Educational toys
It’s all of these and more, according to Tomlinson. “Being engaged in their children’s day to day learning during school closures definitely drove home to parents the importance of learning through play. And the feedback we’ve had is that many families enjoyed spending time playing and learning together and have continued to engage in more learning through traditional, hands-on play at home.” Karen Clarke, Brand
Director of Smart Toys and Games, agrees that the pandemic brought about a cultural shift. “The last two years seem to have had a profound impact on how people live,” she says. “They’re looking for more from the future. Quality family time has definitely inspired a change in leisure at home, and for some, it has reignited childhood playtime memories.” Time away from screens and digital media has been welcomed by parents, and some have rediscovered the fun of family game time. “We all want the best for our children and grandchildren, and playing games brings not only laughter and joy, but it develops cognitive skills in every aspect of life,” Clarke states. The company endeavours to put “fun at the heart of everything [they] do” so children don’t feel like they’re learning. “Education is at the heart of our products, but it’s subliminal. Learning with us is fun; boosting educational skills is a by-product.” Simon Prest, Sales Director at Orchard Toys,
agrees that learning-by-stealth is the winning formula. “The learning-made-fun element, sitting at the heart of all our products, is critical. It means children enjoy themselves so much they don’t realise they’re learning – a winning formula with parents. So perhaps it’s not surprising that our new Number Bears and Slimy Rhymes are strong sellers.” Number Bears is the maths equivalent
of Orchard Toys’ bestselling Match and Spell. “It’s receiving a fantastic response,” Prest says. “We predict it will become one
of our bestsellers.” Aimed at children of five and over, the game introduces addition, subtraction and number bonds, and involves players racing their bear safely home to its cubs by turning over number cards and solving maths problems. “As well as a game it’s a learning activity and teaching aid,” says Prest, “which means it’s a great tool for parents, enabling them to support their children.” Slimy Rhymes, meanwhile, is a pairs games that introduces children to the concept of rhyming and helps with speech, language and reading. Kids must match rhyming pairs to make silly sentences, all while holding their nose or using a squeaky voice, before feeding their cards to the slimy monster. With maths the favourite subject of kids aged 6-12, according to The Insights Family data, it’s no surprise that maths-based games and toys are big sellers. Learning Resources has enjoyed incredible success with its licensed Numberblocks toys, based on the hit CBeebies show, both at retail and in educational settings. “We saw that parents were using our MathLink Cubes to make Numberblocks of their own, so we put the two concepts together to launch two special edition MathLink Cubes Numberblocks Activity Sets [1-10 and 11-20] that bring the magic of on-screen learning with the Numberblocks to life,” says Simon Tomlinson. Each set has everything children need to build Numberblocks of their own, Character Cards that help them to see the magic
behind each number, and activities that align with selected episodes from the series. As Tomlinson says: “This allows children to play along, engage with the maths concepts in fun ways, and double their learning.” Another category that is growing for Learning Resources is social-emotional learning (SEL). Post pandemic – and amid concerns about children’s mental wellbeing – there has been a marked increase in schools and families looking for resources to help children express their feelings through play. One product that the company has developed to cater to this need is a range of Express Your Feelings Sensory Bottles. “Each features an expression and is filled with liquid and material to create a flowing action that represents that emotion. Children can use these in the classroom or at home to manage and express their feelings,” Tomlinson says. The long summer holidays, when parents
are seeking enriching play experiences for their kids, can be a bumper time for retailers stocking educational toys – and parents don’t have to spend big to get a return on their investment. Smart Toys and Games’ magnetic travel range, ideal for keeping kids occupied during long car journeys, is priced at £9.99 – little more than a couple of magazines – while the company has expanded its IQ+ range with the newly launched IQ Stixx and IQ Love (pictured left) to go alongside the recently launched IQ Digits, all priced at £12.99. There are also two travel-friendly new arrivals in the Compact range: Monster Hide & Seek and Robot Factory (£14.99). All are great options for on- the-go play, and for retailers with a key travel location, Smart Toys and Games can supply in-store special displays for both the IQ and Magnetic Travel ranges. Whether they’re designed for the car, the classroom, the home or outdoors, toys that teach get top marks from parents and educational professionals. School may be nearly out for summer, but with toys that spark curiosity and creativity and are a joy to play with, the learning never stops.
Spring/Summer 2022 | ToyNews | 29
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