How to Keep the Kids Entertained

1. Smart Go Genuis | RRP: £19.99 | Available from Smart Toys and Games

Promising to take children on an educational trip of a lifetime, the Go Genius collection is sure to keep them entertained (and improve their knowledge) during the holidays. The award-winning range of subject-themed board games, invites 2-4 players to grab their passports, fasten their seatbelts and learn whilst having fun along the way! Designed to help and improve children’s knowledge, players travel around the board answering multiple choice questions with 3 different levels of difficulty. Any player that scores more than 15 points is officially a genius and can add a sticker to their passport! Best of all, this award-winning collection uses sustainable materials and is 100% recyclable.

Brand new for this summer, Go Genius Football is perfect for kids who love to watch a match, Go Genius Science for the active mind, and Go Genius History will help grow children’s knowledge by answering questions on everything from the Ancient Greeks, Romans and Vikings and World War II. 

2. Smartivity Pinball | RRP: £37.99 | Available from Smart Toys and Games

Smartivity is the DIY science and engineering wooden construction sets that will not only engage young minds and inspire future makers, but they will also provide the perfect rainy-day activity, promising to make learning fun and, once complete, they provide little ones with a high-quality toy to play with. Based on the principles of STEM, Smartivity’s laser cut construction and activity sets are made from sustainable, engineered wood and the brand has a fantastic new addition to spark the mind of little ones this summer. 

You’ve played pinball at the arcade, but now you can have your favourite arcade game at your fingertips as it promises the same amount of fun. It is time to build your own fully functional wooden pinball machine, once finished launch the marble and use the flippers to keep it in play to score maximum points. The board game will complete an evening with friends and family whilst keeping them entertained.

3. SmartGames Jump IN Limited Edition | RRP: £19.99 | Available from Smart Toys and Games 

The perfect mind boggler for the holidays is SmartGames bestselling Jump In! Suitable for ages 7+, Jump In comes in a handy portable case, so little ones can continue completing the challenges on the go! Can you help the rabbits jump to safety? Players must use the other rabbits, mushrooms and even the moving foxes to jump around and hide the rabbits in their burrows.

It’s tougher than it sounds, and this fabulous game comes with 100 challenges to complete – children won’t be able to put it down until they’ve completed them all! Best of all, it helps to support many skills including concentration, logic, planning, problem solving and spatial insight.

4. IQ Games | RRP from £10.99 | Available from Smart Toys and Games 

The IQ collection is growing with three new launches including IQ Love, IQ Stixx, IQ Six Pro and all are travel- friendly so ideal for whatever your holiday plans are. IQ Love shines bright with the colourful gemstones of a game board, it is time to show your brain some love with 120 challenges. Use your skills to stack up the sticks with the family friends puzzle game, IQ Stixx. It comes with 120 difficult challenges to fit 5 horizontal pieces on top of 5 vertical ones. And finally super fun IQ Six Pro, which is a double-sided board game with a grid for 2D and for 3D pyramid challenges. 

5. SmartMax Roboflex | RRP: £24.99 | Available from Smart Toys and Games 

SmartMax, the brand behind the award-winning pre-school magnetic construction range, has recently unveiled Roboflex, two new toy sets that give children the chance to get creative to bend, extend and flex their bots into new forms! 

Suitable for ages 3+, Roboflex proves robots can be flexible and lots of fun! Little ones can enjoy getting creative as they make their own colourful, crazy robots. The 12 piece set features new flexible, extendable magnetic bars that will add an extra dimension to the SmartMax playset. Budding robotics can choose their parts and then bend, extend, assemble and play! The set includes an inspirational poster to follow, or little ones can create the crazy robot from their own imagination. For added robotic fun, Roboflex Plus allows you to make even more robofriends. 

6.  Magnetibook Crazy Faces – Boys & Girls Options | RRP £17.99 | Both Available from Mulberry Bush

Give little ones the gift of playtime on long car journeys with the help of this fun game! They will be able to create countless crazy faces using features and accessories, all in magnetic pieces, ensuring little bits and bobs will be safely stuck down and not thrown all over the boot! Appearing in both boys and girls versions, these brilliant books will be a firm favourite with curious youngsters.
 

7.  Janod WWF Educational Puzzle | RRP £29.99 | Available from Yes Bebe

Catch the attention of budding Attenborough’s with this charming and enlightening puzzle from Janod’s charitable collection with WWF. The puzzle depicts the most endangered animals on each continent once made, sure to spark curiosity in the littlest of adventurers and educate growing minds on the world around us. 

8. Animal Pom Poms | RRP £14.95 | Available from Little Whispers

With this adorable craft kit, children will be able to create their very own little pompom animals, to either play with or simply marvel at on their bedroom shelf! Best suited for children aged 8 and above, this funky craft activity is bound to be a hit with little ones keen to get off the sofa and straight to the arts and crafts table!

9. Lilliputiens Little Doctor Alice Bag | RRP: £41.99 Available from John Lewis

Providing little ones hours of imaginative play, Lilliputiens Little Doctor Alice Bag includes all the essentials for medics of the future to take care of the adorable Alice Fox, who unfortunately, isn’t feeling too well! The super soft doctor’s bag (which cleverly also serves as a sick bed) features everything needed to take care of Alice, ranging from bandages, a thermometer and even a stethoscope. Promising hours of role play games and inspired playtime, the doctors set is sure to be loved by little ones for years to come.  
 

10. Infantino Jumbo Sensory Mat | RRP £40.00 | Available from Argos

Infantino the brand committed to helping parents 24/7 and offers amazing value for money, and brings a smile 24/7! The Jumbo Sensory Mat promises to keep little ones entertained in the holidays with this whopping space of 48" x 48", the mat provides a wonderful place for rolling, crawling, sitting and tummy time. Offering a giant space for curious minds and little hands, the new Jumbo Sensory Discovery Mat is perfect for encouraging exploration. Bursting with textured shapes, crinkly fabrics, colourful ribbons, and a giant selfie mirror, little ones will be mesmerised for hours. 

Ideal for on the go for play dates at the park or at home as it is super easy and quick to fold up. Not forgetting to mention the engaging interactive activities and cheeky characters with fun animals including a monkey, racoon, elephant and sloth, to stimulate the senses.
 

11. Infantino 2-in-1 Gears in Motion Activity Boat | RRP: £19.99| Available from Amazon

Starting the holidays with a big smile with the brand new 2-in-1 Gears in Motion Activity Boat from Infantino. The Activity Boat is packed full of fun to ignite all the senses and the two-sided design promises double the fun!  With groovy gears, busy beads, vibrant colours and a ginormous mirror for giggles galore, babies are sure to stay engaged for endless play.

It provides development of head and neck muscles through tummy time play and continuing to bring joy as bay grows. Not forgetting it supports visual tracking, grabbing and reaching, with a variety of features to refine motor skills. It is super lightweight and easy to fit in your bag play on the go - the wherever your travels may take you!