Learning Skill Filter - for toys that are fun, educational and developmental

NEW!!! You can now search for the perfect toy by Learning Skill!

With Mimitoys, I have always believed that play is more than just fun, it’s an essential part of a child’s learning journey. That’s why I am really excited to introduce a "Shop by Skill" filter, a brand-new way to explore our toy collection based on the developmental benefits they offer.
When customers ring looking for help, my initial questions are always to find out what the child like to do/play with? Any areas that you would like to help them explore? How do they have fun? From that, we either go for toys that encourage an existing interest or we go for toys that can help with a specific developmental stage.

With this new Toy Filter, you can easily look for toys to boost fine motor skills or gross motor skills, encourage creativity and imagination, support language development and social skills and generate an interest for problem-solving and logic games. 
Of course this search can be combined with age, price and brand.

This, I think is why customers shop with an independant toy shop like Mimitoys, to get the extra knowledge and recommendation (and let’s be honest, the sometimes overwhelming passion of its owner when they ring! 🤗✨).

Time is always tight and "Shop by Skill" makes it simple for parents, teachers, and therapists to choose toys with a purpose.

Let’s explore the different learning skills and how the right toys can support children’s growth and development.

Creativity & Imagination is all about children love to do! storytelling, role-playing, pretending and artistic expression. Musical Toys, Puppets, Dressing up Costumes and Doctor's Sets or Builder's Sets allow children to express themselves and dig into their natural curiosity. 

Fine Motor Skills involve hand-eye coordination, dexterity, and grip strength. As soon as babies start to touch or grab something they develop their fine-motor skills and coordination. Toys like puzzles, building blocks, threading toys and stacking toys help children refine these skills. This is all done through fun and enjoyement as all toys are super appealing and colourful and designed to catch babies and toddlers' curiosity.

Gross Motor Skills involve movement, balance, and coordination, essential for physical development and confidence. Toys like ride-ons, active play sets, and sports toys encourage physical activity from an early age. They help children build strength, control, and balance. Gross Motor Skills Toys are also ideal to develop social skills such as sharing, taking turns or waiting for your turn. 

Language & Communication: Toys in this category encourage expression, vocabulary building and social interaction. Books, storytelling toys such as Puppets and phonics or rhyming games enhance language development. They also contribute to make learning fun and engaging from an early age.

Literacy & Numeracy skills develop through books, storytelling, and number and letter based toys. Introducing maths and vocabulary through fun is possible! Alphabet letters and numbers whether magnetic or free standing are great to manipulate, stack, sort and also introduce the concept of numbers and letters. The Orchard Toys educational range is precisely designed to make learning Maths and English through board games. Great family fun too. My last suggestion is the concept of Janod Magneti'Books, where children can explore various subjects, like English, French, Space through playing with magnetic shapes, and on top of that the toy itself is designed like a book!

Sensory Skills help children process and respond to sensory input through touch, sound, sight, and movement. Toys like textured balls and fidgets, musical instruments, light-up toys, and scented or non-scented playdough engage different senses. Babies and Toddlers are naturally curious and will explore through their mouth, hands and all senses. By introducing sensory toys that are safely designed afrom an early age is a fantastic way to boost little ones awareness of the world around them. 

Logic and Problem-Solving – Toys and games that challenge children to think critically and develop reasoning skills. Really available from all ages, so from early years puzzles to 1000 piece puzzles, from maze toys and  STEM kits to Brainteasers and Logic Games, all encourage a mindset of patience and adaptability, as well as an interest for looking for solutions. The SoLogic range of Games from Djeco is a great example of brainteasing, head scratching games, that are so well designed that they attract all ages to play and have fun.