Race tracks are a fantastic and timeless toy for children, and their appeal spans many age groups. In fact, it’s not unusual to find grown-ups wanting to have a go too! The appeal of race track toys seems to endure through many generations and many grandparents have a set of tracks in the attic which they will get out when grandchildren come to visit because, despite the growing popularity of technological gadgets, race track toys seem to remain popular.

Barbie has got to be one of the world’s most instantly recognizable toys. The first Barbie doll was introduced to the market in 1959 and the Barbie empire has expanded ever since. Playing with Barbie dolls is a great way for children to build social skills and imagination as they play by acting out scenarios and experimenting with different social situations.

A dollhouse is a toy that never gets old, their appeal seems to last through the ages. As well as making a lovely addition to a kid’s bedroom or playroom, dollhouses offer a whole host of developmental opportunities. The opportunity for creativity and imaginative role-play is the primary benefit of dollhouses.

Imaginative play with small figures gives children the opportunity to create and experiment with a range of different social situations and scenarios. This gives them a safe place to test out different concepts and responses and make sense of the social world. However, there are now so many different kinds of dollhouses on the market that it can be difficult to select the right one, with such an array of features available. Here are 11 of the best.

Remote control toys might seem like just a bit of childhood fun but they are actually a great developmental toy too! Playing with remote-controlled toys, children begin to gain an understanding of and interest in technology. At its most basic, children learn about cause and effect as they learn that pressing buttons makes the toy do different things and then begin to differentiate which button does what and become more skilled in their controls.

Remote-controlled toys also help to develop hand-eye coordination and spatial awareness, as they learn to manoeuvre the toys around different obstacles using a combination of different buttons, wheels or joysticks. With plenty of different types of toys and vehicles available, for a range of age groups and ability levels, there really is a remote-controlled toy for everyone! We’ve brought together some of the best in this list.

Children and teens need plenty of time outdoors to benefit from sunlight and fresh air. Sunlight helps the human body to produce Vitamin D which we need for strong, healthy bones and spending time outdoors also helps to increase the amount of serotonin, the happy hormone, that the body produces leading to an overall sense of wellbeing. In addition to this hormonal response, scooters are a great way to keep children active and sneak in some all-important exercise. With benefits to cardiovascular health and helping to tone muscles, scooters are an ideal all-round exercise for small children right through to teens. Maintaining balance requires good core strength and spatial awareness, which in turn are important for supporting writing.

As well as being great exercise, scooters are a useful mode of transportation for kids that are too big or old for a stroller but still tend to dawdle. Children are ready to ride a scooter when they are walking with a steady gait, so some of the scooters we’ve listed are suitable for children just starting out with scooters whilst others are designed for older children or even teens. With a range of different features available, different types of scooters will be suitable for different children depending on their age, skill and what they want to use it for. We’ve brought together some of the best to help you choose the right scooter.