Activity & Educational Toys
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Special educational needs and disabilities can affect a child's ability to learn, develop and grow - which can lead to problems later in life, as well as frustration and depression if not given the right support.
Some children may have SEN because of a medical condition or disability, other children may have SEN without a diagnosis or disability. Special educational needs schools (SEN schools) give children invaluable support, education and care which is designed to work with their way of learning, offer extra encouragement and support and set them on the best path possible for their future. Baby Brands Direct know how hard SEN staff and teachers work, that's why we've made it easy to order the best educational toys for your cohort of children. With a massive selection of toys with a host of developmental benefits, Baby Brands Direct is a one stop shop for your classroom inventory.
Children with special needs can benefit from playing with sensory toys. Children with conditions such as autism can have difficulty processing sensory information, resulting in a potential aversion and avoidance to the cause of sensory stimulation - such as loud noises, bright lights or strange textures. By introducing sensory play to a child’s day, education providers can slowly introduce sensory elements to children without them being too overwhelming. Infantino has a varied range of sensory toys that allow children to explore different shapes and textures during play, as well as introducing them to light and sound in a way that isn't too overwhelming.
The Infantino Lights & Sounds Multi Sensory and Multi Textured Balls Sets are great for small classes as they include multiple balls with unique textures, allowing kids to explore them with their hands and play together as a group. Lalaboom's sets of construction beads can also help stimulate kids' senses with their unique shapes inspired by nature. They fit together in a number of ways and the clicks as each bead fits together creates satisfying sensory stimulation to children's ears. Other sensory items available at Baby Brands Direct are comfort soothers which use audio and light to soothe and comfort little ones. Comfort soothers like the Tommee Tippee Light and Sound Sleep Aid come in cute cuddly animal designs, so they're perfect for kids to hug and cuddle as well as for nap time.
Musical toys are a great way of bringing fun and sensory elements to play. Products with a musical element, such as Halilit’s Giant Rainbomaker, are perfect for developing auditory skills. This particular musical toy creates a soothing rain-like sound that children won’t find too overly stimulating and the need to manipulate the toy in order to make the sound helps to build fine motor skills as well as teach cause and effect. The Infantino Baby's 1st Teethe & Play Music Set combines bright coloured musical toys with teething textures, which are perfect for young children going through the painful period of teething and to naturally support the instinct to explore with mouths and gums.
Memory games or games that help children to understand emotions are also great for SEN schools, as children with special needs can find it sometimes difficult to express their emotions and feelings effectively and may struggle with memory issues and cognitive dysfunction. French brand, Janod, have a great selection of puzzles and games that are designed to introduce the concept of emotions to children - as well as jigsaws and learning games that can help improve cognitive skills. Toys like the Janod WWF Koala Stacker And Rocker are perfect for teaching essential skills like problem solving, as well as teamwork and reasoning. Children can also develop their fine motor skills by manipulating the blocks into place. Construction toys are also perfect for this, with building blocks like those from Mega Bloks allowing children to unleash their creativity while developing key skills that will benefit them later in life.
Activity tables and centres like the VTech Play & Learn Activity Table allow multiple children to play together, helping improve communication, social and emotional skills. By allowing children to interact during play, they can improve their vocabulary and also gain empathy and understanding of others. Such activity toys help to teach topics covered by the school's curriculum in a fun and engaging way, helping to boost knowledge in a less intensive way than being stuck at the school desk.
With over 2500 items under one roof, Baby Brands Direct offer everything SEN staff and teachers need to make their classroom experience engaging and fun for children with special educational needs. We dispatch high quality branded products direct from our on-site warehouse, so orders are able to be delivered quickly and efficiently. With multi-buy discounts and no minimum order value, teachers and staff can order as much or as little as needed to cover the requirements of their class.
Why activity toys sell so well
Activity toys is Baby Brands Direct’s largest toy category – we literally have something for everyone! From activity tables, pull-along toys, building blocks, and stacking toys to toy cars and trains, learning tablets, and musical instruments. The big activity toys are higher-ticket items that grandparents will love to buy as gifts. A baby activity table or chair can encourage the development of motor skills, critical thinking, communication and more. Most have lots of lights and sounds that encourage babies to interact. They can also keep them busy while adults are close by making dinner or checking emails so are ideal for busy parents. There are so many activity toys that keep babies and younger children enthralled. Everything from toys that encourage crawling, to highchair toys that keep little hands and eyes busy until lunch is ready.
Child-friendly technology
Parents are looking to develop their children’s STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths skills) abilities from an early age. And with schools and nurseries closed during the 2020 Covid-19 lockdown, there has been a greater focus on educational toys that can be accessed at home. Our activity toys all have some educational benefits. Technology is a part of life, and toys do reflect that, bringing sensory satisfaction and stimulation. Look to VTech and Leapfrog for little laptops that offer age-appropriate tech time. Toy phones, cameras and remote controls that look just like mummy’s or daddy’s are another attractive toy for children. We even have the Fisher Price Laugh n Learn Controller, so little ones can pretend to be just like an older sibling who likes to play on a games console. While the toys reflect the technology around us, they still help to teach little ones important skills, such as number, letter and colour recognition, cause and effect and fine motor skills. For slightly older children, we have working versions of the technology favoured by parents and older siblings. VTech’s Kidizoom cameras and Smart Watches will make younger kids feel they are just like the older ones, while parents will be happy that the gadgets are storyland the technology is safe and child friendly.
Role-play
Role-play toys are enormously important in child development. They encourage creativity and imagination, help them to understand emotional and social situations, improve communication and language, and promote problem-solving skills and critical thinking. We have a choice of some wonderful role-play sets, such as Janod’s Little Miss Vanity case and Shaving Set to Leap Frog's Ice Cream Cart and Smart Sizzling BBQ grill. Sounds tasty!
Our activity toys make great gifts for birthdays, Christmas – and just because. Gift buyers will be looking for quality, so it’s important that retailers stock a good range of the quality brands that Baby Brands Direct prides itself on supplying – leading brands such as Fisher-price, Janod, Vtech, Infantino, Leap Frog, Taf Toys, Tiny Love, Tomy and more.
