Playing to their strengths as purveyors of fine educational books for babies and toddlers (and making excellent use of their rich archive of photographic material), this clever early learning app from Dorling Kindersley brings a varied vocabulary

1. TouchPlaying with sand is a great way for young children to refine their hand-eye coordination as it is a highly sensory material, with a changeable texture. Encourage your toddler to grab, scoop, sift and dig through sand, adding water or using

Go 50-piece World Animals PuzzleDimensions: H50 x W76cm; £14.95 from Kidestore. Visit www.kidestore.co.uk

1. Jump and hop  Make two circles with two pieces of string – a big circle with a longer piece and a small circle with the shorter piece. Then show your child how to jump up and down inside the bigger circle, then do the same for the small circle. Count each complete jump or chan...

Best Classic Toy – Steiff Jointed Plush Teddy BearBest Toy Design (0 – 2 years) – Jamm ScootBest Toy Design (3 – 5 years) – Great Little Trading Co. Play Shop And TheatreBest Toy Design (6+ years) – HotWheels Wall TrackBest Arts & Crafts

Best Classic Toy – Steiff Jointed Plush Teddy BearBest Toy Design (0 – 2 years) – Jamm ScootBest Toy Design (3 – 5 years) – Great Little Trading Co. Play Shop And TheatreBest Toy Design (6+ years) – HotWheels Wall TrackBest Arts & Crafts

term-time holidays that fall into the “exceptional circumstances” category will be considered and that will be down to the headteacher’s discretion, and playing the “it’s educational” card may not curry favour. “The educational value of an excursion

, petals and stones from the garden and encourage your child to touch and smell them. Encourage her to do it again, this time with her eyes closed. 3 Play along Help your child to view familiar things in a new and different light. What old rug? Didn’t you

this not only cute and convenient but an excellent early education tool. Skip Hop Alpahabet Zoo Activity Gym £67, by Bibs and StuffFind out... Why Bibs and Stuff's innovative backpack won our Best New-To-Market product categoryPlus Discover why playing with toys

child with her school reading book, but limit this to just a few minutes so it does not become a battle ground.2) Play Knock, Knock. The child reads, but knocks on the table for you to read a difficult word. Sometimes you find that they remember the word