Toys Books Play

Toddlers and preschoolers have an attention span of around 10 - 12 minutes, and once it’s exhausted, learning and listening are no longer fun for them. So when it comes to story time mix it up a bit. Use one or two of these ideas for each book you read and make story time as fun and as interactive as possible.

It's often hard to know how to play with young babies and how to keep them entertained. However, spending time together and interact with them will keep them amused for hours. Have a go at these play ideas with your newborn or young baby this week.

Kids are happy to just play and really don’t need big, expensive, brand-name toys to keep them occupied. Here are some cheap and easy things you can make at home to keep them amused for hours.

There’s evidence that children's imaginary friends are more widespread than ever. Find out why it’s normal, how make believe can affect a child’s development, adjusting to your child’s new friend, when should you be worried and how long will their imaginary friend be around for.

Being able to read is a vital life skill, so make the early stages of learning the alphabet as fun as possible for your preschooler. Preschoolers learn and develop best through using their whole body, all of their senses and their natural environments. You’ll find that most preschoolers begin to recognise letters when they’re about 2 to 3 years old, and are able to identify a large number of letters between 4 and 5 years old.

Play dough is easy to make and hours of fun for kids of all ages! It's the perfect sensory play activity they can do indoors and outside.

Not sure what to buy your kids for their birthday or for a friend's birthday party they're going along to? Our age-specific gift guide will give you lots of birthday present ideas on toys and activities suitable for babies, toddlers and pre-school kids.

Clay is very versatile and there are so many ways toddlers and preschoolers can play and experiment with it. Clay gives them the opportunity to be creative and learn about texture, shape and form whilst having lots of fun. Check out some of the other benefits.

Small silver round button batteries and lithium coin batteries look quite harmless, but they can be extremely dangerous if children swallow them, and can cause significant and potentially fatal injuries – in less than 2 hours! Find out how to keep your kids safe from the dangers of button batteries.

It may be re-assuring for those with new babies to hear that when it comes to your baby’s first Christmas, expensive gifts are not necessary! Many parents feel the pressure to buy the latest and most costly toys, but with everyone managing tighter budgets these days, parents are looking for cheaper alternatives.

When was the last time you sang a nursery rhyme? It may not have been since your own childhood or you may just be a little bit rusty, so here are the words to a few favourites to help refresh your memory and to sing to your own kids.

Nursery rhymes are an important part of a child’s development, helping them to increase their vocabulary and develop their counting skills. Check out our list of popular kids nursery rhymes and learn the words to sing with your little one.

Your kids will love these homemade tin can drums! They can be made from recycled materials and things you already have at home. Why not make a few drums using various sized containers and listen to the different sounds they make. Or put some music on and get your kids to drum along to the rhythm and sing along to the songs.

OK a bit messy, but lots of fun! Make your own edible finger paint for your kids. It’s cheap to make and safe to use and if there’s any left over, store it in the fridge or freezer to use for another day.

Make your own snow paint at home with the kids. Such a fun winter activity for toddlers and preschoolers that you can do inside when it's wet and cold. An easy paint recipe you can adapt for all sorts of snow and winter creations.

Recycling can be so much fun! Kids will love playing with these recycled trucks made from old plastic bottles or containers and other items you have around the house. Building recycled trucks comes with benefits too, getting kids to use their imagination and concentration skills as they come up with different designs.

These yoyo shakers are easy to make and a great way to teach your little one about music and different rhythms. Why not get a group of children together and play to the same beat or show them how to move with the rhythm and dance together.

These toy sail boats are easy to make and perfect for summer time. Kids can play with them in a paddling pool or bucket of water, or even in the bath before bed. They are great as an educational tool too.

With perhaps a little help from you, kids will have lots of fun making their own recycled robots with items you're recycling or already have around the house. Making recycled robots teaches kids about recycling every day items and giving them another purpose, instead of just throwing them away. It is also a great activity for using their imagination, concentration and problem solving skills.

Kids love creating their own music from an early age! Make your own musical instruments from things you have at home. Have a go at making small individual instruments or if you have room, why not create a musical wall in the garden!

Adventure play or imaginative play comes with many benefits for preschoolers and is all about giving them a wide range of resources and materials to have fun with, experiment with and to help them build their own creations with.

Have a go at making your own Magic Rainbow Milk. Kids of all ages will love it! Magic Rainbow Milk is cheap, quick and easy to set up and if you do it outside (highly recommended!), there’s not too much mess to clean up afterwards.

Kids love trampolines! Not only are they fun, but when used regularly, studies have shown that jumping on trampolines offers many physical, health and educational benefits for kids too. Check out some of the benefits trampolines can offer.

Your kids have all the toys in the world, but still they cry, “But I’m bored ....”. Here are some great ideas which will have you fully armed for next time they think they have nothing else to do!