Updated for 2022 By Gemma Ballard

Ho Ho Ho!

The nights are drawing in and the Christmas decorations are popping up in the shops. It can only mean one thing… Christmas is on the way!

Summer may only just be over, but Christmas is fast approaching, and it is never too early to start thinking about getting the perfect gift.

Whether you are looking for something for the younger child or something for the pre-teens, we have something for everybody.

Filled with fun, great quality and made with positive developmental benefits at the heart of every product, the following items will be the perfect gift for any child.

Numberblocks Stampoline Park Stamp Activity Set
(3+ Years)

£25.00

Designed for children aged three and above, the Numberblocks Stampoline Park Activity set is the ideal gift for anyone looking to support their child’s development of colour recognition, improvement in introductory maths skills and inspiring creativity. Based on the ever-popular Stampoline park episode of the hit children’s tv show Numberblocks, this 32 piece activity set comes with everything you need for lots of number fun!

With a convenient carry case for storage, this Christmas gift comes with 12 ink pads, 10 of which come with the Numberblocks unique colours, and 2 large ink pads that can be used to create facial features! The stamps are reusable meaning that the fun can be had long after Christmas day is over and the washable inks ensure that parents can be safe in the knowledge that any printing that goes where it shouldn’t, will easily be washed away.

Let your child’s imagination go wild as they create their own Numberblocks adventures using the stamps, or work with your child to help them to understand early number recognition and ordering. Great fun for big kids and small kids, this is sure to be a Christmas day hit!

Coding: Switcheroo Coding Crew
(4-7 Years)

£67.00

If you are looking for an introduction to STEM products, then look no further than the Switcheroo Coding Crew. Packed full of developmental benefits from critical thinking, logic and cognitive development, this toy offers the benefits of understanding coding, without the need for an on-screen experience.

Designed with children aged from 4 and 7 years in mind, children will love to explore the range of coding-filled rescue missions as they transform into one of three vehicles- a police car, a fire truck, or a construction vehicle. The choice is up to them! When they are done saving the day, the children can pop a new vehicle shell onto their coding robot as they discover the light, sounds, and tricks of Play Mode.

With the interactive town mat to spark your child’s creativity and imagination, the Switcheroo Coding crew are able to match the programable robot with the mat to bring the rescue to real life!

Get into the Christmas spirit and help your child to rescue Santa and his sleigh! The possibilities are endless with this wonderfully interactive, and developmentally challenging toy!

Crazy Forts
(5+ Years)

£39.99

Big kids, small kids and let’s face it, even adults will have hours of fun with the Crazy forts set! Coming complete with 25 geometrically precise balls and 44 sticks, all you need are a set of bed sheet and you have everything you need to keep all the members of the family busy for hours on Christmas day!

With the ability to design a fort in which ever shape you like, why not go for a Winter theme and make an igloo to nestle down in for a Christmas story and a piece of Christmas cake.

The versatility of the Crazy fort set means that it is not restricted to use just in the Christmas season. It has year-round appeal and therefore if purchased this Christmas, it can be used not only inside the house for the colder months but equally it will be a hit in the Summer months, offering welcome shade from the sun!

Designed for Children aged over the age of five for solo play, this set has the benefits of being appropriate for a wide range of children.

Encouraging collaborative play, developing creative problem-solving skills and promoting imaginative play, this Crazy Fort set has it all!   

Superspace
(3+ Years)

£269

The Superspace is a new magnetic modular play-set allowing kids to build creative life-size play spaces!

Coming with a total of 22 panels, let your child’s imagination go wild as they design a new hide out to play in. Take your imagination to the moon with a rocket shaped design or play dungeon and dragons inside a castle! The possibilities are endless! With the panels consisting of squares, squares with windows, triangles, trapezoids, and rectangles, there is no need for simple and boring creations. You can be as unique and inventive as you like!

The Superspace encourages teamwork and strengthens problem solving skills and as such, this super creative play set is packed full of developmental benefits for little ones to enjoy.

With the tiles being magnetic, it is easy for children of all ages to snap together the connecting tiles with little to no adult supervision and therefore provides the platform for real independent play. So, whilst you are chopping up potatoes or basting the turkey, you can be safe in the knowledge that your child is playing happily and learning whilst they do so.

Just don’t be surprised if they want to have their Christmas dinner in there!

Yoto Player and cards
(3 – 8 Years)

£89.99

If you are looking for a toy that is free from screens, then look no further than the Yoto Player and cards toy. Not only does it not utilise screens, it also has no camera, no microphone and no ads, so you can be safe in the knowledge that you child is freely playing without any outside interactions.

The Yoto Player is a speaker that gives access to the best stories, music, activities, podcasts and radio to your child. By popping one of the Yoto cards into the player and the audio starts immediately. There is no need to be connected to the internet in order for this to work as it is able to work offline!

For even greater peace of mind, there is a parental app to ensure you can manage settings such as volume limit, day and night time and nightlight colour and Wi-Fi capability.

Why not listen to Christmas music whilst you open the presents or snuggle up and listen to a Christmas themed story once the excitement of the day is over? One thing that is for sure,  there will be something for every member of the family with the Yoto Player and cards!

All of the exciting toys listed above have something for everyone and would delight any child waking up on Christmas morning.

From imaginative play to critical thinking, whatever skill you are wanting to help your child to develop, here at the Good Play Guide we have a gift that ticks all the right boxes.