Disclaimer – We received this item free for the purpose of this review/feature but all words and opinions are our own.
Amidst all the techie toys out there, multiple screens and the commercial money-makers, Christmas toys is a minefield for getting the balance between educational and wholesome. Kidoki have a range of toys which are suitable for children but without the screen time, or the added expense of having to buy an app, batteries, additional converters etc. Harping back to a time of simpler toys, this Teeter Totter Shapes Wooden Balance Game looks like it’s come straight from the Elf Factory!
The Kikkerland box contains 11 wooden shapes, all brightly coloured and some with faces and patterns painted on them. They’re all completely different shapes too. The main piece is a blue ‘boat’ shape with a convex base. The idea of the game is to balance all 10 other pieces on top of the boat without it toppling over. There isn’t one way in which they all fit, so it’s a game of balance for little hands to try and build a structure that will not only balance but stay stable long enough for all the pieces to fit on top. There’s also the added difficulty of not all the pieces having straight edges – so how do you fit them all together?
For fine motor skills, problem solving and general fun, the Teeter Totter Shapes Wooden Balance Game has a lot to offer. As an adult, I found it difficult at first to work out how the pieces are meant to stack. Once you realise they aren’t meant to, and there are multiple ways in which they can stack, it becomes a race against time to get them into an order where they will all stay in once place! Yes, the boat rocks and you have to work out how to distribute the weight of each piece so that it doesn’t topple over. The shapes are all different heights as well, and different weights so it’s not obvious how you complete the tasks.
For children, this is a great game to challenge them, and it doesn’t involve screens or modern technology. The painted faces and patterns also mean that children can use the blocks in a manner of different ways, including creating new games, or using along with other shapes from other games. They might also find them useful for learning the names of shapes and colours and using them in their imagination games.
We found that the Teeter Totter game was not just for children though! The size and robustness of the blocks meant it was great fun for adults to have a go in the evening, sitting around the coffee table with a drink and the TV on, each trying to work out how to fit everything together without it falling over! Make a game of it by timing how long it takes someone to balance all 11 blocks – the winner is the quickest!
Available online for £25 at: https://kikkerlandeu.com/products/teetertottershape-wood-balance-game?_pos=2&_sid=ac6edaecd&_ss=r
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