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Toy Gifts for Easter: Think Outside the Basket

Posted on March 27, 2019 by Lubica Misevski

Your Easter baskets don't have to be packed with unhealthy options or toys that are used once and then discarded. Including some educational, open ended toys in this year's Easter baskets ensures your child has a new game, toy or project that will entertain and educate them long after the holiday has passed. Choose a few nice chocolates, then complete your basket with one of these high quality learning toys; here are our top picks for Easter 2019: 

Hape Eggspressions: These solid wood eggs fit the Easter theme perfectly, but will help your child learn long after you've packed away the Easter goodies and decor. Designed to support social and emotional development, these durable eggs by HAPE teach about feelings and can even be used to get insight into your child's own feelings. Some children can express themselves more easily than others; learning more about feelings can help your child better communicate his needs and become less likely to experience frustration. The set includes six eggs, colourful stands and a book to explore feelings and expressions and is the high quality you've come to expect from the brand. 

Happy Bunny (New for 2019): Perfectly aligned with Easter, but playable after the holiday has passed, the new version of the Happy Bunny game is a delight for preschoolers and parents. This game is designed to be collaborative, not competitive, so players work together towards a goal. Cooperative games like Happy Bunny teach patience, taking turns and boost communication skills. The adorable art and characters make this an appealing game to play and a delightful addition to your Easter basket this year. 

Peek-a-Doodle-Doo: Easter wouldn't be complete without cute chicks, and these charming birds are sure to please. This hands-on, three dimensional memory game can be played collaboratively and features a sweet lineup of characters that will be usable well after Easter has passed. Memory games like Peek-a-Doodle-Doo are ideal for playing with a wide range of ages, as even young kids can grasp the concept swiftly. Memory games can also help develop critical thinking skills; the addition of three dimensional pieces with Peek-a-Doodle-Doo can also help with fine motor skills for the youngest players. 

Canvas Pop Art - Rabbit: Older kids need Easter toys too! This striking kit comes with everything needed to create a pop-art style piece and is designed for independent exploration. If you've been struggling to get your kids to drop the mobile devices and try a new activity, this one is tempting for all ages. In just a few hours, your child can explore colour, learn about materials and create a masterpiece they'll be proud to show off. You'll love seeing them learning something new, too!

Sewing Bunny Kit: Introduce your kids to a new skill they'll be able to use again and again -- and help them create an adorable Easter bunny, too! This all inclusive kit will allow your child to practice her fine motor skills, pick up some new techniques and allow them to explore the world of needle crafting without making a large investment. Best of all, the Sewing Bunny Kit comes with everything you need to make an Easter bunny of your very own, just in time for the holiday. Your child will love the process and display the finished toy with pride each year. 

Adding one or more of these open ended, imaginative and educational toys and games to your child's Easter basket ensures they have a fresh new toy to play with long after the sugar crash has faded. Opting for hand's on playthings instead of screen time can help your child pick up important skills and teach them everything from collaborative play to turn taking. Commit to adding an engaging toy to your child's Easter basket each year and you'll soon have a collection of go-to educational and learning toys to play each day.

Shop Our Easter Collection now. 

Posted in Easter Gifts for Kids, Easter Toys For Kids, No Chocolate Easter Gifts

Fat Brain Toys SpinAgain, and again, and again!

Posted on March 07, 2019 by Lubica Misevski

Baby's development in their first year relies largely on play-based activities. Building and improving hand-eye coordination along with motor, sensory, and sequencing skills is an important part of their overall development as they transition from infant, to toddler, to preschooler and beyond. Oftentimes, parents struggle with activities that not only engage their tiny tot but educate them as well.

In comes Fat Brain Toys, a toy company that develops age and developmentally appropriate toys to build skills, enrich the mind, and allow children to hit milestones and reach their fullest potential by incorporating STEM education into the design and function of their products. STEM education is the curriculum based on Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics: skills that will not only allow a child to learn but will assist and empower them to thrive.

The Importance of Play-based Learning

Play-based learning aids in a child's overall development, allowing them to confidently learn new skills, retain useful information and encourage them to become more independent in their future learning. According to early childhood education experts, play-based learning is beneficial for a multitude of reasons, such as encouraging language skills, supporting pre-literacy skills, the development of social and emotional skills, and fostering creativity and imagination.

SpinAgain

The SpinAgain is a revolutionary toy developed by Fat Brain Toys for ages 12 months and older. This six-disk stacking toy incorporates a threaded corkscrew to allow the colourful discs to effortlessly spin and settle into the base. The centre holes are all the same size, allowing for your child to stack in any order they wish. Bright, eye-pleasing colours capture baby's attention while the smooth plastic and varying shapes of the discs promotes sensory development. The base is able to be used in two positions, allowing your child to keep it stable or create a wobbly play surface, therefore creating a more challenging, exciting task for them to conquer!

The SpinAgain encourages babies and toddlers to develop hand-eye coordination by forcing them to place the small centre hole onto the threaded corkscrew. The trial-and-error method this may require your child to use can only help them gain confidence in their ability while helping them train the visual systems it takes to complete tasks that require good hand-eye coordination. This skill is important for future use, as it will allow them to read, write, and throw objects, amongst other things.

Along with helping develop hand-eye coordination, the SpinAgain helps develop gross motor and fine motor skills. Gross motor skills are skills that require full-body movement such as crawling, running, lifting, and jumping. Fine motor skills utilise tinier muscles and movements that can be tricker. By placing discs on the corkscrew and spinning them off, children are using tiny muscles in their fingers, hands, and arms they may not otherwise exercise regularly. This is an important skill to master for toddlers so they can learn and improve their dexterity and strength.

Early sequencing and engineering skills also play a part in the design of the SpinAgain by encouraging children to try to stack the varying shaped discs again and again. The alternating gear and flower-shaped design keep baby's mind activated while they stack them small to large, and large to small, encouraging engineering skills they may use at later times in life. The varying colours and shapes also help babies notice patterns they may not otherwise pay attention to.

Fat Brain Toys strives to provide safe, fun and educational toys for a variety of ages. The importance of educational play is not to be ignored and can only serve to help your child gain the necessary skills needed to excel in every stage of life, from infancy to school-age, to adulthood. Setting your child up for success begins at home, and couldn't be more simple with the help of the SpinAgain and other educational toys.

For more information and to browse other educational toys available for Toddlers please click here. 

Posted in Fat Brain Toys Australia, SpinAgain Fat Brain Toys

Sensory Exploration Made Fun and Easy With Dimpl By Fat Brain Toys!

Posted on February 28, 2019 by Lubica Misevski

During baby's first year, your child needs ample opportunity to explore and engage with the world around them. Everyday exposure to the outdoors, inside your own home, and places such as the zoo, the park, and even the grocery store are excellent chances for you to introduce stimuli and keep your baby interested.

In recent years, studies have shown an increasingly important need for independent play and exploration amongst babies and toddlers. Babies need to be given plenty of time to entertain themselves in order to thrive as they grow into toddlerhood, school-age, adulthood, and beyond. Independent play can be established by leaving your baby in a large, baby-proofed space, or by giving them different toys with no guidance so they have the chance to use toys in a way that keeps them engaged and appeals to them.

That's where Fat Brain Toys comes in, to give parents a break and give babies the opportunity to learn and explore on their own!

Introducing Dimpl, a colourful, playful toy that allows your baby freedom to play to their heart's content. A sturdy ABS plastic frame houses five silicone bubbles, bursting with colour and texture. Watch as your child flips the disk over again and again, going back and forth from side to side, comprehending what is going on and what is going to happen next. Simple, repetitive activities help to stimulate your child's brain and foster creativity and confidence whilst playing singularly and with other children.

Dimpl is made of safe, BPA-free plastic and food-grade silicone, allowing you to leave baby (6 months and older) to play without your facilitation. Fat Brain Toys prides itself on creating the Dimpl, not only does it allow your baby to flex his or her independence, but it also delivers a one-of-a-kind sensory experience! Let your child explore the smooth texture under his or her hands as the toy switched from hills and valleys of silky silicone to flat, smooth plastic. Because the plastic is one piece and the silicone is food-grade, your child can safely put it in their mouth without the worry of pieces dislodging and becoming a choking hazard. Bright colours will stimulate your child's senses and keep their attention captured, allowing Mum or Dad a break and some needed peace and quiet.

Ready to make some music? The plastic body sounds different tapping on various surfaces. Show your little one how by gently tapping on the wood floor, then switching to your countertop or wall. The varying pitches will be music to their ears while exciting his or her senses.

As if the Dimpl didn't offer enough educational fun already, it also aims to work your baby's fine motor skills. Fine motor skills are the small movements of coordination that utilise wrists, hands, fingers, feet, and toes. Give your baby's chubby hands and scrumptious fingers a physical (and mental!) workout by showing them to apply light pressure to indent the bubbles, then apply a little bit more pressure. Ask your baby, "what happened?" With a little bit of force, the bubbles will pop to the other side, delighting your baby and teaching a simple lesson on cause and effect. Your baby will giggle with delight as the silicone puts up resistance when his or her tiny fingers press on it and glide over it.

With all the toys floating around the market, targeted at babies, it's more important than ever that the objects of play we give our children stimulate their mind, engage their senses, and hold their attention. Fat Brain Toys aims to please both parents and children alike with their one-of-a-kind design. Made with baby's safety and education in mind, you'll be hard-pressed to find a toy like the Dimpl! 

View our comprehensive Fat Brain Toys' collection of products to inspire and educate the budding Baby Einstein in your life today!

And you can purchase Dimpl by clicking on the following link Dimpl.

Posted in Baby Toys Online, Dimpl Australia, fat brain toys, Fat Brain Toys Australia

Teeter Popper: Gross Motor Skills, Balance, and Fun!

Posted on February 11, 2019 by Lubica Misevski

Improve Core Strength

Core strength is critical to so many of the activities that your little one engages in every day. As their core strengthens, your little one will be able to accomplish a wide range of tasks that might not have been possible previously, including improving their stability, balance, climbing skills, and more. When they play on their Teeter Popper, your child will be building that important core strength without realizing that they're getting any exercise at all. It's just having fun with their new favourite toy in a way that will have them giggling for hours.

Build Gross Motor Skills

Gross motor skills, or the skills that your child uses to run, bounce, and play, are an important element of many future athletic endeavours. With gross motor skills, your child will build coordination and improve their success at a variety of endeavours--and on a Teeter Popper, they'll be able to build those important gross motor skills in a series of steady movements that will help soothe and steady them when they're bursting with energy and ready to climb the walls. As their gross motor skills improve, they'll also be able to build athletic skills and endurance that will help carry them through their future goals and activities. 

Improve Leg Strength

As your child rocks back and forth on their Teeter Popper, they'll be instinctively building leg strength. Stronger legs lead to stronger movements and a higher level of control, allowing your child to complete more exciting movements and tricks on their Teeter Popper. Over time, this will lead to increased leg strength for running, climbing, and other activities. Stronger legs will also help your child walk longer distances, joining the family in a wide range of activities without getting tired quite so early. As your child gets older and stronger, building leg strength can help them participate in sports and accomplish more of their dreams. 

Increase Balance and Coordination

As you build gross motor skills with the Teeter Popper, you'll find that balance and coordination improve, as well. As the Teeter Popper moves from side to side, it's necessary to balance on top of it. Since it's low to the ground, a tumble won't hurt--but it will help teach valuable lessons that will improve balance and coordination in the future. Each coordinated movement will help your child learn how to manipulate the Teeter Popper exactly they want it to go--and the more they play, the more it will increase their ability to accomplish similar tasks in the future. 

Teeter Popper comes in a variety of fun colours, allowing you to choose the one that your child will fall in love with the most. With a fun popping sound as they rock back and forth and a great wobbling motion that will encourage your child to engage in a variety of activities with their new toy, this toy is gross motor skills, core strength, and coordination in motion. Appropriate for children three and up, the Teeter Popper is an excellent addition to any child's collection. 

At Kidzinc, we have sold the Teeter Popper in Australia since it was first released back in 2016. You can read our happy Customer Reviews too. 

To buy your Teeter Popper, please click here. 

Posted in fat brain toys, teeter popper australia, teeter popper sale

Mini Squigz: Hours of Creative, Brain-Building Fun

Posted on February 11, 2019 by Lubica Misevski

Fat Brain Toys presents Mini Squigz: a construction sensation that has the potential to offer hours of creative, brain-building fun. These exciting little suction cup toys are a miniature version of the original Squigz--and their miniature size means that they can go places and do things that the original version can't. At around 40% smaller than the original Squigz, Mini Squigz come with more pieces to a pack and offer the addition of a new shape and colours to help make suction cup construction even more fun. This fun little toy helps boost creative expression and encourages fine motor skills all at the same time. 

Fine Motor Dexterity

Mini Squigz can be suctioned together or to hard, non-porous surfaces to create a stunning array of designs and fun. In order to manipulate them, however, it's necessary to have a certain level of fine motor dexterity. Manipulating them correctly will allow children to improve their fine motor skills and get better at accomplishing a wide range of tasks--and they'll have so much fun doing it that they'll never guess that it's a developmental help.

Visual-Spatial Skills

Learning how things fit together and how to manipulate them is a big step for many kids, and Mini Squigz are there to help them reach those goals! Each set of Mini Squigz can be manipulated in a wide range of ways, creating new shapes and patterns. The bright colours and fun shapes will allow kids freedom of creative expression and help improve their visual-spatial skills. What will your child create next? There's no telling where their creative efforts will take them. 

Creativity

Creative design and problem-solving are critical parts of any child's life. You want to increase their creative problem-solving skills and encourage your child to think outside the box--and Mini Squigz are designed to do exactly that. They don't come with complicated instructions or figures that simply have to be followed; instead, they allow your child the freedom to explore their own designs and constructions, putting together incredible constructions that will have them giggling as they pop them apart and put them together again. 

Hours of Play

When you choose a toy for your child, you want something that will allow them to engage in hours of play, not something that they'll play for just a few minutes before running off to something else. With Mini Squigz, you'll get hours of creative play--and not just for little ones!  Mini Squigz are appropriate for your child beginning at 5 years old, but they'll allow plenty of creative expression for older children, too. This is one toy that may well stay in your arsenal, whether you're building fantastic, creative designs or throwing them at a glass door to see if they'll stick. (Hint: they will!) As your kids get older, their creations will get more fantastic, so that you may find yourself deciding that you need more Mini Squigz sets to allow for a wider range of creative expression. 

The Fat Brain Toys line has a number of fascinating toys that are designed to encourage brain development and fine motor skills in your child, and Mini Squigz are no exception. These little suction cup toys will encourage your kids to engage in hours of creative play, building new designs and popping them apart again as they explore the relationships between the pieces and how they work. If you're looking for a toy for your child that will allow them to put together plenty of fun designs, encourage visual spatial development, and increase their fine motor skills, Mini Squigz are sure to fit the bill. 

Posted in fat brain toys

Sphero: Encouraging Creativity and Coding for Kids

Posted on November 06, 2018 by Lubica Misevski

For toys that encourage an interest in STEM skills, the Sphero products are a perfect fit. All of the Sphero products feature a programmable robotic ball, which teaches children the fundamentals of coding and its real-world applications. Children learn how to program the ball through the use of an educational app on a laptop, iOS or Android device and watch as the results of their programming lead to the ball being able to be controlled and respond to their commands.

We offer a variety of Sphero products at KidzInc, and if you are interested in encouraging your child's creativity while they develop valuable cognitive skills, then read on to learn which Sphero product may be right for you!

Benefits of Learning to Code

According to Edutopia, there are many benefits to teaching young children how to code. In particular, children who learn how to code gain broadly applicable STEM skills, such as:

In particular, children gain important problem-solving skills by thinking about what result they want to accomplish and designing a solution to that problem. This allows them to apply knowledge and skills in new ways, and they can use to guide the Sphero robot through a maze or to work with other toys and blocks to simulate machine-like contraptions, such as powering a toy car made by the child. They also learn how to think analytically when they have to adjust and tweak their solution based on their result. Maybe their first set of coded instructions didn't work, so now they modify the instructions, taking out ones that didn't work and adding ones, to achieve the intended result. This type of experimentation and evaluation is prevalent in STEM but can be applied to a wide variety of contexts!

Sphero Products for the Home 

We feature three Sphero products that are perfect for parents looking to encourage the development of important cognitive STEM skills and creativity.

Sphero Mini

Sphero SPRK+ Edition

Sphero Bolt

The Sphero BOLT is the most advanced Sphero robotic ball. It features a programmable LED matrix that can display shapes and even emoticons, a longer battery life for extended play, and multiple ways to learn to code, including drawing, Scratch blocks, or JavaScript!

Sphero Products for the Classroom

The Sphero products aren't limited to at-home use. We offer Power Packs for the Sphero SPRK+ Edition and the Sphero BOLT. If you are interested in teaching children valuable skills in a classroom or as part of a club or community organization, then these Power Packs are perfect. Each comes with multiple robots so several children can use them at once.

The Sphero SPRK+ Edition Power Pack contains 12 SPRK+Edition robots, and the Sphero BOLT Power Pack contains 15 BOLT robots.

When used in the classroom, both Sphero SPRK+ Edition Power Pack and Sphero BOLT Power Pack can encourage teamwork skills, as students have to work together to complete a challenge using the Sphero Robot. In the STEM disciplines, people are often collaborating across departments and combining the strengths of different fields to yield a new, innovative solution. By fostering children's ability to work in teams to solve problems, and encouraging the development of other important skills such as problem-solving and analytical thinking, we can prepare our children for what the future holds.

We hope you'll consider adding one of the Sphero products to your home or classroom today!

The 7 benefits of the Osmo Genius Kit and Osmo Kits for Kids' Learning

Posted on November 06, 2018 by Lubica Misevski

The Osmo game system including the Osmo Genius Kit is an incredible way to help kids develop their creativity and social skills - all by interacting with an iPad or iPhone in a very different way. This amazing system has the distinction of being named one of Time Magazine's Best inventions in 2014 and is used in 30,000 schools in 42 different countries. What makes Osmo so unique? How can it support kids' learning?

What exactly is the Osmo Game System?

Simply put, Osmo game system including the popular Osmo Genius Kit is an accessory for iPhones, iPads, or Amazon Fire tablets that allows children to explore in both a digital and physical sense. Instead of just looking at a screen, children can engage with their creativity, STEM skills, spatial awareness, social learning, and problem solving with hands-on, interactive activities.

Most of the games are approved for children ages 5-11, which means Osmo can provide years of fun and learning. Each game supports children's learning in a unique way:

1. Osmo Numbers Game

Looking for a way to make math fun for kids? The Osmo Numbers Game offers a solution for you—and a whole lot of fun for kids. Your child will learn skills like counting, addition, subtraction, and multiplication through a series of hands-on games. Osmo fuses a fun digital underwater world that will spark kids' imaginations with a hands-on component that will strengthen their mathematical skills and confidence. Using tiles, kids will play the stress-free Numbers game, building up speed at different levels.

2. Osmo Pizza Co. Game

Like the Numbers Game, the Osmo Pizza Co. Game teaches kids valuable math skills as they let their imaginations go wild in a play-pizza shop. They'll not only add, subtract, and divide—they'll learn and hone valuable social skills and problem-solving techniques. The Pizza Co. Game is unique in that it introduces children to nonverbal communication as part of the entrepreneurial pizza-shop experience. They'll work on recognising customers' satisfaction from facial expressions and gestures, and even work on their investing skills!

3. Osmo Coding Awbie Game

In a world where digital skills are more and more important, Osmo's Coding Awbie Game offers kids the incredible opportunity to learn the basics of coding. By manipulating physical blocks and sequencing them, kids get a taste of coding. In addition to that specific skill, this game teaches kids valuable lessons in problem-solving and helps them hone their focus and attention. This game is appropriate for children all the way up age twelve and beyond.

4. Osmo Coding Jam Game

For another unique coding experience, check out Osmo's Coding Jam Game. This game is special in that it fuses coding with musical learning, so it's teaching valuable digital skills while also engaging with children's musical intelligence. Kids can compose music through coding blocks, creating a unique and creative musical experience. 

5. Osmo Creative Kit with Base and Mirror

This Creative Kit game fuses three different games, Monster, Newton, and Masterpiece. Kids will be able to physically draw - then see their creations pop up on the digital screen before them in an interactive way. The Monster game teaches drawing; Newton teaches creative thinking and social skills; and Masterpiece fuses creativity and confidence. Together, these three games help kids engage with their artistic side, build confidence, and work on their social skills.

6. Osmo Hot Wheels Mindracers Kit

The Osmo Hot Wheels Mindracers kit is an amazing way to build up kids' reflexes—and appeal to their pre-existing love of racing! Kids can launch one of their six Hot Wheels cars, then race it through exciting tracks that will keep their minds working fast to keep up. In addition to building up hand-eye coordination, Mindracers can offer cooperative skills or healthy competitive skills by allowing kids to play solo or with other kids.

7. Osmo Genius Kit with Base and Mirror

If you're looking for a way to keep your child engaged with STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) skills that are so important in today's digital world, then the Genius Kit is going to be a perfect choice.

It includes five games: Tangram teaches spatial-relational skills through wooden blocks; Words teaches spelling and critical thinking with physical tiles; Numbers encourages kids to improve their math skills; Newton teaches problem-solving; and Masterpiece teaches drawing and confidence. Taken together, these five games are a comprehensive way to support your child's exploration in art, math, science, visual thinking, and more.

If you're interested in giving your child or children a game that will provide countless hours of fun—all while teaching valuable and irreplaceable skills—check out the full collection of Osmo games and the Osmo Genius Kit that we offer at Kidzinc. You can also Contact us today for more information!

Posted in Osmo Game System Australia, Osmo Genius Kit, Osmo Genius Kit Australia