We were lucky enough to receive both the Let’s Play London Bus and the Fishing Game from Jaques of London to try out and play with.
The wrapping on the Let’s Play London Bus was exquisite; it almost felt like a real shame to open it! When we did, we found a lovely note included hoping for our enjoyment of it. Emilia is partial to red, so immediately the bus drew her attention. It is beautifully crafted from wood and the attention to detail is wonderful! There is a bus number, a little driver included, seats, as well as the rear entrance some of the newer double deckers have!
Due to the COVID-19 world we live in, Emilia’s exposure to public transport has been limited, but, with this toy, she can have some exposure of it again! She loves to move the people on and off the bus, though she doesn’t have the adhere to social distancing yet I’m afraid! She loves to push the bus around and to remove the top tier in order to look inside the bus. The best part is that, as she grows, she will her experience of this toy. Right now it is being used as a tactile toy, but as her imagination develops, the role the little people and the vehicle itself will take will also change.
The Fishing Game is another example of a toy that changes with the child. Right now, what holds her interest is the individual pieces, being able to connect the fishing rod to the pieces and seeing the result, as well as carrying around the box like a little purse! Her fine motor skills are being developed as she practices playing with the rod and pieces, as well as her concentration and hand-eye coordination.
However, as she gets older, this game will cease to be an independent endeavour for her and she will learn how to play with others (up to four players!). There is an educational element to this too. She can learn her letters and numbers, which are printed on the other side of the fish, and there are endless possibilities on how to play with them. Matching, making words that start with those letters, adding or subtracting the numbers, and so on and so forth!
I am so excited to be on this learning adventure with Emilia and see how she grows and develops and what routes she takes with these games. Due to the high quality finish of all of these pieces, I know that these will last our family a long time and have a wonderful heirloom quality about them as well due to being wooden toys.