Press Releases (2011)
Press Representation: Jumping Spider Media
Account Manager: Louise Byrne
Working Mums Spend Just 81 Minutes a Day Looking After Their Children
Working mothers in the UK spend (on average) a meagre 81 minutes a day looking after their children, including mealtimes, reports educational toys retailer DiscoverMe (http://www.discovermetoys.co.uk/). A study carried out earlier this year revealed the harsh truth that the average working mother has little time to devote to her children, but child psychologists point out that it is how that precious time is used which is important. In a word: play.
Every working mother faces the dilemma of how to effectively juggle work with motherhood, but this study indicates that women who work outside of the home are not coming anywhere near a healthy balance. It found that on average a working mother in the UK spends just 81 minutes with their child, a shockingly low figure given that includes mealtimes and takes into account the weekends. Family campaign groups claim that this is potentially emotionally damaging to children who are missing out on key bonding time and whose core skills are not being given the time to develop with their mothers. It is thought that pressure to work long hours was behind this lack of available quality time.
The good news for stressed working mums is that child psychologists state that it’s how the time is spent and not the amount of time that’s important. Dr Sandra Wheatley, a family and child psychologist said: "I don't think parenting is a numbers game - the important thing is that children get opportunities to have fun with their parents. If a mother gets home from work and spends 45 minutes haring around the living room dressed up as a belly dancer, or making drums out of yoghurt pots, before a quick dinner and bed, that could easily be good enough. The important thing is that some of the time is spent on activities that are child-led.”
This is an opinion very much shared by baby and childrens toys retailer DiscoverMe, who has built its entire range of activity toys, books, games and playmats around the core belief that playtime is the most important time in a child’s day, particularly playing with its parents. That’s because the right type of interactive play with quality, educational toys are highly effective at teaching and developing core skills.
The DiscoverMe website at http://www.discovermetoys.co.uk/ is a perfect place for a working mum (and dad) to become inspired as to how to make the most of the precious playtime they have available with their little ones.
Editor’s Note: DiscoverMe (http://www.discovermetoys.co.uk/) is represented by the search engine advertising and digital marketing specialists Jumping Spider Media. Please direct all press queries to Louise Byrne. Email: louise@jumpingspidermedia.co.uk or call: +44 (0)20 3070 1959 / +34 952 783 637.
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Press Representation: Jumping Spider Media
Account Manager: Louise Byrne
DiscoverMe Wins Gold Website Award from MumpreneurUK
One of the UK’s leading e-tailers of educational toys, DiscoverMe (http://www.discovermetoys.co.uk/), has won the Gold Website Award from MumpreneurUK. MumpreneurUK celebrates the UK’s best family-run businesses, supporting and celebrating mums in business in UK and Ireland, and found the DiscoverMe online store of the very best developmental baby and childrens toys to be worthy of a ‘Gold’ award.
MumpreneurUK is a “support network for mums in business, offering advice, resources, articles and events to parents who run their own business”. The organisation believes in rewarding the best of family-run businesses, with one of their regular awards being the Website Awards. A panel from Mumpreneur UK scours hundreds of websites run by Mums (and Dads!) in order to find the very best out there in the UK and Ireland. The best are awarded Gold, Silver or Bronze in recognition of their excellent standards online. To fit the award requirements, websites must be run by a parent or parent-to-be; be visually pleasing; easy to navigate; be clear and easy to understand; and ecommerce sites should have a simple and secure payment process. In MumpreneurUK’s Website Awards, DiscoverMe.co.uk was awarded ‘Gold’, particularly for its website design, navigation, ease of use, content and overall presentation.
DiscoverMe is the fresh and exciting home of the finest educational and developmental toys for babies and children. The extensive online range includes activity toys and musical toys, classic wooden toys and sophisticated interactive toys, babies playmats, bath toys and much, much more. In fact just about every type of toy, book and game which helps to inspire and develop core skills while being just good plain fun. All the top, trusted brands of toys are in the DiscoverMe range, including Melissa and Doug, Plan Toys, Jellykitten and Lamaze. What’s more, DiscoverMe is family-owned and run and proud to be the holder of a MumpreneurUK Gold Website Award for 2011. Owner Cathy Belford says “I am really delighted to receive this award as it recognises the hard work and passion put in to DiscoverMe. We want to give our customer’s the best shopping experience on our website and to enjoy it as much as their children enjoy our toys!” Find out more about the awards at http://www.mumpreneuruk.com/ and browse the DiscoverMe range at http://www.discovermetoys.co.uk/.
Editor’s Note: DiscoverMe (http://www.discovermetoys.co.uk/) is represented by the search engine advertising and digital marketing specialists Jumping Spider Media. Please direct all press queries to Louise Byrne. Email: louise@jumpingspidermedia.co.uk or call: +44 (0)20 3070 1959 / +34 952 783 637.
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Press Representation: Jumping Spider Media
Account Manager: Louise Byrne
Date: 15/06/2011
How Playtime Can Help Toddler Tantrums
Every parent shudders at the thought of toddler tantrums and the ‘terrible twos’, but with a little bit of understanding, patience and some specific playtime tools, you can help alleviate the frustration that is often the underlying reason behind this ‘difficult’ age. Here, leading educational toys supplier and supporter of the UK ‘Make Time to Play’ initiative, DiscoverMe (http://www.discovermetoys.co.uk/) looks at some helpful playtime tools.
First it’s important to understand the reasons for tantrums, which can become particularly prevalent between the age of 18 months and three years of age. The age children start throwing tantrums is key, because this is a vital stage of early development, where a child’s core skills go through a steep learning curve. It is this sudden acceleration in learning and increased assimilation of the world around them which can lead to frustration. For instance, a toddler has just learned to walk (a massive leap, developmentally speaking) yet is still having to hone his or her motor skills and balance. Similarly, a toddler is beginning to learn about communication, expression and social interaction and yet is still struggling to master language. The result is sheer frustration, which often results in the screaming, crying, kicking and breath-holding that heralds a toddler tantrum!
As parents, it’s our responsibility to recognise the frustration behind the behaviour and then work with our child to help alleviate that frustration, thereby avoiding the extreme feelings that lead to a tantrum. In an older child we can fall back on enhanced communication skills but if we ask our toddler why they are frustrated, their inability to communicate verbally will merely increase their feeling of helplessness. That’s where playtime comes in. The right sort of childrens toys can do wonders when it comes to helping a child express their desires, calm their worries and develop skills which will help their confidence and communication.
Once your toddler starts to exhibit signs of frustration (whining, fidgeting, flitting between tasks, sulking or crying) pay attention to the task at hand. If the task is a physical one then try using activity toys to happily engage your child while trying to build confidence in the physical area he or she was struggling with. If frustrations arise around other children, use games which encourage socialisation, understanding and sharing. Notice if particular types of play increase stress in your toddler and consider changing the game. For instance, while physical play is vital for all children at some stage, it’s only natural that some children will have more affinity to physical fun than others. Instill confidence in other areas - try encouraging their creative impulses with musical toys, for instance.
You’ll notice that the notion of confidence arises often here, and that’s because frustration in toddlers can lead to a lack of confidence: what they perceive to be an inability to catch up with an ever-changing world. Playing with your child gives you time to watch and learn the areas which lead to frustration, as well as giving your child the attention it craves at such an exciting yet daunting stage of their development.
Finding the right toys for such an important task is easier than you may think. DiscoverMe has organised its extensive range of leading developmental toys according to the recognised programme of learning and development The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS). Choose from Personal, Social and Emotional Development; Communication, Language and Literacy; Problem Solving, Reasoning and Numeracy; Knowledge and Understanding of the World; Physical Development and Creative Development. Having noted which area seems to be leading to the most frustration in your child, choose from toys within the corresponding section so that your playtime can help alleviate those frustrations, instil a sense of confidence in your toddler and put an end to those tantrums. Browse the departments at http://www.discovermetoys.co.uk/.
Editor’s Note: DiscoverMe (http://www.discovermetoys.co.uk/) is represented by the search engine advertising and digital marketing specialists Jumping Spider Media. Please direct all press queries to Louise Byrne. Email: louise@jumpingspidermedia.co.uk or call: +44 (0)20 3070 1959 / +34 952 783 637.
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Press Representation: Jumping Spider Media
Account Manager: Louise Byrne
Date: 01/06/2011
Drop the Games Console, Turn off the TV and Start the Fun!
Here at DiscoverMe (http://www.discovermetoys.co.uk/), we talk a lot about the importance of making the time to play with your children. It’s not just retailers of childrens toys who know this is vital for our kids, however. Researchers into child development fear that unless we make more time to play one-on-one with our children, we’ll be raising a ‘robot generation’, lacking social and creative skills and the ability to interact well with others. Well it’s time to drop the games console, turn off the TV and start the fun!
We live in an increasingly automated and isolated world, one where adults are glued to their Android phones, IPods, TVs and games consoles. Unfortunately even young children are spending far too much time in isolated pursuits such as watching cartoons and playing on computer games. Child development experts fear that this is creating children who lack core skills that they will only learn through interactive play. The good news is that it’s easy to stop this happening – simply make time to play! There’s a time to watch TV and - if you allow it from a young age - then a time to play on computer games, but as long as it doesn’t sacrifice interactive, simple and fun playtime, whether that’s with educational toys and books or with a football in the back garden.
One of the reasons parents cite for not playing with their children more is a lack of time. Work and daily pressures in our fast-paced modern life leaves little time for play, or so the argument goes. But when parents do make a concerted effort to play with their children and not just stare at the TV with them, they report that not only did their child love the interaction, but that they also found it an enjoyable stress-reliever. So much of what we do as adults is because of repetition and behaviour patterns that we have built without necessarily realising it. It’s just as easy to break a habit as it is to make one, however, which goes for both adults and children. Parents who spend some of the time they used to watching TV to unwind after work playing with activity toys and games with their kids say that they personally come away more refreshed and relaxed while the difference in their child is plain to see.
It’s all too easy to get into bad habits and to pass them on to our kids. All it takes as parents is the effort to change our regular pattern behaviour, turn off the TV and games consoles and start the fun. The result is not just happy, relaxed parents, but more importantly, children who will grow up to be well-rounded instead of robots.
If you’d like to know more about child development and browse through the very best developmental children and baby toys on the market, go to http://www.discovermetoys.co.uk/.
Editor’s Note: DiscoverMe (http://www.discovermetoys.co.uk/) is represented by the search engine advertising and digital marketing specialists Jumping Spider Media. Please direct all press queries to Louise Byrne. Email: louise@jumpingspidermedia.co.uk or call: +44 (0)20 3070 1959 / +34 952 783 637.
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Press Representation: Jumping Spider Media
Account Manager: Louise Byrne
Date: 09/05/2011
Make Time to Play: Inspire Your Child’s Playtime
All too often, we track our child’s development simply through nursery or school reports. Family playtime is one of the most important times for child development, however. Kids love to play, and while they are happy and relaxed they are absorbing all sorts of knowledge, discovery and skills without even realising it. The online home of educational toys DiscoverMe (http://www.discovermetoys.co.uk/) helps to inspire you to make the most out of playtime.
How much time do you set aside for playtime with your children? Do you tend to get out their favourite activity toys only to leave them to their own devices while you return to your chores? Making time to play with your child, as well as encouraging them to play on their own and with other children, can help their language and communication skills, build their self esteem, instil a sense of discovery and inquisitiveness, and help with problem-solving.
First, commit to making the time to play. In most households in the UK both parents work at least for some portion of the day. It’s all too easy to say you wish you could set aside time to play but you simply can’t, but honestly evaluating how you spend the time you do have with your child is bound to reveal possibilities. For instance, how many hours do you spend persuading your child to go to bed? Instead of making this a pointless tug of war, take that time to sit on the rug with them and their favourite toys and play! Your child will love the extra playtime and parent time, bedtime need only be put off by 20 or 30 minutes, and your child will be far more tired, happy and satisfied when they finally do go to bed – and without a fight! Then gradually bring playtime forward so as not to delay bedtime; parents can always take it in turns while the other one finishes the chores. There will soon be a competition as to who gets to have fun and who does the washing up!
Imagination is key when it comes to an inspiring play session. Don’t forget to use your imagination when helping to inspire their own imagination through play. You don’t have to play with educational toys or toys specifically designed to develop skills; in fact all childrens toys can help develop core verbal and social skills and teach children about creativity, risk and boundaries. In fact, playtime doesn’t always have to include toys – hide and seek, hopscotch or just chasing each other round the garden sprinkler still counts as important and fun playtime! Being playful is important (both for young’uns and for stressed out parents!) and is something which is hard to achieve with solitary play or by just watching cartoons.
These are just some inspiring thoughts to start you on the road of making time to play with your child. For more inspiration, and to shop for childrens toys which help you make the most out of that time, visit http://www.discovermetoys.co.uk/.
Editor’s Note: DiscoverMe (http://www.discovermetoys.co.uk/) is represented by the search engine advertising and digital marketing specialists Jumping Spider Media. Please direct all press queries to Louise Byrne. Email: louise@jumpingspidermedia.co.uk or call: +44 (0)20 3070 1959 / +34 952 783 637.
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Press Representation: Jumping Spider Media
Account Manager: Louise Byrne
Date: 05/05/2011
Jellykitten: Not Just Furry Friends, but Books Too!
If you’ve got kids (or perhaps if you just have a penchant for cute cuddly toys!) then you probably know Jellycat and Jellykitten toys as plush, animal characters. But the Jellykitten range, designed especially for younger babies and children, are not just furry friends - the range also features some great Jellykitten books available from the home of educational toys, DiscoverMe (http://www.discovermetoys.co.uk/).
Books are some of the most effective educational toys you can get. Even long before baby can speak, read or spell, books entertain with their colourful images and engaging stories so that baby is ready to embrace reading when the time comes. Now your children can enjoy the unique Jellykitten cuteness in books that are suitable for even the youngest of babies.
Take the Jelly kitten Funny Ears Book, beautifully illustrated by Anne Wilkinson. This super-bright and fun-filled board book introduces baby to a host of animal characters with adorable, funny ears. The stiffened board pages are staggered so that the tiniest of fingers can grab on tight, and there’s a plastic loop attached so the book can be attached to a cot, car seat or pram – keeping babies happy wherever they are. If your baby falls in love with that Jellykitten book, why not treat them to the other board book in the range – the Jellykitten Whizzy Wings book also illustrated by Anne Wilkinson but this time featuring fun, buzzing insects. Babies can bring the joy of books to bath time with the Jellykitten “I Love My Seahorse” Bath Book. Completely water-proof and featuring a brilliant water squirter on the back page, your baby will be enthralled not just by all the squirting and splashing but also by the brilliantly rendered animal characters, so typical of Jellykitten designs.
Now available at childrens toys retailer DiscoverMe is a growing range of Jelly kitten toys and books – all suitable from birth. Take a look at this must-have range at http://www.discovermetoys.co.uk/.
Editor’s Note: DiscoverMe (http://www.discovermetoys.co.uk/) is represented by the search engine advertising and digital marketing specialists Jumping Spider Media. Please direct all press queries to Louise Byrne. Email: louise@jumpingspidermedia.co.uk or call: +44 (0)20 3070 1959 / +34 952 783 637.
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Press Representation: Jumping Spider Media
Account Manager: Louise Byrne
Date: 07/04/2011
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Welcome to the Wonderful World of Jellykitten now Available at DiscoverMe!
Jellycat has become one of the most popular brands of soft toys in the last decade, as known for their cool and quirky designs as their great choice of cute plush animals, from mice to zebras, chicks and elephants. Jellykitten is the range of childrens toys and soft cuddly characters from Jellycat which are especially designed for children aged between 6 months and 4 years and you’ll now find the wonderful world of Jellykitten available at top toy retailer DiscoverMe (http://www.discovermetoys.co.uk/).
The Jellykitten toys available from DiscoverMe are perfect for the toy retailer which specialises in developmental and educational toys. That’s because not only are they just darn cute but they also bring out the joy of discovery in children. DiscoverMe firmly believe that playtime is the perfect time to educate and develop a child in key areas and as it’s never to early in a baby’s life to play, it’s never too early to educate and develop.
Jellykitten plush toys are perfect for this as they are made to appeal to tiny babies all the way through to growing kids (and quite a few adults too!). They are super soft and squishable, perfect for little hands, come in bright jewel colours and fun eye-catching designs and feature a whole range of animal characters kids of all ages fall in love with. What’s more, they are, as the Jellycat folks put it, “Magical discovery toys that tweet, crinkle, chirp, and jingle”, encouraging children to explore sounds and textures while they play.
DiscoverMe have a great selection of the very best of Jellykitten toys. For baby there’s the adorable Jellykitten Spotty Rattle Kitty and the cuddly Jellykitten Bredita Soother range of soothers and animal characters combined. There’s the bright and chirpy Jellykitten Rosie Birdy and the musically magic Jellykitten Hoot Owl Musical Pull. Or how about one of the fantastic Jellykitten books to encourage the bookworm in every child? Discover the ever-growing range of Jellykitten toys at DiscoverMe but be prepared to fall in love! You’ll find this and other top brands of toys at http://www.discovermetoys.co.uk/.
Editor’s Note: DiscoverMe (http://www.discovermetoys.co.uk/) is represented by the search engine advertising and digital marketing specialists Jumping Spider Media. Please direct all press queries to Louise Byrne. Email: louise@jumpingspidermedia.co.uk or call: +44 (0)20 3070 1959 / +34 952 783 637.
Press Representation: Jumping Spider Media
Account Manager: Louise Byrne
Date: 29/03/2011
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
It’s Never too Early to Develop an Interest with Educational Toys at DiscoverMe
Every parent would love their child to develop a real interest in something, whether that’s an artistic hobby, a musical instrument or a subject at school. Well one of the UK’s leading online retailers of educational toys DiscoverMe (http://www.discovermetoys.co.uk/) believes it’s never too early to develop an interest in your child and has a great range of toys which do just that.
Your baby or toddler may not have started school, they may be years away from picking up a real musical instrument, and pondering about a career choice is hardly just around the corner. But even at the tender ages from birth to five years old, your child’s brain is a veritable sponge, waiting to soak up as much information as possible. Of course it’s a time to teach them the alphabet, to encourage speech, spelling and motor skills, but choose the right activity toys and you won’t just be developing their key skills, but also encouraging them to explore a range of interests and hobbies.
DiscoverMe has brought together one of the best selections of childrens toys; toys which educate, which develop skills and which stimulate interests in lots of different areas. Discover if your child has green fingers in the making while also developing their artistic ability with the Galt Paint a Garden Set, a set of plant pots, a watering can and three gardening tools, as well as child-safe ceramic paints so that they can decorate the pots. There are lots more Galt artistic toys available from DiscoverMe, from Sponge Painting sets to Mosaic Masterpieces.
If you think you’ve noticed some musicality in your little one (or you just want to develop some!) then there is a whole host of musical toys to choose from. There are musical playmats to start your little musician off really early, all the way through to mini musical instruments, from banjos to drum sets, castanets and xylophones.
Why not take advantage of their linguistic development phase and start them learning another language as young as 6 months! The baby boomboom baby band-bag range comes with mini musical instruments and a CD which plays nursery rhymes in English and one of a number of European languages – a great way to get little ears used to different languages.
You never know what interests or hobbies your child will develop, and ultimately which career they will choose, but give them a great start with a selection of these types of toys from DiscoverMe and you’re sure to find out whether you’ve got a budding artist, musician or mathematician in your midst! Take a browse and get inspired on their behalf at http://www.discovermetoys.co.uk/.
Editor’s Note: DiscoverMe (http://www.discovermetoys.co.uk/) is represented by the search engine advertising and digital marketing specialists Jumping Spider Media. Please direct all press queries to Louise Byrne. Email: louise@jumpingspidermedia.co.uk or call: +44 (0)20 3070 1959 / +34 952 783 637.
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Press Representation: Jumping Spider Media
Account Manager: Louise Byrne
Date: 24/03/2011
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Brighten Up Rainy Day Playtime with DiscoverMe Toys
It can be difficult to keep your children amused on rainy days. Being confined to the house often means no playing in the park, no play dates and no trips in the car to visit family and friends. Brighten up rainy day playtime with some of the most inventive, fun and cheery childrens toys from the toy retailer which knows how to delight and educate more than any other: DiscoverMe (http://www.discovermetoys.co.uk/).
The key to keeping your child entertained inside when the rain is coming down outside is the right kind of toy. The old favourite at the bottom of the toy box just won’t cut it when it comes to bringing a smile to a bored and fidgety child. It’s a good idea to keep some toys to one side especially ‘for a rainy day’; toys you have picked especially for their bright and fun appearance and their ability to keep little minds and little hands busy and happy.
Activity toys are great for this, especially ones that feature multiple activities like the East Coast Wooden Activity Cube. Wooden toys needn’t be boring – this brightly coloured multi activity centre is anything but, boasting five different things to do: a bead race, a chalk board, a musical xylophone, a fun maze and flipping letters. Puzzles which exercise your child’s problem solving skills are also more likely to keep minds occupied for longer. The Melissa and Doug range of toys feature some particularly diverting puzzles. Take the Magnetic Puzzle Bug-Catching Game which allows your child to ‘catch’ the brightly coloured bugs from their sunny garden with the help of a magnetic butterfly net, before working out whereabouts on the puzzle they should be returned. Or how about the Melissa and Doug Vehicles Chunky Puzzle with its fun planes, trains and automobiles to let your child’s imagination wonder even on a rainy afternoon. Babies can get just as frustrated by a boring rainy day which keeps them inside, but DiscoverMe also has a wide range of baby toys to keep even the littlest ones amused. They don’t come much brighter than the Galt Stacking Hen. This soft plush stacking ring is suitable for babies over 3 months and if the stacking game isn’t enough diversion then there’s the array of sounds and textures: a squeaky beak, crinkle wings, furry rattle and jingle rings!
DiscoverMe understands that the best way to keep bored children happy on a rainy day is by making playtime magical with the best, brightest and most diverting toys available. They also know that playtime is also the best time for teaching, which is why all of the toys you’ll find at DiscoverMe are also educational toys! View the entire range at http://www.discovermetoys.co.uk/.
Editor’s Note: DiscoverMe (http://www.discovermetoys.co.uk/) is represented by the search engine advertising and digital marketing specialists Jumping Spider Media. Please direct all press queries to Louise Byrne. Email: louise@jumpingspidermedia.co.uk or call: +44 (0)20 3070 1959 / +34 952 783 637.
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Press Representation: Jumping Spider Media
Account Manager: Louise Byrne
Date: 03/03/2011
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Melissa & Doug Toys: Educational and Fun Toys for All Ages
The range of Melissa and Doug toys available at leading educational toy retailer DiscoverMe (http://www.discovermetoys.co.uk/) accompanies your child through their first formative years, making playtime fun, creative and educational. There are toys suitable for toddlers all the way through to children of five years old, allowing Melissa and Doug toys to become an important part of your child’s development.
The Melissa and Doug range has built up an enviable reputation in the world of educational toys thanks to clever designs which maximise learning and development from the first few months through to five years old, while all the time being just plain fun to play with. Introduce your child to the joy of Melissa and Doug toys early with the Bug Jug Fill & Spill, suitable for children aged six months and over. The cute plush characters will help your baby with hand eye co-ordination as the fabric jug gets filled and spilled over again.
As your baby becomes a toddler, Melissa and Doug toys are there to help with their mobility with beautiful wooden toys such as the Flapping Duck Push Along Toy, suitable for children aged 12 months and over. The large wooden handle makes it easy for your little one to grab onto and the brightly coloured duckie will lead your toddler on those first few steps of life! The Melissa and Doug stacking toys are great for children of around 18 months to two years old as they introduce simple problem solving as your child begins to understand shapes and sizes and how they stack together. Choose from the traditional Rainbow Stacker, the Geometric Stacker or the popular Stacking Train.
Children from two years old onwards will become more dexterous as well as more creative. Melissa and Doug have just the thing to develop your child in both areas with toys like the Dinosaurs Chunky Puzzle, which encourages fine motor skills as well as well as stoking their creative expression. Suitable for children aged four years and over, the Melissa and Doug See and Spell is a beautiful wooden puzzle which combines all-important spelling with some fine motor fun.
These are just a handful of the fantastic Melissa and Doug childrens toys available from DiscoverMe which will accompany your child through their formative years, educating, developing and delighting them every step of the way. Discover the full range at http://www.discovermetoys.co.uk/.
Editor’s Note: DiscoverMe (http://www.discovermetoys.co.uk/) is represented by the search engine advertising and digital marketing specialists Jumping Spider Media. Please direct all press queries to Louise Byrne. Email: louise@jumpingspidermedia.co.uk or call: +44 (0)20 3070 1959 / +34 952 783 637.
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Press Representation: Jumping Spider Media
Account Manager: Louise Byrne
Date: 15/02/2011
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tick, Tock, Teach with the Melissa & Doug Shape Sorting Clock at DiscoverMe.co.uk
Teaching a child to tell the time is about more than knowing numbers on a clock-face; it’s about grasping the abstract concept of time. That’s a tall order for a little one! Thankfully the folks at leading educational toy retailer DiscoverMe (http://www.discovermetoys.co.uk/) and top toy brand Melissa and Doug have come to the rescue with the Melissa and Doug Shape Sorting Clock. This bright and colourful wooden toy is one of the bestsellers at DiscoverMe and will help your child learn to tell the time while all the time having fun!
The Melissa and Doug Shape Sorting Clock is one of the most popular childrens toys available from DiscoverMe. The brightly coloured wooden clock features 12 different numbered shapes which fit into slots located at every number of the clock face. In fact there are so many different shaped blocks that even Mum and Dad may have trouble naming some of the trickier ones, but the clock comes with handy information included on the packaging, including lots of fun activities and games that can be played around the clock.
The moveable hands of the clock are labelled ‘minutes’ and ‘hours’ and beneath them is lots of useful information, indicating quarter past, quarter to the hour, etc. Your child will have hours of fun finding out which blocks fit where, what the shapes are called, how the hands go round and round, and while they play you can be helping them practice their numeracy skills and teaching them all about telling the time!
There’s never been a better time to teach your child about time and how to tell it with clocks than now! And there’s no easier and more fun way than with the Melissa and Doug Shape Sorting Clock available at the DiscoverMe website at http://www.discovermetoys.co.uk/.
Editor’s Note: DiscoverMe (http://www.discovermetoys.co.uk/) is represented by the search engine advertising and digital marketing specialists Jumping Spider Media. Please direct all press queries to Louise Byrne. Email: louise@jumpingspidermedia.co.uk or call: +44 (0)20 3070 1959 / +34 952 783 637.
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Press Representation: Jumping Spider Media
Account Manager: Louise Byrne
Date: 15/02/2011
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
DiscoverMe.co.uk Picks the Best Baby Toys for the 6 Key Stages of Development
DiscoverMe is the leading online retailer of educational toys for children from birth to five years of age. The DiscoverMe website at http://www.discovermetoys.co.uk/ divides its comprehensive range of toys, games and books into the six categories within the Early Years Foundations Stage (EYFS), categories which define the first key stages of a child’s development. Here, the expert team at DiscoverMe picks some of the top baby toys within each of these stages, to ensure that as your newborn grows into a toddler, playtime involves some important developmental milestones.
Personal, Social and Emotional Development
This is a stage which is all about interaction – with the world and with the people around them. Baby toys need to stimulate interaction with the outside world. Lamaze toys such as the Play & Grow Captain Calamari encourage a baby to discover different colours, textures, sounds and even their own reflection, all from the comfort of their cot, playmat or car seat. This is the first step on the way to interacting on a more personal and social level.
Communication, Language and Literacy
Books are of course key in developing communication, language and literacy in children. Young babies can enjoy the world of books long before they can actually read. Take the fantastic Scholastic Finger Puppet Books: these hand puppet and board books will catch baby’s eye with the cute finger puppets while the board books featuring simple nursery rhymes will be their first introduction to the joys of reading.
Problem Solving, Reasoning and Numeracy
You may think that there are no baby toys which can help develop something as advanced as problem solving or reasoning, but even a young baby can start to hone basic skills in this area by popping the nifty Lamaze Foot Finder and Wrist Rattle set on their hands and feet. The fun garden characters will wriggle and rattle with the baby’s own movements, encouraging baby to start to relate these two actions, as well as developing hand eye co-ordination and fine motor skills.
Knowledge and Understanding of the World
Older babies and toddlers will begin to have more understanding about the world around them. A common occurrence in a baby’s life is the arrival of a little brother and sister and one of the best ways to discuss this happy event is with the help of simple and beautifully illustrated books such as Waiting for Baby and My New Baby. Books are such an important part of a child’s learning and development that it’s never too soon to start reading!
Physical Development
Developing fine motor skills and hand eye co-ordination are some of the first physical stages which are essential for babies. Playmats are great for physical development and are some of the first activity toys which your child will come into contact with. For instance, the Tiny Love Gymini Total Playground Kick and Play playmat has a range of delights for baby to discover which encourage physical and sensory development, from attached plush objects which are pleasingly kickable to mirrors which help build neck strength as baby checks out his or her own reflection!
Creative Development
Finally, bring out the creative diva in your little one, with the Lamaze Octotunes and Lamaze Puppytunes, both of which allow your baby to create their very own tunes on the legs of the colourful plush octopus and puppy. These are baby toys which introduce your baby not only to music, but also to the fun that creative play can be.
These are just a handful of the thousands of outstanding educational and developmental toys available from DiscoverMe which harness the learning potential of even the youngest baby – all through the joy and fun of playtime. Take a look at the entire range, and learn more about the Early Years Foundation Stage, at http://www.discovermetoys.co.uk/.
