Disclaimer: We received this product free of charge for the purpose of this review and all thoughts and opinions are our own.
If you are looking for last minute stocking fillers for younger children then the Hey Doodle reuseable silicone colouring mats sets are a great choice. Containing an A3 silicone mat and 9 colouring pens they are nicely packaged in a resealable pouch, making them it perfect for travelling or for popping in your bag when out and about. They’re also fantastic for keeping children occupied in restaurants and a much better option than resorting to electronic devices. I also find that our mini reviewers chat a lot more when colouring, which is far better than being glued to a screen and ignoring everyone else.
The mat sits firmly on a table and is very easy to colour, the pens glide smoothly without smearing and seem to dry instantly so there is no bleeding when colours are used next to each other. All the colours are bright and vibrant and the mat looks very impressive when finished. The illustrations are fun and the A3 sized mat allows a few people to colour at the same time and as the mat is silicone any mistakes can easily be wiped away with a damp cloth.
There are 6 different mats available, Dinoroar, Aussie Animals, World Countries, Toot Toot Honk, Into the Wild and Sugar & Spice and each one is printed with illustrations that fit the theme along with dotted numbers, 1-10 which can be traced over, helping younger children learn their numbers. We received the Dinoroar mat, which as you have probably guessed is full of different dinosaurs and we’ve had lots of interesting questions about dinosaurs including where they lived, what they ate and why they became extinct so as well as enjoying colouring, we’ve learnt a lot about dinosaurs too!
Once the mat is coloured in it can of course be admired by everyone and then all you need to do is remove the ink with a damp cloth and you’re ready to start again. You do need to rub a little when removing the ink, especially if it has been left for a few days, so you may need to give little ones a little help with this.
Although there’s only images on one side of the mat, the reverse side can be used for drawing or games like hangman and noughts and crosses.
As well as being great fun, Hey Doodle colouring mats are better for the environment as you don’t need an endless supply of paper, simply wipe the colour off and start again.
Aimed at children aged 2- 7 these are a great way to keep the children (and adults) entertained this Christmas
RRP £21.99
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