Learning Resources Spike The Fine Motor Hedgehog Puzzle Playmate Review

Reviewed by Shetho

This is the second toy from Learning Resources and the Spike the Hedgehog range I have had the pleasure of trying, the first being the Sensory Tree House. These toys are specifically designed to provide children with a fun learning environment. On their website Learning Resources say ‘A great educational toy is one where children have so much fun playing, they don’t realise they’re learning. Designed for play, all our toys and games are created to be fun and engaging to use. We make toys that will capture your child’s attention, offer multiple ways to play and express their creativity, and challenge them to explore and learn while enjoying themselves.’

The Spike the Hedgehog Puzzle Playmate comes packaged in a white and blue cardboard outer depicting the game and showing the bright colours. This toy is suitable for children from 18+ month’s.

The contents of the box compromises 11 pieces:
The Spike hedgehog puzzle base which has a blue body and a brown head and feet with spaces for the shapes and quills.
Five shaped puzzle pieces, red star, purple star, orange heart, green triangle and blue square.
Five numbered quills in colours which match the shapes and also have pictures of the shapes on them.
Activity Guide which includes fun ways to play.

There are lots of ways the Spike the Hedgehog Puzzle Playmate can be used to encourage little ones learning and development. The Activity Guide gives instructions on how Spike the Hedgehog can help to teach shapes, colours and numbers as well as learning how to grip and hold the quills. This will help with more practical everyday tasks such as holding a spoon or pen. All the pieces are made from soft plastic so they are easy to grip.

As the product is suitable for children aged 18+ months, the activities can be built upon over time, so for example initially sorting the shapes and identity the colours could be enough, then as your little one develops, they will enjoy matching the quill colours and shapes too.

The Spike the Fine Motor Hedgehog Puzzle Playmate is one of eight toys in the Spike range and is part of a wide range of toys suitable for under 2’s. The Learning Resources website says ‘Designed to inspire toddlers to explore, discover and learn more about their world through hands-on play, these fun and engaging educational toys and games will help little learners get ready to take on the world. Each one of our products has been designed to help your little ones develop key early skills: motor and social skills, colour and shape recognition, basic counting and the alphabet. There’s endless fun, exploration and discovery on the cards while learning through hands-on play.’

I have a two year old granddaughter who will have endless hours of fun with this toy and I can’t wait to spend quality time watching her play and encouraging her to learn.

Rating: 5/5

RRP:£15.00

This product can be purchased from Learning Resources here.