My 6-year-old is really into playing games at the moment… so we’ve been playing a lot of Swap, Mancala and Dobble in the afternoons after school. I must say, my favourite games are the most simple ones. There are so many games these days which have instruction booklets the length of a novel, and loads of little, plastic game pieces which end up getting lost or broken. I definitely prefer the simple, straight-forward (if not old-fashioned) games.

This 3-D Tic Tac Toe is a game I played as a child, and a game I still enjoy as an adult (even my husband and I play each other!). It’s a good game for teaching kids to count, strategise, play defensively, and try to line up all your pieces. My 6-year-old is really enjoying it, and it’s fun to have an addition to our game rotation.

x Courtney

x Courtney

We discovered these brilliant Hase Weiss creations at Playtime last weekend and fell instantly in love! Aren’t they so beautiful? The modular doll’s house (above) comes in one big box, but you can fit the rooms together in many different ways to create the perfect doll’s house. And the farm (below) opens and closes with magnetic hinges and offers quite the home for all your farm animals. My kids would go crazy for this!

It doesn’t look like these products are available to purchase from the Hase Weiss site, but they do have a shop in Berlin and it looks like they take orders over the phone if you contact them here.

xx Courtney

As Coco is now navigating her way through the first year of French education, I thought that an Abacus would be actually a useful tool for her to get used to the idea of adding and subtracting. I had been given an Abacus from Ikea ages ago and it had only ever been used as a toy. It now has a proud place on Coco’s little desk, and it is really interesting how much she is enjoying adding beads together, taking some away and seeing how it all works out.

P.S. Interestingly the children here in France are discouraged to use their fingers to add and substract. I guess it is so that they learn to visualise the numbers. Is it the same in your country?

- Emilie

My kids recently got a Little Red Stuga play blanket and it’s just awesome. What a cool design!! The idea is so simple, but as always with the simplest ideas there is a very talented mind behind it. In this case Little Red Stuga worked together with the lovely Elisabeth Dunker from the beautiful blog and boutique Fine Little Day, who designed the indian graphics. I love how the Bu! blanket doubles up as a comfort blanket and a pretend play dress-up device — and how it travels everywhere. So cool!

xxx Esther

• Green and white knitted jumper from Broer en Zus
• Green and white knitted doll from Dents de Loup
• Lucky Boy Sunday knitted tree from Thumbeline
• Green knitted teething ring from Unique Boutique

x Courtney

Aren’t these spinning tops so beautiful? I just love all the different colour combinations and the many elegant shapes and sizes. These Mader Tops are handcrafted in Austria from a variety of woods native to Europe. Each top is made from a single piece of wood and is then hand painted in beautiful colour combinations. (You can read more about them here.) They’re so well made that they spin for minutes at a time. Fun! And also pretty just sitting on a shelf.

They’re available from Couverture in the UK and from Pucci Manuli in the US.

x Courtney

These happy pillows from Barcelona make me smile every time I see them! They’re made by Yuly from Bibu, who wanted to create something fun, modern and unusual for her son. Her pillows can be used to play with, sleep on, and make great decoration too. And I love that the ‘backside’ of each pillow is made out of a very cool, custom designed fabric!!

xxx Esther

I’ve already mentioned the Warm Sugar dolls here before, but I just had to share them again. I ordered a couple dolls for my nieces for Christmas this year and was so pleased with them. I sent an email to Shannon, the talented creator, and asked for dolls with specific traits: one blue-eyed doll and one brown, one more girlie than the other, both with light brown hair, etc (see photo). Aren’t they so cute? I just love the mix of fabrics and that each doll can be customised for the little recipient. The dolls are available to purchase from the Warm Sugar Etsy shop, and I just think they make lovely gifts.

x Courtney

Did you play Mancala when you were a child? My siblings and I played all the time! I had forgotten all about it until recently stumbling upon it on Amazon while looking for Christmas gifts. I ended up buying it for my 6-year-old, and I think we’ve played already a bazillion times. Even my 4-year-old loves it.  It’s such a simple game which has been around for generations and played all across the planet (some people say it’s the oldest game in the world).

There are all sorts of boards you can buy, from simple folding ones to nicer bamboo sets. You can even make your own with an empty egg carton (how cool!) and use simple rocks or pebbles just like they did ages ago. Either way, the game is great fun for all ages (probably 4+) and encourages good counting skills.

x Courtney

I had the great pleasure of meeting the lovely Teresa, founder of the brand new Hedgehog Shop, a few weeks ago when she opened up her London studio for a little pre-Christmas shopping. I knew immediately that I would LOVE her online shop. Her knack for sourcing the cutest toys, craft items, dress-up pieces, party gifts and loads of other adorable treasures from around the world is SO spot on. I got my Christmas crackers from her shop and they were a huge success at my dinner table. I also found the most charming toys and other little winning gifts. The online shop is now up and running, and I just know you will all love it as much as I do.

x Courtney

We’ve moved back to NZ… and for the first time in many years we had our first summer christmas. I do love a cosy winter christmas but there is something to be said for a hot christmas day where the kids can run around outside and burn off all that energy. As soon as I knew we were moving back I planted the idea in their heads that they could ask Father Christmas for a trampoline.  My older sister and I had one when we were growing up and I think we played on it every day.  They are great for kids as they improve flexibility, help develop their balance and co-ordination, it’s a great workout for their muscles and it develops their motor skills among many other benefits.

Trampolines have come a long way since I was a kid (we had no safety mats or nets!) but now you can buy springfree trampolines as Sara mentioned in an earlier post.  I am proud to say these were invented in New Zealand by a father who wanted a safe trampoline for his children.  Our trampoline was a huge hit and the kids have been playing on it ever since. I can not recommend these trampolines enough!!

Stephxo

My husband got an ipad for Christmas (woohoo!) and we are very quickly catching ourselves up to speed with the rest of the ipad loving world.  I’m not sure who loves the ipad more — my husband (he reads the news) or the kids (they play the games)!  We have discovered the world Nosy Crow, which Mo has written about before (here and here). Nosy Crow offers clever and innovative storybook apps which not only tell a story, but also engage children the entire way through. Their newest app, Bizzy Bear on the Farm, lets toddlers (aged 2 to 4) help Bizzy Bear with all his chores on the farm. It’s amazing how many clever things the kids can do — each page is filled with different activities (pick apples, feed the piglets, run the horse, round the sheep up, drive the tractor, etc.). The Nosy Crow apps are available from the itunes store.

*And if you visit our Facebook page today, you can enter to win one of five promo codes for a free Nosy Crow app!

x Courtney

My 4-year-old son got the Miller Goodman Play Shapes for Christmas, and after admiring them for so long, I can confirm just how COOL they are! The whole family loves them, and it’s so fun to see the different ways of building and creating with all the clever shapes (my daughter likes to stack, my boys like to arrange on the floor). We’ve already spent hours playing with them, and you can tell this is a toy which will remain a favourite for a long, long time. The price tag is high, but this is one toy which is truly worth it (think grandchildren!). The set of 74 wooden play shapes is available from Olive Loves Alfie.

x Courtney

My kids were given the game of Dobble as an early Christmas present, and this little game has made a BIG impact. I think we’ve played 100 games of Dobble in the past week! It’s such a fun and easy game and one that the whole family can enjoy (probably from age 3 up). The concept is simple — you display two Dobble cards onto the table and the first one to point out the one symbol which is on both cards gets to take the cards. The one who has the most cards at the end wins. Fun! The game is available from Amazon (in the UK and in the US, where it is called ‘Spot It‘).

-Courtney

Found in the toy department of Alexandalexa, and made by i golfini della nonna.

xxx Esther

I have just started to scratch the surface of my Christmas shopping list — how did I ever manage anything without the internet?! How cool is this Kimono Doll Kit as a big stocking filler? Coco, who is now 5, is really getting into sewing and I have been a bit hesitant leaving her on her lonesome with needles. (Possibly I am being a bit overprotective? As she herself points out: If you don’t let me do it, how will I ever learn?).

Anyway, this nifty little kit comes with a plastic needle,  lots of pre-cut fabric pieces and other bits and bobs so she can go straight into crafting mode. Perfect for a post-Christmas chilly afternoon! It’s available from Alex & Alexa.

- Emilie

How cool is this toy computer by Donkey Products? It is totally designed to appeal to parents as much as to their kids, but I do love the idea: a chalk board hidden inside a laptop! Apart from looking good, it is also a really handy toy to have while you are out and about, as it folds down neatly with the chalk stashed away inside.

-Emilie

This fun memory game is made by Kid O and consists of a natural wooden board and 16 red dots that reveal four double sided cards with colourful drawings, numbers, patterns and more. Some cards are easier than others, making this game great for different ages (I would say age 3 years and up). And I love the modern, fresh look of it; it looks great on the coffee table! This perfect little family game is available from VUP baby.

xxx Esther

Are you familiar with Gilt?! It is THE place to go for great daily bargains and discounts on top designer brands and products. Their Baby & Kids section offers fab discounts on children’s fashion, accessories, toys, and other really cool things you suddenly want to buy the minute you spot them. It’s absolutely addictive and exciting, this bargain hunting (especially for children’s products!) — I could easily spend hours on that site just snatching up deal after deal!

Anyway, we’ve teamed up with the fantastic US-based children’s shopping portal, Tada! Shop, and Gilt to offer a $1,000 shopping spree at Gilt Kids. That’s $1,000 to spend on already discounted products. Just imagine how far that money will go!! Enter to win here. Good luck!