Thursday 23 August 2012

The 'must have' toy...

As a mummy of two and a regular product reviewer, you can imagine I have (or should I say my children have!) tried and tested many toys and games. Many we've loved, some we've had mixed views on, and the odd few we've hated which have gone straight to the charity shop...
As children grow and develop, their interest in toys change. Something that captured their imagination one day may be easily overlooked the next. As they learn new skills they need new challenges. So it can be difficult to choose one product that is the ultimate 'can't live without' toy...
However there is one type of toy that I can honestly say has appealed to my children from when they were a few months old and could barely sit up, to now, when my eldest is just days off his 5th birthday, it's something that I can also see both him and his younger sister getting enjoyment from in years to come.
This versatile toy that can adapt to a child’s needs and spark their imagination is...
The humble brick!
 
 
 
A toy brick can take many forms, from soft blocks for young babies, who like to watch you pile them up and knock them over, who can develop their grip and dexterity by grabbing them and waving about or throwing...
 
...to wooden blocks, stickle bricks, mega bloks or duplo for the toddlers as they begin to see how they can pile them up, fit them together and create what ever their imagination dreams up! Or just make a mess by building the tallest towers and knocking them back down again! All the time they are playing with such a simple toy they are developing. Practising their fine motor skills that will soon be used to hold a crayon and write their name. Recognising patterns, colours and shapes, even starting to count.
 
 
 
 
 
As they get older they move on to smaller bricks and may start to create recognisable masterpieces grown from their imagination or carefully learnt by following instructions. Recognising parts, learning to read and problem solving all skills developed as they still play with such a simple toy.
In years to come I can see my son spending hours concentrating while building up an intricate modal of a battleship or similar.
Then jumping into the future, as a Daddy himself I can see him taking as much pleasure helping his own children create with bricks as my husband does with our children now.
A simple, inexpensive toy that holds a lifetime of excitement and creativity!
So are there any drawbacks to this wonderful toy? I can think of only one, and that is the lone Lego brick that hides away from the toy box at tidy up time, that stays hidden until Mummy is walking across the room in the dark until.... ouch!! Standing on a Lego brick, now that is pain!

In all honesty apart from that I cannot think of anything that could stop a toy brick being crowned the 'Mymummyspennies Must Have toy!' It versatile, cheap and resilient can be passed on and on and apart from colour fade shows no sign of wear or tear. And best of all there are no rules, no boundaries; the only limits are your child's imagination!
 
 
I have submitted this post as an entry to become a Toys R Us Toyologist.
 
 

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