It’s normal to want to be a part of your child’s academic life so you can help them excel. However, you can’t be there for every moment, including test days. With exam season coming up, stress levels will rise, so here is a helpful post from Marie Miguel, researcher and health writer at Better Help - where you can find a whole library of FREE advice to support your children's mental health. 

Though you can’t help them during the test, there are some things you can do to help them prepare. Read on for some test prep tips that will help your kids excel. And when you’re finished reading this article, head over to BetterHelp to get more advice on tests and other parenting subjects. 

I think most parents know the joy of washing paint or chalk out of the carpet, and thinking of the mess you'll have to clean up can make you reluctant to get the art materials out. We've been sent a selection of fantastic products from the award-winning Little Brian Paint Sticks range for review. They are almost entirely mess-free, instant to use and easy to put away, and ideal for children of all ages. 

We were sent the Little Brian Mini Art Station, Little Brian Paint Sticks 24 Pack and the Little Brian Paint Sticks Paint-A-Puzzle - Fun at the Farm floor puzzle for review. I'll be launching a give away for a Mini Art Station over the next few days - keep an eye on my Facebook page.... 

The Little Brian Paint Sticks and Chalk Sticks come in a big variety of vibrant colours which can't spill, dry in under 60 seconds, and have a really simple twist action when you need more (like a lipstick or glue stick). They can be used on all kinds of surfaces, including paper, glass, card, and even wood. 

Learning Resources might not have the snappiest name in the business, but they have some of the most interesting toys. Designed, as you'd expect, to stimulate your child's brain while they play, the hardwearing and long-lasting toys and games from Learning Resources are not only used at home, they're also popular in schools and nurseries.


They've sent us the Botley The Coding Robot Activity Set to review. This is aimed at children aged 5-9. My youngest child is 8 and he's reviewed with a 9 year old friend.


Opening the box is exciting because it has a little window on the front and is full of colour. You will need 5 x AAA batteries (3 for Botley and 2 for the Remote Control) and a tiny Phillips screwdriver, otherwise it's ready to go straight out of the box. Minimal packaging, nothing to undo and a useful storage box for afterwards. Christmas morning-friendly as long as you've got those batteries.

The Bee is a small and incredibly beautiful creature, and The Bee children's book from Moonlight Publishing is also small and beautiful. From the My First Discoveries range, this is a non-fiction book aimed especially at children aged 4-8.


The Bee really is a gorgeous book. Created by Gallimard Jeunesse, Ute Fuht and Raoul Sautai, (the latter two of whom also illustrated) it is full of warm, vibrant colour and drawings so detailed that you look twice to see if they're really photographs.

Write Size are a range of differently sized children's pencils designed especially to help with handwriting. There are 3 sizes, each with specific design features to help younger children learn to write neatly without the frustrations standard pencils can pose.


I first saw Write Size Pencils at Blog On September, and I was really interested. Having watched and helped all of our children learn to write, we've had many struggles with grip, or pencils with lead that snaps every 15 seconds. I was really intrigued to see how Write Size were different, and how that works in reality.

It's a lovely day when I'm sent something that I liked the sound of, and it far surpasses my expectations. One Third Stories have really achieved that. Their ideal is that every child should have the chance to be bilingual - they want to start a language learning revolution through stories - and their first books are available now. We've been sent the French Language Learning Bundle to review.


I have reviewed children's books now for several years and I was introduced to One Third Stories at a very early stage when they launched on Kickstarter. I liked the sound of it so much that I agreed to promote it - and I'm very pleased I did. The finished product is gorgeous, and it really works!


The French Lanuage Learning Bundle we've been contains a Story Book (with excellent illustrations by Hannah Hutchings), Activity Book (in 4 languages), sheets of double-sided press-out Flash Cards (one side English) and a French Fact File.

My youngest child is a climber. It wasn't a complete shock to me, his older sister was a climber too and had fallen off the dining room table and split her head open by the time she was 12 months. Her 2nd glue-job was when she was still under 4. Thankfully so far those are the only trips to hospital with small people who have fallen, however that is some sort of miracle.

Aged around 18 months she climbed barefoot to the top of our 8 foot tall wooden garden fence. Sadly no adult is able to climb up a fence like that, and I actually had to leave her up there and run into my house , go all the way upstairs to fetch a stepladder and not trip up on the way back to get her down. She thought it was hilarious, she could see the neighbour's dog and she liked dogs. And cats....(I don't have a picture of a dog and I've heard cats attack you in the night if they think you are the enemy).


We knew our youngest was inquisitive, and more than a bit lively, from very early on. A walker by 11 months, he had already learned how to undo stairgates by twisting the two bottom supports until they were loose, and then just pushing the gate to crawl under it. It was no coincidence the gate at the top of the stairs was screwed completely to the wall.

Revell are well-known for their long history of producing model kits, and their Junior Kits are especially designed to introduce young builders to modelling - while working as a fully functioning toy once built. We've been sent the Fire Engine (or Fire Truck if you prefer) Level 1 Junior Kit to review, suitable for children from around age 4.


My newly 6 year old is no stranger to building and modelling, but is not a natural instruction-follower and usually has a 20 minute attention span. He maintained interest throughout this build with a couple of short breaks. He did need a little help with 2 errors and 1 part he simply couldn't understand, but otherwise it is all his own work - and you can tell how pleased he was with it...

My children love to find new material to read, and Amazing! really is excellent new material. A monthly printed magazine aimed at children aged around 7+, each issue has content based on the National Curriculum, delivered in a really exciting and interesting way.


Each edition is around 36 pages printed in full colour on good quality paper. It has a main theme running throughout and is packed with stories, facts, puzzles and riddles, poems, activities articles and jokes. We were sent two recent issues - a Human Body Special, and and Ancient Romans Special.

If your children are incredibly good, and sweet, and soft, have never picked their nose or hidden their peas, and would never ever do anything cheeky ever, they might not like this book. If your children are really like that, then you might not like this book either. 

Cheeky Charlie is actually a quite cheeky book! It's not like most of the books we've read, it's more like a regular afternoon in our house. The author, Mat Waugh, is brilliant at description and scene-setting, so that even with no pictures at all, both my 5 and 6 year old boys are completely immersed into the story.
 

The main characters in the book are the 6 year old Harry, and their younger sibling, Cheeky Charlie, and part of why my boys like this book so much is because they identify so much with the characters. My 6 year old is generally quite sensible, and my 5 year old can be incredibly cheeky and mischevious. By the time (on page 2) it was pointed out that Harry was in fact a girl, my 6 (very nearly 7) year old had already decided it was probably written about him...

 It's always lovely when someone you like says they like you too, and so I was delighted to find that Orchard Toys were pleased with the reviews I did of some of their games, and then asked me and my youngest to review a brand new jigsaw for them. We already have a couple of Orchard Toys jigsaws, and know that they are made in the UK from the same 100% recycled board as the games, and that they are full of interesting things to look at and talk about. It was a little daunting trying to work out how a video review of a jigsaw would go, but we've given it our best shot!

< The Big Police Car jigsaw puzzle ~ Age 3+

The Big Police Car jigsaw  retails at £9.75 and the suggested age range is 3+. It has 30 chunky pieces in really varied sizes. It teaches matching and observation skills, manual dexterity and encourages conversation and exploration about the Police Force, modes of transport and work roles (amongst others).


The suggested age range for this puzzle is 3+ and we think that is spot on. Boy no.4 is nearly 3 and he can't quite manage on his own, whereas boy no.3 is 4 years 4 months and is almost entirely confident, even (as you can see in the video) realising he has a whole section of the puzzle that can slot into another and trying to slide it across (this is in my opinion an advanced jigsawing skill). I love that the top and side edges of the puzzle have large swooping curves which make it far more of a challenge for a child who has learned that puzzles are usually regular and rectangular.



There was loads to talk about within the picture, and the boys led most of the chat as they put it together, talking about which vehicles they preferred, what each Police Officer might be doing and what they might do next. They have now completed the puzzle several times, and it still looks brand new, they still stand and stare at it and talk about it once it's complete, and they still want to do it again.

Boy no.3 says it's "great, but not my favourite because Creepy Castle is my favourite". Boy no.4 says it's "awesome". I say it's fantastic because it's huge so they can play with it together on the floor or table and working as a team they can complete it nicely. It's a definite thumbs up!

Because we love Orchard Toys games it's no surprise that we asked Santa to bring some for Christmas.

We took advantage of the free postage for orders over £15 and ordered Where's My Cupcake? and What A Performance, which had both come highly recommended at Playfest on Twitter and Facebook. Where's My Cupcake was mainly for boy no.4, who is 3 in March, and What A Performance was for the whole family to play together. As with all Orchard Toys games and puzzles they are designed and manufactured in the UK from strong 100% recycled board. They have really bright colours, modern pictures and chunky pieces that don't bend or come apart during even quite boisterous play. They are built to be played with, and built to last.

We love Orchard Toys here, and having used them previously as a childminder and in a nursery, I know that they are really popular games and puzzles which can encourage even the quietest child to start talking and join in.

We were lucky enough to review both the Three Little Pigs and Old MacDonald Lotto for Izziwizzi Kids Playfest. As with all Orchard Toys games and puzzles they are designed and manufactured in the UK from strong 100% recycled board. They have really bright colours, modern pictures and chunky pieces that don't bend or come apart during even quite boisterous play. They are built to be played with, and built to last.

Three Little Pigs ~ Age 3-6




The Three Little Pigs game retails at £11.75. It is suitable for 2-4 players and the suggested age range is 3-6. It is perfect for nursery or pre-school aged children who are learning to count, and beginning to become confident with numbers. It teaches turn-taking and basic game play, and also the concepts of winning and losing via a more indirect path, as a player can be 'winning' but then have a couple of unlucky throws and fall back.




We loved the 3D nature of this game, the little pig characters and the houses made it really tactile and held the interest of the younger children, they were also excellent for encouraging a little imaginative play!



Old MacDonald Lotto ~ Age 2-6

Old MacDonald Lotto retails at £9.50. It is suitable for 2-4 players and the suggested age range is 2-6.
This game is ideal for a younger child who is learning to turn take and play games. It teaches recognition of different animals and objects, and their corresponding actions or sounds, expanding a child's vocabulary and increasing their confidence. It encourages observation, memory and matching skills.


The aim of the game is to collect all of the matching cards shown on your lotto board before the other players. If you find a matching card you then perform an action or sound that corresponds with that card before placing it on your board.


Our 2 year old especially was delighted with this game and felt really special that we have a game he can play on an almost even level with his older siblings. He very quickly learnt all of the names for the objects which appear, from the very familiar through to 'woodpecker' and 'milk churn' which are not so commonplace.
He picked up the idea of taking turns very quickly, although found it harder when there were 4 players and spent a lot of time being confused as to when it was his turn, but it was all good. We liked that we could change the game slightly to match the ability and interest of the children playing. When the 2 year old played he really liked the 'farmer' characters, so we let him choose one before we even started, otherwise he couldn't concentrate on the game because he was too keen to, in his words 'choose a player'!

Posted by Jenny at The Brick Castle at 15:50 3 comments:

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Labels: 2 Player Games, 3 player games, 3-5, 4 player games, 5-8, Key Stage 1 (Infants), Orchard Toys