The Tag Reader has a miniature camera at it’s tip which enables it to either read individual words, or alternatively children can choose to hear each page read aloud in it’s entirety by touching special symbols. The pictures in the books also make fun sounds when they are touched with the reader.

The system comes with one book ‘Ozzie and Mack’ and there’s also a library of books available to purchase separately for around £12 each. These books feature many popular preschool characters including -

• Paddington Bear
• Cat in the Hat
• Disney Pixar Cars
• Kung Fu Panda
• SpongeBob SquarePants
• Disney Princess

A total of five books can be stored on the Reader at any one time and each one can be deleted or added again as required.

A headphone socket located on the device allows children to wear a pair of headphones (not included) to listen to the stories quietly without disturbing other children or adults.

The package contains one Tag Reader, one book, a USB cable and a CD containing software for the system. The USB cable enables the Reader to be connected to either a PC or a Mac so that additional audio books can be loaded onto it.

The Reader is powered by 2x AAA batteries (not included) and an Internet connection is required to access a dedicated website featuring printable activities and certificates.

With the ability to purchase additional books this is a preschool toy that children will come back to over and over again, and as if that wasn’t reason enough to buy it there’s also the added bonus that your child will develop vocabulary and reading skills as they play with it! It’s recommended for children aged 4 and upwards.

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	LeapFrog Tag Reading System (Green) RRP: £29.99 Available From: £14.98 Average Rating:

The Octopus has a sailor’s hat on his head and it isn’t just there for decoration, you can take it off and place some doh inside the head and then use the hat to squeeze ‘worms’ of doh out of the base. Children love this feature and thanks to the durable design you won’t need to worry about it breaking even if they insist on doing it over and over again!

A clamshell shaped mould allows your child to make some fantastic looking tropical fish, just open up the shell and place a small ball of doh inside, close the mould and press down, open it up and you have a perfectly formed fish! As if that wasn’t enough you can also play a fun game using two of the octopuses tentacles to try and flip fish into it’s head!

The other tentacles are removable and each has a tool at the end, one has as a circular cutter and another can be used to stamp star shapes. The set also comes with a pair of child friendly, lobster shaped scissors, which will come in very handy for cutting and trimming pieces of Doh. Three decent sized tubs of Play Doh are included in three different colours, and you can also add to the set by buying more tubs in the future.

There’s enough tools and Doh included in this set for it to be played with by a couple of children at the same time, so you shouldn’t have to worry about any fall outs!

The Octopus Playset is recommended for children aged 3 years and up.

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Play-Doh - Octopus Playset RRP: £14.99 Available From: £27.89 Average Rating:

Squish and play with your wonderful Octopus friend! With loads of tools and added features, you can really let your imagination go wild in this silly underwater world! Make brightly coloured fish in the crazy cloning clam , before watching them fly with Octopus' wacky flipping arms! Squeeze arms and legs out of the cute mini octopus or make a sea snake , then give them a hair cut with the cutting crab! Stamp a starfish or create a turtle! This playset is great fun for boys and girls alike, and packs away tidily into the 'fishnet' bag!

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The Clickstart system includes a console that plugs directly into any standard television (not included), a wireless keyboard, mouse and mouse pad which can be adjusted to suit right or left handed children. The keyboard features a standard QUERTY layout and the keys are just the right size for little fingers. The Clickstart’s sturdy construction means that it can take plenty of rough handling from toddlers, and it’s plug and play design will allow you to quickly and easily pack it up when not in use.

The Clickstart comes with four games that teach phonics, letters, animal facts, counting and reading. Additional games are also available, which will make it a hit for many years to come. All the games have just the right mix of education and fun and many of them include popular preschool characters such as Thomas The Tank Engine, Dora The Explorer and Bob The Builder.

If you're like most parents, you will want to ensure that your child's first experience with a computer is both rewarding and enjoyable, and the Clickstart will allow this.

The Leapfrog Clickstart My First Computer is recommended for children aged 3 to 6 years, it's available in either green or pink, and requires 4X AA batteries and 4X C batteries (not included).

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	LeapFrog ClickStart My First Computer (Green) RRP: £39.14 Available From: £36.99 Average Rating:

	LeapFrog ClickStart My First Computer (Pink) RRP: £39.14 Available From: £42.75 Average Rating:

If you like this toy, you might also like the Leapfrog Leapster 2 >

The Leapster 2 is a hand held gaming console with it’s own built in touch screen, which means it can be played anywhere, and thanks to a tough and durable construction you don’t need to worry too much if it gets the odd knock! There’s a good range of games available that feature characters that your children will know and love, including Sponge Bob Square Pants, Sonic the Hedgehog, Wall-E and numerous other popular characters. The Leapster 2 does come with 2 preloaded games, others have to be purchased separately.

A great deal of thought and development went into designing this toy and it shows. The system's integrated help button gives the child a little extra help if they become stuck at a certain spot and need some assistance, and it automatically adjusts to your child's skill level.

The Leapster 2 can also be connected to a PC or Mac which gives access to additional activities and information about how your child’s skills are progressing. It comes complete with a stylus for use with the touchscreen, a USB cable for connection to your computer and is available in green or pink making it the perfect gaming and learning system for either a boy or girl ages 4 - 8 years old. It requires 4x AA sized batteries (not included).

Buy the Leapfrog Leapster 2 (pink or green)

	LeapFrog Leapster2 Learning Game System (Green) RRP: £39.99 Available From: £29.99 Average Rating:

If you like this toy, you might also like the Leapfrog Clickstart >

The garage is great for developing your child's imagination and will provide hours of entertainment and fun. It's easy to construct and the vehicles feature magnets which allow them to be linked together - the tow truck can pull the car. When your child's had enough of zooming the cars down the ramps they can then take them to the petrol pump and pretend to fill up, or use the air hose to pump the tyres up.

The durable construction and bright colours make this toy ideal for young children, it helps them to develop their manual dexterity and mechanical skills as well as developing their motor skills and hand-eye coordination. Your little one will be completely in awe of the ramp that allow the cars to go racing down on their own gravity. If your child is like most, they will be excited and amused by all the realistic features and the unique sounds produced by this toy.

The Zoom Around Garage requires 2 x AA batteries which are not included and is suitable for children aged 12 months and up.

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	Fisher-Price Zoom Around Garage RRP: £29.99 Available From: £74.99 Average Rating:
Garage that features a three storey circular ramp, three storey elevator with mechanical bell sounds as it moves, automatic moving stop sign, petrol pump and bat at air hose. Includes two figures, passenger car and tow truck with fun sounds...

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The Smart Cycle connects directly to standard televisions without any other special equipment, and functions as your child cycles and watches the TV screen. Colourful animated graphics guide your child through educational but fun games - it's a great way to keep your child active even when they are indoors. With a full range of age and difficulty settings, it's properly suited to a wide range of children and can be used as they continue to grow.

The Smart Cycle helps to improve your child's hand eye coordination, mechanical skills and bike riding skills and comes included with an adventure theme game focused on learning. It's software works in three different modes; In explore mode your child pedals through various environments learning on his way while in arcade mode the child can play games with the included joystick. In race mode the child can challenge their friends in a timed race or race against computer opponents.

The learning activities of this pre-school toy include concepts like letters, numbers, shapes and colours, teaching your child in a way that is both rewarding and fun. Today's generation of children have been proven to be less active physically, which makes this toy a great way to have fun and remain active at the same time.

The Smart Cycle requires 4X D sized batteries (not included) and a television (not included). The seat is height adjustable so even as your child grows they can keep going back to it for fun and education.

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	Fisher-Price Smart Cycle RRP: £99.99 Available From: £89.98 Average Rating:
A revolution in indoor play! It's a stationary bike, a gaming system and a learning centre - all rolled into one! It plugs straight into your TV and as your child pedals, favourite character friends guide them through games, learning discoveries and even exciting races...

The house has a hinged design which means it can be opened up to allow easy access to five rooms on two levels, plus once opened an extra floor section can be placed in the centre providing extra room to play. Two of the hall’s rooms have working lights which is a really nice touch and makes for a fantastic night time display! The lights are powered by two AA sized batteries (not included).

The Hall also has an outside balcony where figures can be placed and a staircase which can be placed in different positions. As Willow Hall doesn’t come with any figures or furniture included, it’s better suited to children who already have some figures and accessories. Like a traditional dolls house Willow Hall can be improved and added to with the addition of furniture, wall paper and even a conservatory, and when not being played with it can be used to safely store figures and furniture.

Overall Willow Hall is a well built toy that will provide plenty of enjoyment, and will help to encourage the development of role playing skills and imagination.

Sylvanian Families Willow Hall has a manufacturer's recommend age of four years upwards.

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One of the things we really love about this preschool game is that the boat, shapes and dice are all made from wood, resulting in a product that is not only built to last it also looks fantastic! The boat has colorful illustrations of Charlie & Lola on the side and the shapes feature pictures of different foods including party ring style biscuits and tomatoes. The dice has large coloured spots which correspond to the different shapes - matching the colour thrown on the dice with the different shapes determines which piece has to be balanced next.

Learning skills

Balancing - put the shapes in the wrong place and they will fall off.

Hand eye co-ordination - match the colours on the dice with the shapes and place them carefully on the boat.

Other skills - learn the names of the different foods and colours.

Recommended Age: 3+

Buy the Charlie and Lola Balancing Game

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