Play & Learn Toys to Make Learning Fun!

Children love using props in their play, and this Doctor Kit is perfect for stimulating children’s imaginations. We have an older version of this, and our children still love playing with it!

Pretend Tool Sets are great for imaginative play, and this set is ideal for children who like to play construction. We had this in my nursery class, and it is a very popular toy.

This Wooden Pizza Party Set is ideal for children who enjoy pretend play and pizza, of course! It’s perfect for children in the Early Years.

Children love dressing up, and my children particularly love dressing up as a Fire Fighter. My children also love role-playing as doctors, vet, construction worker, or an astronaut.

Children love acting out things they see adults do, so they will enjoy serving lots of tea with this Wooden Tea Set. Children love pretending to make everyone tea with their tea set.

Peg Dolls are lovely for small world play. Children can play with them in many ways and act out different scenes. As they are made of wood and painted with non-toxic paint, they are also lovely for younger children who might still put toys in their mouths.

Fairy Tale Castle or Toy Castle Blocks is fun for imaginary play! Children can build different castles and then use it for imaginary play.

This Wooden Town Play Set is lovely for making a small world where children can play and use their imagination. It can also be used with e a train set, flexible road, or other toys to extend their play.

Paint sticks are fun (and less messy) than traditional paints. They also come in larger sets or even metallic. They are a fun way for children to be able to enjoy painting at home!

This Self-Correcting Letter Puzzle is a fun way to help children learn letter sounds for reading and writing. It’s ideal for preschool & Kindergarten age children.

Match and Spell (and Match and Spell Next Steps) is a fun game to help children learn to spell and is perfect for children ages 4+. If children aren’t quite ready for this, you may want to try Alphabet Lotto to help children learn initial sounds of words.

Magic Spelling or Pass the Word are fun games for children ages 5 and older to have fun practising spelling. These games are also great for developing social skills.

Alphabet Stamps are a fun way for children to practice reading and writing through play. My children like to use them to make cards or use them with playdough.

Magnetic Alphabet & Dry Erase Board can be a fun way for children to practice spelling and writing. There is also a simpler version which we also like to use at home.

Washable Window Markers are fun for children who love to draw on things other than paper. My children love drawing on the windows, and it’s a great way to get children writing and drawing.

This collection of 10 books by Julia Donaldson is terrific for someone’s home or school library. You may also want to see some of my other book lists for great books to add to your collection.

Tangram Picture Blocks are a fun way for children to make pictures using different shapes. They can use them to solve puzzles or come up with pictures.

Ten Frame Towers is a game where children can practice mathematical skills such as sublimising, adding and number bonds. This is an excellent game for children ages 5 and up.

This Large Number Board can be used in many ways to support children’s understanding of numbers. It can be used to practice counting, as a 100 square, for skip counting, as a multiplication board or they can also be used to make number sentences. There are many different ways to use this as children grow, and they can practice new mathematical skills.

The Melissa & Doug Balance Toy is a fun way to explore weight. It is a way to visually see when something is more than, less than or equal. It can also be fun to add in weighing scales into children’s play such as children’s mud kitchens.

Orchard toys have many fun maths games such as The Game of Lady Birds. This is one of my children’s favourite counting games, but there are many other great games to help children learn to count such as Counting Caterpillars, Catch and Count, Dirty Dinos, Spotty Dogs, Incy Wincy, and more!

There are also a number of math games that can help slightly older children practice arithmetic such as Magic Maths. There are lots of other fun games such as Mammoth Maths, Times Tables Heros, Counting Mountain, Money Match Cafe, What’s the Time Mr Wolf, Bus Stop and more!

This Play Cash Register is a fun way to add in some math into a play kitchen or other role-play activities. Cash registers are great play and learn toys as they will enhance children’s play and help them learn about money and counting.

Varying-Size Playing Blocks are a lovely open-ended toy. They are beautifully made and care great for construction, or they can also be used for mathematical purposes as they are like a gigantic version of a Cuisenaire set.

Botley the Coding Robot is a great learning toy for children ages 5 and up. It will help children learn basic coding, critical thinking and problem-solving skills.

Artie 3000 is a great programming toy for children ages 7 and up. They can use it to draw pictures, and it is excellent for further developing coding skills and programming skills.

Galt has some enjoyable science experiments for children ages five and up. My niece particularly enjoyed the Rainbow Lab, but there is also a Science Lab, Magnetic Lab, Slime Lab, and more.

Galt has some exciting science experiments for older children to do some hands-on learning. The Explosive Experiments is popular as is Frightful First, Really Rotten and Chaotic Kitchen Experiments.

Magformers are a fun way for children to make a variety of 3D objects using 2D shapes. They are also a fun way to experiment and play with magnets.

Bugnoculars are a fun way to be able to see minibeasts and other garden creatures up close. Children love being able to be able to see all of the up-close details of minibeasts. They also work as binoculars!

This Microscope is great for allowing young children to observe things close up! This is great for developing children’s early scientific skills.

Children can get excited about astronomy using this telescope. It’s portable so children can use at home or pack up and take with them. Books such as, Look Up, will also excite children about astronomy.

Target games are fun outdoor activities for children. The whole family can join in, and it also helps children develop gross motor skills and coordination.

Quoits are a traditional game for the garden and can be enjoyed by both young and old. It is a fun way to practice math skills, and it also helps develop coordination.

Mud Kitchens are great for open-ended play. My children love using their mud kitchen for imaginative play, and it also provides opportunities to develop fine motor skills and practice early measurement.

Water and Sand Trays are a wonderful open-ended activity where children can play in so many different ways. They are lovely for sensory play, but they also offer the opportunity to use mathematical and scientific thinking.

Skittles and Bowling Games are fun games to play with young children. Not only are they great for developing motor skills, but they will also allow children to identify numbers and practise counting and subtracting.

Giant Chalks are a fun way for children to write and make marks in the outdoors.

Children can learn how to measure using the award-winning Measure Mate. Children could also start learning to measure using a child’s tape measure.

Tuff spots are great for containing children’s play! They are excellent for messy play activities.

This Four Elements Puzzle and Building Set wonderful for constructing and developing mental rotation. This toy can be used and played with in multiple ways, so children will be able to enjoy it for years.

These Large Wooden Beads and Lacing Set are great for developing fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination. They also include numbers and dots. They are ideal for children in the Early Years and helping them develop skills that will be needed for writing.

Balance Boards are a fun way for children to develop coordination and balance. Children can also use them to make bridges, slides and more.

This Montessori Sensory Bin is a lovely sensory toy for very young children and babies. They can scoop, fill and empty containers.

Weaving Looms are great for developing children’s fine motor skills. This type of activity is also good for building children’s focus and concentration.

Toddler Climbing Frames are a fun way for children to develop gross motor skills indoors. They can also be used for making indoor forts with old sheets, blankets or silks.

Grimm’s Stacking Rainbows are beautiful toys that are fun to use as tunnels for trains, arches with blocks or for balancing. They also have a Pastel Rainbow, smaller 6 piece Rainbows and Rainbow Semi-Circles.

This Fort/Den Set is a fun way for children to be able to construct a fort where they can play either indoors or out. Children can work collaboratively to build it, and they will also need to plan and use spatial awareness in order to able to construct it.

Building blocks are lovely for open-ended play. Children can build and construct, or find their other ways to incorporate blocks into their play.

The Romanesque Building Set or Colourful Block Set are wonderful building blocks that will excite their imaginations. They can be used on their own or mixed with other building blocks.

Natural Blocks are fun for children to be able to build and construct. They are great for making a natural scene that children can then use to act out and role play with toys. Adding in some Natural Loose Parts can also stimulate children’s imaginations and help inspire a range of different play.

These Colourful Pyramid Blocks are beautiful and are perfect for children to construct and build. They are lovely open-ended play and learn toys that children will enjoy creating and using in many different ways.