It’s no secret that I am a huge fan of Orchard Toys’ games and puzzles. Not only are their resources always high quality, colourful and fun for children (and often their grown-ups too!) but I think they are particularly fantastic for many children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) in helping to develop skills through play. For example, children get a chance to practice their fine motor skills and hand-eye-coordination when manipulating puzzle pieces, they use speech and language and communication skills when playing as part of a team with their families/friends and they might develop their concentration skills and working memory when trying to find the last few pieces of a puzzle.
Orchard Toys resources are, therefore, always ‘up there’ when someone asks what toys and games I’d recommend for Christmas presents for children with SEND.
However, their selection of games and puzzles on their website is HUGE and I know it can be really tricky to pick which ones would be best for a child for Christmas. With this in mind, I’ve done the hard work for you and here’s my five favourite Orchard Toys resources for Xmas 2023:
1. Old MacDonald Lotto – This is a gorgeous, farm-themed matching game, that children adore! Each player has a lovely, colourful farm- yard scene board with a selection of pictures at the bottom. The aim of the game is to be the first to match the cards you pick up to the pictures on your board. I love this game for its simplicity but also for the huge array of skills it can help children develop through play. It can help children practise their fine motor skills when turning over the cards and placing them on their boards. It helps with social skills of turn-taking and learning to win/lose gracefully. It also aids concentration and memory skills, remembering where different cards are and which cards you have.
2. My First Snakes and Ladders – There’s a reason we all know what ‘Snake and Ladders’ is and that’s quite simply because it is a brilliant game that has stood the test of time! It’s also brilliant for helping to practise numeracy skills during play. So why not introduce it to your little ones too? My favourite thing about this version by Orchard Toys is that it is inclusive! It has a bigger board and chunky playing pieces making it much more accessible for some children with SEND.
- Unicorn Fun! – Unicorns are very popular at the moment so what could be better than THREE unicorn games all in one? I adore the variation of this set of games, in one game you’re collecting items for a unicorn party (whilst developing working memory skills), in another, you are playing a unicorn version of Snakes & Ladders (perfecting those counting skills!) And then in the last game, you’re building your very own unicorn (a great way to promote speech, language and communication skills!).
- Dress up Nelly – If you’re looking for a game to help with observation skills and colour recognition then this is the one to choose. This lovely game is all about colour-matching the right cards to dress your elephant! What makes this game particularly brilliant, in my opinion, is how it really promotes speech, language and communication skills through play. When children are matching the colours and perfecting Nelly’s outfit, there are so many rich opportunities for encouraging speech and communication, broadening vocabulary and developing confidence in communication.
5. Christmas Eve Box – You may remember me raving about Orchard Toys’ Christmas Eve Box last year. Well…the new version for 2023 is even better! This activity box contains a Christmas-themed game, a puzzle and an activity book. And what I love about their Christmas Eve Boxes is that it does all the hard work for you! No searching for bits and bobs to pop in a Xmas Eve box (that the children may never use again!), instead you can just use this ready- made one by Orchard Toys and be safe in the knowledge that everything in it is high quality, will be played with, great fun (and secretly a little bit educational too!)
I hope that helped to give you some ideas for children’s Christmas presents this year. If you’re looking for more ideas, head over to Orchard Toys’ website here.
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