Play is a very integral part of a child's development. In particular during their foundational years. As much as possible, I will go for quality and not quantity. Ok, who am I kidding. Anyone who has seen the mess in my house knows i go for both! haha. The husband can attest to that. Essentially, because there are so many quality toys to choose from! I have a soft spot for anything educational and was very excited to be introduced to ToyTag. A leading online toy vendor housing several of my favourite brands like Hape, Lego, Mattel, Osmo and many more. It even houses books from Epigram! TOYTAG started out with the simple aim of bringing the best toys from all over the world onto one platform for game lovers in Singapore to get their hands on their favourite games easily. They are one of the largest educational toy stores in Singapore and carries a wide selection of educational toys and games that are extremely popular overseas but slightly harder to find in Singapore. To add on, they also have their very own house brand toys, including the Brain Series Classic Chess Set, Hydraulic Robotic Arm Building Kit and Otis board game. These best sellers hope to inspire the creativity and encourage players to spend some time off your busy schedule to reconnect with your loved ones.
It was easy to navigate as the toys are all categorized according to brands or ages. Saves you the trouble to think if it is suitable for a certain age. Makes it easy to buy a gift for friends should you not have a kid or have long forgotten which toy is age appropriate. I was drawn to the selection of Hape toys which were housed under TOYTAG. Since the beginning, we had favoured this brand of toys and was delighted to see the array on this site.
The Whirlpool we chose for Small K was extremely apt. We love wooden toys and the material of Hape toys are excellent. It trains not only his motor skills but also his creativity. Initially, I got him to follow the instructions. This boy isn't quite used to following instructions so it kind of frustrated him. After a while, he understood the mechanics and was engineering amazing structures.
In fact, shortly after, he allowed his creativity to take charge and was soon building structures of his own. Even though this toy is more suitable for his age group, Big K was enticed too and played with it for a long while. Ahhhh respite! There were a number of permutations and this stretches their imagination which I like. When children grow up, their imagination is key to an untold world. Imaginations forges stronger neuronal connections in the brain and promotes social interaction. It is, in fact, proven by scientific studies to reduce risks of dementia. Children with more active imaginations may have better brain health and strive for more amazing things. Unfortunately, education these days are rather stifling.
Big K has always been inclined towards art and craft. I recalled about a year or so ago, we attended a Children's carnival at Garden's by the Bay and were rejected at a station which featured creations using a 3D pen. Big K wanted to do it so badly, but was deemed too young. When I saw the 3D Architecture pen set on TOYTAG, I knew I had to get it for her! She was delirious when she received it.
As it involved heat, we had to lend her a hand. We tested it out before guiding her. Sadly, the glue stuck too well onto the plastic sheet and could not be pulled out. We ended up doing it on paper which peeled off better. Eventually we figured that the mould worked better and it did! Big K couldn't quite control her strokes and I had to hold her hand for a bit. However, after a while, she got the hang of it and we made a few simple creations. Such things require patience and hence, apart from gross motor skills, this type is awesome at training a child patience! The refill packs are also sold on TOYTAG so I guess we don't have to worry when the colours run out!
There are several awesome online toy stores in Singapore and TOYTAG ranks second! Find out who are the rest over here. They have good deals every now and then as well, so do keep a lookup!! Apart from its online presence, TOYTAG also retails at Harbour Front Centre and APEX @ Henderson. Do check them out if you are looking for quality toys!
