, too.

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.

There are 43 quintillion (that’s 18 zeros) moves possible with a Rubik’s cube, so this isn’t something kids will solve in an afternoon and then leave aside. That makes it great value, and if it keeps the kids occupied while you’re busy making Christmas lunch, so much the better!

The game is really easy to play and loads of fun. It says that it is for 6+ years and I’m thinking that it’s mainly because of the small pieces because both of my little sisters thought it was great too.

You might think this is just another Bratz knock-off, but this is a well-made doll with great clothing and a nice ethos – and the added bonus of not the weird, scary big eyes.

A brilliant idea with some great tricks in, but let down by a couple of items which are a bit rubbish really. My son does keep it stashed away under his bed now though as his secret hoard!

The Tomy Guitar Rockstar is loud, unashamed fun. If you have a budding rock star in the family then this is a must. And it’s hard to believe it costs just £5. Amazing!

I can imagine this Reindeer Poo in a box being a real fun novelty Christmas gift for kids and adults alike. The price is reasonable and the profits made from it’s sale help to Support the Natural History Museum and it’s fantastic research into conserving the biodiversity of our planet.

The Woolworth’s Frankenstein Costume is a great value, child-friendly and effective-looking outfit. Its near tantrum-free design is a real winner and whether you’ve got a little monster – or you simply want to make one – this should be a great addition to the halloween chamber of horrors.

I can’t believe the Aldi Children’s Halloween Costumes were only £5.99 each! Amazing value. I don’t think they’ll last until next Halloween but the girls sure will have fun with them this year.

The Snazaroo face-paints and Special KX kits are safe and easy to apply and – importantly – wash off easily. We were careful not to get any onto clothes, but I would imagine it would be quite straightforward to remove. And you can perform miracles of healing in a matter of minutes to the fake injuries sustained in an evening’s trick or treating. All in all, these kits are a couple of halloween essentials. Just remind me to disconnect the doorbell.

The Playmobil Go-Kart Race Compact Set is a nice little set, and inexpensive enough to make a good present for a birthday party, as you don’t need any other Playmobil sets to be able to play with this set.

Travel Brain Benders are just so darn infuriating. That’s about it really. They made us angry. I wouldn’t mind, but the ones we were testing were at the ‘easy’ end of the tricky spectrum!

A classic board game, with all sorts of educational benefits. Well made, well presented and at a very reasonable price.