Toys and Games
Showing posts with label Toys and Games. Show all posts

Learn With Thomas Range

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Disclosure - We were gifted the below items for the purpose of this post. All thoughts, opinions and photographs are our own. This post contains affiliate links - purchasing an item through an affiliate link adds no extra cost to you but might earn me a few pennies. 

Thomas and Friends Electronic Toys
Around this time of year I am always on the lookout for toy ideas for Christmas. Not just for little J but for my family and friends little ones. Since becoming an Early Years Practitioner I always seem to steer towards toys that have educational features but obviously keeping it fun for the little ones too. I really love the Learn with Thomas range from Trends, not only is it educational with lots of interactive fun, it's Thomas and Friends too which is a character we have loved for many years.


 The learn with Thomas toys are designed for those 18 months up to 4 years old however little J enjoyed playing with these especially the smart tablet and he is 6. I think it depends on the age and stage of your child but if they are a Thomas fan they will love the range no matter what age.

Thomas and Friends Flip and Learn phone


Thomas and Friends Flip and Learn Phone

The Flip and Learn Phone is a great addition to role play with the kids. Flip the phone to open and reveal a very colourful keypad. The number buttons are red, yellow, green, blue and orange which is not only eye catching but great for colour and number recognition. Press a number and it will make a beeping dialling noise. Once you have dialled your number press the green phone button to ring Thomas. He will answer ' Hello 'I'm Thomas, the number 1 blue engine'. Press the red phone button to end the call.

Thomas and Friends Flip and Learn phone
Press the ? button on the phone and Thomas will ask you to ring someone by pressing a certain button. For example Thomas will say 'Shall we ring Emily? Press number 8. This gives the child the chance to find number 8 on the keypad. Again great for number recognition. Thomas will also ask you to find a certain colour button too.

Press * to begin lots of fun sounds and press # to activate the Thomas tune. There is even a camera button which makes it very realistic for the little ones.

Thomas and Friends Smart Tablet


Thomas and Friends Smart Tablet

Most children now know how to work an iPad or tablet so they will love the Thomas and Friends Smart Tablet as it has lots of interactive fun.

Thomas and Friends Smart Tablet
The Thomas tablet is really colourful and has lots to do and see. Switch the Thomas tablet on my pressing the large yellow button at the bottom of the tablet. Then you can choose what feature you would like to play with.

Press one of the circle 'places' buttons at the top of the pad to learn about places to visit. A great way for children to learn about different destinations.

The number and shape buttons are perfect to help with number and share recognition. Press the button once and it will tell you the number press again to hear the shape.

Move down to the letters that spell out T R A I N. Press a letter once to hear the phonetic pronunciation and press again to hear the name of the letter.

Thomas and Friends Smart Tablet
Press the characters to learn their names and if you press again you can hear more about the character.

Next you can learn colours by pressing the trains.

Thomas and Friends Smart Tablet
There is a Thomas button at the bottom of the tablet, you press this to activate the quiz. Thomas will ask you a question and you have to find the correct answer and press the button. Lots of fun for little ones and encourages listening and attention too.

I have teamed up with Trends UK to offer one lucky Playdays and Runways reader the chance to win their very own Thomas and Friends Smart Tablet.

Our giveaway may be closed but the Learn With Thomas range is still available to buy on Amazon.

  

Win Thomas & Friends Smart Tablet

Michelle

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Dough Nab Game Review

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Disclosure - We were sent the products below for the purpose of this post. All thoughts, opinions and photographs are our unless stated. This post contains affiliate links. 

Dough nab Game
We love playing games as a family but sometimes John and I like to play games which are aimed at adults. We recently added a new game to our collection, Dough Nab. When I first saw the game I thought it was for younger children however its actually aimed at those aged 8+ and after playing I can understand why.



After reading the rules a few times we decided to just play and see how we got on. Dough Nab comes with three doughnuts, 60 cards, a turn tracker token and a head bakers hat. The aim of the game is to clear all the cards in your hand and also your dough nab pile.

Dough Nab Game
To start the game all you need to do is place the three doughnuts in the middle of the table. Deal out 10 cards face down to each player and place the remainder cards to the side. You then decide who goes first and hand them the turn tracker token.

Dough Nab Game
Each player takes it in turns to turn over their top card and place it face up in front of them. You continue to do this in a clockwise order until there are 3 matching doughnuts on show. If you are the first to spot three matching doughnut cards face up then you must grab the correct coloured doughnut.  You then give your dough nab pile of face up cards to a player of your choice so they have to add them to their own pile.

Dough Nab Game
To make the game more interesting there are special cards. Magic doughnut cards, the crumbs cards,  don’t nab and nab cards.

The magic doughnut cards can be matched with two doughnuts of the same colour, so you would then grab the doughnut that corresponds to the majority. For example if there are two pink doughnuts in the face up piles and you place the magic doughnut card down you would grab the pink doughnut.

If by chance three magic doughnut cards are visible at the same time you must race to grab any coloured doughnut.

The crumbs card is a half eaten doughnut and they are placed in the pack just to confuse you, they don’t do anything at all.

If you place the don't nab card down no one can grab a doughnut until the don't nab card is covered up.

If the nab card is placed down all players must race to grab a doughnut.  You then hand your dough nab pile to a player who was not grabbed a doughnut.

The winner is the player without any cards and they can wear the head bakers hat.

Dough Nab is a really fun fast paced game similar to snap only for adults. As you can see the rules are a little complicated with a lot to remember but once you know how to play you will be a whizz. I will be adapting the game so we can play it with little J who is 6 as he loves games and I'm sure he will love this too.

Michelle


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Bunch O Balloons Party Pump and Balloons

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Disclosure - We we received Bunch O Balloons Party Pump and Balloons for the purpose of this post. We also received an Asda voucher to buy more balloons. All thoughts, opinions and photographs are our own. This post contains affiliate links - purchasing an item through an affiliate link adds no extra cost to you but might earn me a few pennies. 

boy holding balloons
If there’s one thing that can keep a child entertained for hours it’s a balloon. Little J absolutely loves balloons and it doesn’t matter whether they are attached to a piece of string or just inflated he will play with it no matter what. Although balloons are perfect for any occasion they do make a great addition to any party. In the past I’ve been stuck blowing up tens of balloons for a birthday party leaving me short of breath, but I know just how much the kids will enjoy them. When we received Bunch O Balloons Party Pump and pack of self sealing Party Balloons I was excited to give it a try.



Bunch O Balloons
Bunch O Balloons Party Pump and self sealing party balloons claim they can fill, tie and string 40 balloons in 40 seconds. Now I know this probably sounds too good to be true but I am always happy to try anything and I was actually keen to see if this would actually work.

The party pump pack came with 16 balloons included and we were sent an additional pack of 24 balloons so 40 in total.

Bunch O Balloons
When we opened the pump it was really compact which is great when it comes to storing after use. All we needed to do was attach the pump to the mains using the plug included then attach our balloons. You can choose between one stem (8 balloons), two stems (16 balloons) or five stems (40 balloons).  The balloons then inflate, tie and the ribbon is already attached so just ready for you to bunch together or leave them separate. It's up to you.

It was amazing to see all balloons inflate at the same time. I actually can’t wait to see how much time it will save for future parties when it comes to blowing up balloons.

Bunch O Balloons
The Bunch O Balloons Party Pump attaches to your mains electricity and it also comes with a set of of additional adaptors which can be used to inflate other items in the home, such as water toys, paddling pools or balls. It also comes with a helium adaptor which you can use to fill your balloons from a helium tank instead if you want to have floaty balloons.

Boy holding Bunch O Balloons
Bunch O Balloons Party Pump and 16 balloons cost just £14.99 from Asda and if you choose to buy additional packs of Party Balloons these cost £9.99 for a pack of 24. To find your nearest stockist check here and if you want any more information then you can head to Bunch O Balloons Party

Our giveaway may be closed but you can still purchase Bunch O Balloons online



Win Bunch O Balloons Party Pump and Balloon Pack ( £15 Asda Voucher)

Michelle


Competition closes on Sunday 20th October 2019

Entrants must have a valid UK address. 
Bulk, third party or any other entries using automated software will be disqualified. 
All entrants and entries are checked and verified. 
1 lucky winner will be chosen at random by the Gleam application. 
Playdays and Runways will contact the lucky winners within 7 days of the competition closing. 
The winners will be emailed to the email address given at the time of entering. 
The winners will not be announced on my blog or social media until they have agreed that their name can be displayed. 
The winners must respond within 28 days, if no response a new winner will be chosen. 
This prize is non-transferable and there is no cash alternative 
The Prize : £15 Asda Voucher so you can purchase Bunch O Balloons Party Pump and Balloons
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TIG-TAG | Review

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Disclosure - We were sent a TIG-TAG for the purpose of this post. All thoughts, opinions and photographs are our own. 

Boy holding a Tig Tag
There is an eleven year age gap between big and little J so finding a game that they can both play has always been a struggle. Little J would be too young for some and big J not interested in others. One common ground has always been playing outside. Whether it's football, garden or chase games their love of playing outside has always meant that they could spend time together having fun. We were recently sent TIG-TAG which is an exciting new outdoor game designed to get the whole family up and playing together.
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Hape Anywhere Art Studio | Review

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Disclosure - We were sent the Hape Anywhere Art studio for the purpose of this post. All thoughts, opinions and photographs are our own.

Hape Anywhere Art studio
We have been very lucky this Summer to be able to get away for a few days visiting different parts of the country. I usually pack a variety of toys to keep little J busy when we are travelling or staying over in a hotel but this time I only took with us the Hape Anywhere Art Studio that we had been sent to review.

The Hape Anywhere Art Studio is a portable tabletop easel which has a whiteboard on one side a chalk board on the other.


Hape Anywhere Art Studio
When you are ready to play you prop the easel up turning the adjustable knobs tightly so that the easel holds in place.

That is it. Your easel is ready to play with and all you need to do is to decide whether you want to use the whiteboard or the chalk board side.

Hape Anywhere Art Studio
If using the whiteboard side then you can choose to use whiteboard markers directly in the board (whiteboard markers are not included) or you can use the magnet to hold a piece of paper in place and draw directly on to the paper. The choice is yours.

Hape Anywhere Art Studio
If using the chalk board then you can use one of the two chunky chalks that are included to create your drawing. When you are finished you can use the eraser to rub it out and start again.

The Hape Anywhere Art Studio is perfect to play with at home or even when you are out and about. Little J absolutely loves drawing, painting and any other creative activities he can think of. The Anywhere Art Studio is completely portable and also very easy to set up. It's been ideal for us this Summer while we have been travelling around and little J loves it.

For more information visit Hape. The Anywhere Art Studio is available to buy in most good toy stores or online

Michelle

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Little Brian Paint Sticks 2-in-1 Art Station | Review

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Disclosure - We were sent the Little Brian Paint Sticks 2-in-1 art station for the purpose of this review. All thoughts, opinions and photographs are our own. This post also includes affiliate links.

Little Brian Paint Sticks
I have mentioned a few times recently that due to a few rainy play days at home and school little J has really started to enjoy lots of different creative activities. He has brought home a variety of drawings and paintings from school and now has an art drawer at home filled lots of different materials to allow him to be as creative as he likes. We were recently introduced to Little Brian Paint Sticks and I have to say they are an amazing invention. Looking like a glue stick you can use the solid paint stick to create lots of mess free paintings. 


Little Brian Paint Sticks
We were sent the Little Brian Paint Sticks 2-in-1 Art Station which is perfect for the Summer holidays whether we are at home or out and about. The art station opens up to reveal a double sided easel with a white board on one side and a chalk board on the other. 

Little Brian Paint Sticks
The 6 coloured paint sticks can be used on the white board directly or you can use the clip to hold a piece of paper in place so they can paint direct on to the paper. All you need to do is twist the paint stick and the solid paint will appear at the top and just start painting. 

Little Brian Paint Sticks
The chalks that are included in the art station again are completely mess free and do not leave a chalky residue that you get with normal chalk. You just twist the chalk and you are ready to go. 

Once you have finished playing it all packs away neatly and can be carried using the handle. 

Little Brian Paint Sticks
The Little Brian Paint Sticks 2-in-1 art Station is ideal for playing with at home however it is compact enough to take away with you to on either holiday or a day out to keep the little ones busy.

Michelle

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Ugly Dolls Prize Pack | Giveaway

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Disclosure - We were gifted this pack to give away

Ugly Dolls Merchandise
To celebrate the launch of Ugly Dolls An Imperfect Adventure Game I am giving away an Ugly Dolls Prize Pack to one lucky reader.
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Baby Shark Let's Go Hunt Game and Wooden Sound Puzzle | Review

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Disclosure - We were gifted both Baby Shark Let's Go Hunt Game and Wooden Sound Puzzle. All thoughts, opinions and photographs are our own. 

Baby Shark Game and Jigsaw
 I would like to assume that everyone knows the song Baby Shark and if you don't I can also assume you haven't been living on this planet for a year. Baby Shark is so popular with little ones and I can promise you if you are heading on holiday this Summer it will probably be a firm favourite at Mini Disco. We have been trying out Baby Shark Let's Go Hunt Game and Baby Shark Wooden Sound Puzzle for the last few weeks and they are a lovely addition to the very popular toy range.



Boy playing Baby Shark Game
Boy playing Baby Shark Game
The Let's Go Hunt game is a slow moving 'fishing' type game where each player grabs a rod and tries to hook a fish as it bobs up and down on the game board.

The game is designed for those 4+ and for between 2-4 players. Each player uses the rod to carefully catch the fish as it opens and closes its mouth. Now it may sound easy but it's quite tricky but lots of fun. There is an added bonus of the Baby Shark song playing as you fish.

Boy playing Baby Shark Game
There is a pattern to the fishes opening and closing their mouths which little J worked out very quickly however that doesn't mean he caught all the fish. You have to carefully place the rod in their mouth and hook it on to their sharp teeth. If you don't they tend to flip upside down.

It's a lovely game that little J actually enjoyed playing on his own too.

Boy playing Baby Shark jigsaw
Boy playing Baby Shark jigsaw
The Baby Shark Wooden Sound Puzzle is a 5 piece shark puzzle with colourful and chunky puzzle pieces. When you correctly place the shark in the right place it will sing the Baby Shark song however it will play the part of the song corresponding to the correct piece eg Mummy Shark, Grandma Shark. Lovely feature to the puzzle.

Boy playing Baby Shark jigsaw
Baby Shark Wooden Sound Puzzle is aimed at those 2+ so was a little easy for little J however it's perfect for when his younger cousins come to play.


Although our giveaway may be closed you can still enjoy Baby Shark Wooden Sound Puzzle and Lets Go Hunt game by purchasing on Amazon


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Yeti In My Spaghetti | Review

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Disclosure - We received Yeti In My Spaghetti for the purpose of this post. We have also been offered another to give away. This post also contains affiliate links.

Yeti in the spaghetti game
The Summer holidays will soon be here and I have been planning lots of activities to enjoy with little J. One of our favourite things to do together is to play games. Little J loves games and although we own plenty, including some from when Big J was little, we love having new additions to our games collection. Yeti In My Spaghetti is the latest addition. It's a fun, fast paced game that is perfect to keep the kids entertained and I have a Yeti In My Spaghetti to giveaway to one of our readers.

Yeti In My Spaghetti is a simple but very fun game to play aimed at ages 4+. Setup is really easy. All you need to do is place the bowl on a flat surface, place the noodle pieces on top of the bowl in all different directions and then place the Yeti on top. Each player takes turns to pull one noodle at a time  from the top of the bowl, whilst trying not to let the yeti fall in to the bowl. Once the Yeti falls into the bowl the game is over and if you made him fall you are the loser.

Our giveaway to win Yeti in the Spaghetti may be closed but you can still enjoy the game by purchasing on Amazon 




Michelle
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Smashers Epic Dino Egg | Review

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Disclosure - We were sent the Smashers Epic Dino Egg for the purpose of this post. All thoughts, opinions and photographs are our own. 

Smashers Dino Egg

Today is hatching day for our Smashers Epic Dino Egg. We received the huge egg a few days ago and Little J has been so excited waiting for the day when he could 'smash' the egg open. We are huge fans of Smashers and have built up quite a collection of Smashers including Smashers Dino so we can't wait to see the surprises inside.

The Smashers Epic Dino Egg has over 25 surprises inside. If your little one is a fan of blind bag type toys then this egg will be perfect for them.

Cracking open the egg was lots of fun. Little J tossed it in the air and let it fall to the ground. Each time a little crack appeared so he did it over and over until it smashed in to 4 pieces and a package popped out of the Dino Egg.

Smashers Dino Egg
Smashers Dino Egg
Inside Smashers Dino Egg
Inside was a Fossil Rock, Fizzy Lava, Dino Dirt, Glowing Slime and an Ice Age Putty. Each one of these will reveal a Dinosaur body part that once you uncover them all will create a large Dino figure. 

Inside Smashers Dino Egg
Also included was 6 Smashers Dino eggs which include a Dino collectible inside. 

Little J can't wait to create his Dino. We have played with Fossil Rock and Fizzy Lava before. All you need to do is add some water and watch as the Dino appears. Little J loves slime so this will be very popular and also the Dino Dirt sounds fun too.  

Little J is also excited to crack open his Smashers Dino Eggs to see what Dino collectibles he has found which he will add to his Smashers Dino collection

The Smashers Epic Dino Egg is currently available to buy in most major toy stores and supermarkets.

Michelle

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Celebrating National Picnic Week With John Adams

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Disclosure - We received the three travel games below for the purpose of this giveaway. Any thoughts, opinions and photographs are our own. This post contains affiliate links.

Boy playing games while having a picnic
As you can probably tell from our blog we love being outdoors and travel around a lot. One thing we love to do together is have a picnic. There isn't anything better than heading out with a picnic to enjoy. Between the 21st and the 30th June it is National Picnic Week and we have teamed up with John Adams to giveaway a travel game that you can enjoy while you are out and about.



We love playing games and usually take a selection with us if we go out for the day. We recently received a selection of new games from John Adams to enjoy and as they are travel size they are perfect to play on the go.

I am giving one lucky reader the chance to winner a Travel game from the following three we have been playing this week.

Orthello, Trominoes, Rumikub,
Triominos Sunshine
Triominos Sunshine is a bright and colourful version of the classic game Triominos. Triominos is the classic triangular domino game which is lots of fun. Each Triomino tile has numbers on players score points by matching numbers on the three-sided playing pieces to pieces that are already in play.

Little J really likes this game and he found it quite easy to understand the rules although does need help with the scoring part of the game.

Othello On The Move
Othello is a classic fast-paced strategy game. The idea behind the game is you must try to trap your rival's playing pieces and turn them over. The lead can change at any moment with a flip of a disk and the player with the most pieces of the same colour wins.

We've never played Othello before but we're enjoying the travel version. It's easy to set up and use and John and I have been playing in the garden in the evening.

Rummikub Travel
Rummikub is a numbers strategy game which is played with 106 tiles. The object of the game to be the first player to Rummikub. Rummikub means you have placed all the tiles from your tile rack onto the table before anyone else. You can lay your tiles down in number runs and colour groups.

The travel version of this game is so compact you could fit all the tiles in a small makeup bag or pencil case.

Although our giveaway may be closed you can still enjoy the games by buying online at Amazon

  

Celebrate National Picnic Week and Win A John Adams Travel Game

Michelle


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EasyRead Time Teacher Watch | Review

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Disclosure - We were sent the EasyRead Time Teacher Watch for the purpose of this review. All thoughts, opinions and photographs are our own. This post also contains affiliate links.

Boy looking at his watch
Most kids will be excited to just have 6 weeks left in school before the Summer, however little J is really looking forward to learning all about their new topic at school this term, learning to tell the time. Time is something we have tried to teach little J in the past but he wasn't ready. We were recently sent the EasyRead Time Teacher watch and we are hoping combining the watch and learning about time in school he will soon be a whizz at telling the time.


The EasyRead Time Teacher Watch comes in two different versions, minutes past and minutes to the hour or 12 and 24 hour. We tell the time using minutes past and minutes to so we chose this watch for little J.

Boy looking at his watch
We ordered the EasyRead Time Teacher minutes past and to watch with a red and blue face and a blue strap however there are lots of colour choices available.

How the watch works is very simple to understand. To read the time in minutes-past and minutes-to the hour we have taught little J the three simple steps that make up the 3-step teaching system.

Step 1. Read the number at the end of the long hand

Step 2. Say which side the long hand is pointing to (past or to)

Step 3. Read the number at the end of the short hand

Put it together and say it like it is. 10 minutes past 10.

EasyRead Time Teacher Watch
The watch has a 33mm diameter and the large clear dial shows every detail little J needs. The hands tell him which numbers to read.

EasyRead Time Teacher Watch
EasyRead Time Teacher Watch
I was so pleased to read that the watch strap is washable as little J being a typical boy gets very muddy I know the watch strap won't stay a nice shade of blue for very long.

Little J is really enjoying telling the time and has picked it up quite quickly thanks to the watch. I am hoping it has given him a little head start when he begins his 'time' topic in school this month.

Michelle

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Celebrating 35 Years Of Tetris | Review

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Disclosure - We were gifted the products below for the purpose of this post. All thoughts, opinions and photographs are our own. This post contains affiliate links.

Tetris game and Tetris Card game
I only found out about two weeks ago that the 6th June is World Tetris Day. It's a day to celebrate one of the most recognised video games of all time. This year World Tetris Day is also a time to celebrate the 35th birthday of Tetris. To join in with the Tetris fun we have been sent Tetris Dual and Tetris Speed games to play and also a set to giveaway.



Little J loves games so when he saw the duo he was quick to open them and hand me the instructions. I am always the one to read the rules and then teach everyone how to play.

Tetris game and Tetris Card game
Tetris Dual is a quick thinking head-to-head, tabletop strategy game based on the original Tetris. Set up was easy and play is very similar to Tetris in that your aim is to drop the Tetrimino shapes displayed on the LCD screen into the play grid. You score points by placing a shape next to one of your own colour, completing a full row and cleverly blocking your opponent.

Tetris Dual Game
Little J got the hang of this really quickly and after a few games he beat me, which shocked me as I had always thought of myself as the Tetris Queen.

Tetris Dual Game
It's a really quick game in that you have to think and act fast as the more shapes you can fit in to the grid in the time limit the more points you will score.

Tetris Card Game
Tetris Speed is a fast card game where a card is placed down in the middle and the remaining cards are divided amongst the players. The card in the middle shows the next Tetrimino shape to be played, so players must race to play a matching card from their hand but if you take your eyes off the cards for a second someone else may have played that card and already moved on to the next shape.

I thought little J would really like Tetris Speed as he loves card games such as snap and top trumps but I think it may just be slightly too old for him as he got quite frustrated when he could hold all his cards in one hand and again its very fast paced so while he was still looking for the correct shape we had already moved on to the next. I do think though this will be one for him to enjoy in the future.

Our giveaway may be closed but you can still enjoy Tetris games by purchasing them on Amazon.


Michelle
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