4 toys to keep your children busy

During the school holidays, whether it is half term, summer holidays or winter holidays, it is important to have some creative and engaging toys for the little ones so that they don't get bored. Playtime is not just about not being bored, though. It also is of course hugely beneficial for the development of children's cognitive and motor skills. The holidays provide a great stress free opportunity for your children to explore their creativity and have lots of fun playing with toys. But with so many toys out there now, it can be quite difficult to choose. So this is why we have put together this list of what we think are the best and most interesting toys for kids. They have each been given their own unique twist by the genius toymakers at Floss & Rock. They will keep your children occupied whilst they also feed into your children's development in certain ways which we will explain.

Shop Jigsaws

Jigsaws

Jigsaws offer an amazing learning opportunity for children. They aid the development of children in many ways. First of all, there is a physical element to a jigsaw which will improve your children's motor skills. On a more psychological and cognitive level, working on a jigsaw, no matter what size, will help your kids to develop their perseverance and problem-solving skills. You can work through the first few together, offering your kids guidance to get going. You can then ask your child to take a piece and work it into position. This repeated task of picking up a piece and placing it into its gap will steadily improve your child's hand-eye coordination and finger strength.

Even memory skills are developed: for any size of jigsaw, you have to keep in mind the overall picture that you are heading towards in order to complete the puzzle. We have a number of different jigsaws from Floss and Rockfor you to explore. They range from 40 piece sets up to 80 piece sets. From dinosaurs to fairytales to jungles, there are all sorts of different themes which are present in the collection. These jigsaws are great because, although they are all easily achievable, they will take your children a decent amount of time for your kids to complete. As such they will be ideal for any rainy holiday afternoons!

Shop Magic Water Easels

Water Easel Pads

We are big believers in the value of art especially children who are in that crucial developmental stage. And this is not just a personal view, as it has been shown in studies over the years that art gives children a crucial opportunity for creativity and self-expression. Through any arts or crafts based activity, children can build up their confidence in expressing themselves. On top of that, this is again an activity which cultivates kids' abilities to focus and have longer attention spans. Not only that, but learning to appreciate a quiet and focused activity such as drawing, painting, or any sort of craft, will give your child the ability to relax properly. It may seem odd to suggest that children need to learn how to relax. But it is in fact another one of the mental skills which we all develop over the years as humans. Giving your children the ability to engage in artistic projects of whatever size is in effect teaching your children to be able to engage in a relaxing activity that they can continue to enjoy throughout their life.

Art and creativity in general is the gift that keeps on giving. So it will be a great thing to allow your children to learn to engage in this world as soon as possible so that they are able to appreciate its value and its enjoyable nature. The great thing about the magic colour changing water easel and pen sets which we have from Floss and Rock is that they can be reused again and again! Simply fill up the pen with water and you will be able to colour in the designs to see them magically take shape and appear. Then, when they dry, they will magically disappear again! The additional touch of magic with the disappearing and reappearing colour will hopefully add an extra allure to the wonderful world of art.

Shop Magnetic Play Scenes

Magnetic Play Scenes

Playing is essentially always an act of imagination where elements from real life can be re-enacted in miniature. This aspect is heightened all the more when the toy itself is a world in miniature. These types of toys allow for what is sometimes called small world play. This allows children to act out scenarios which they might have heard or seen, either in real life or from story books or television. These mini worlds offer the perfect avenue for children to let their imagination flourish. When you join in and play with them, then you can help them to use such toys to build language skills, social skills, and even to develop their emotional capacity.

Translating stories into play scenes will help the little ones learn about the world by managing their own mini environment and thinking about how people relate to each other in different situations. Magnetic play scenes come in their many from Floss and Rock once again. You will be sure to find the right theme for your kids, as these play scenes are based on different worlds, locations and situations such as space, pets and happy hospitals. The great thing about all these scenes also is that they are magnetic. This should limit the likelihood of opening up the scene at the start of the holiday and realising that all the pieces were lost down sofas during the last holiday!

Shop Magnetic Dolls

Magnetic Dress Up Dolls

Children are always learning, and this is no different when it comes to playing with dress up dolls. These toys will allow their imagination to lead the way, as they create characters and act out little scenes. These kinds of toy sets are also helpful when it comes to developing fine motor skills. Getting the miniature clothing in place and changing outfits will be working to improve these skills, all the while the children will be having lots of fun and developing their own sense of creativity. Like the play scenes, these toys will also be helping to develop your kids' social skills.

Once dressed up, the dolls can be placed in certain scenes, fed, put to bed, invited to play tea parties and much more. These imaginative mini scenes are not just enjoyable for you and the little one, but they will also be teaching your child to empathise by using their mind to think about how their dolls relate to each other in interpersonal situations. The dress up sets from Floss and Rock are also magnetic, so they will be really easy to use, just like the play scenes. What we love is the detail that goes into the outfits. These little toys are pieces of art in themselves, and they will certainly keep a little one or two busy during holidays.