We love a new toy here at Make, Do & Push! HQ, so we were very excited when the Le Toy Van Petilou Sensory Shapes arrived on our doorstep for H-Bear to review!
The set is made up of nine wooden shapes; each with a different sensory sensation. There’s a jingle bell, a kaleidoscope, a mirror, shaky beads, a fluffy rabbit tail, a squeak, a twisting cricket and shiny fabric.
The set is made from solid wood, and is painted with water-based paints… which I’m very thankful for as they always end up in H-Bear’s mouth!!
H-Bear has absolutely loved exploring the set; his favourite shape is the jingly bell because I always sing a little song to accompany his jingling. His mind is blown a little by the kaleidoscope… Busby loves this one and always exclaims “I’m a bee!” Talking of Busby, she also loves playing with the blocks (at age three!) – and it’s a lovely activity for them to do together. In fact, it keeps them both distracted enough to make a hot cup of tea. Hurrah!
The blocks are fantastic for encouraging hand eye co-ordination, shape knowledge and manual dexterity, and I’m sure we’ll continue using them for months to come while H-Bear learns his shapes – they will also be great for tower building!
The Petilou Sensory Shapes retail at £24.95, and would make the perfect first birthday gift. You can find out more about the shapes, and where to buy them, on the Le Toy Van website.