New Innovative and Engaging Toys for your Child.

When it comes to choosing toys for your child there is more to choose from than you could possible ever sift through. Good news is that you don’t have to. You just need to have a think about what you would like to child to learn and what interests him/her and what you would like to look at/listen to.
We LOVE educational toys where skills are learned while playing and where the activity is not just a repetition from the previous play. Therefore we are super excited to add 3 new brands to our range, Calafant from Germany, Milaniwood from Italy and Kipod from Israel. These new brands will launch in Melbourne in August at the Reed Gift Fair and Kids inStyle (part of Life inStyle).
The toys and games from each brand are very different from each other but they all strive to develop the child’s do-it-yourself skills and the associated confidence that comes from being able to do things yourself. They also support the research that shows that creative children become better at problem solving and innovation. Smart toys for smart kids. 
Calafant makes cardboard models that the child assembles and then decorates. Great for an indoor day or on a plane or train going somewhere. There are many different designs in various sizes and level of difficulty and they can all be disassembled and put away for another time should you run out of time before the project has been completed. For the younger children the models have lines like a colouring in book to assist the decoration and a pack of felt pens is included. For the older kids, the model is left blank (white) to leave it up to the child’s imagination and they are encouraged to use all sorts of materials for decoration like paint, stickers, glitter etc. You may like to set up the art studio outside….
Make your own or get a group of friends together to make a really big model. All materials are high quality and safe and all is done that can be done to be environmentally responsible.
Milaniwood is an Italian company (established in 1924) and they make the most beautiful wooden games and toys. The colours, the wood, the presentation. Everything about Milaniwood is refined and sophisticated and their range includes some new and innovative games like Cantonese Rice and Flying Caterpillar.
Others are well known traditional games with a new design and their Tulip Domino set is probably the most beautiful set of domino ever. Place it in the window sill and the leaves will glow in the dark. All presented in beautiful boxes and make great gifts.
Whichever you choose, you will have a game in the house that you will treasure and love the look of even when the children have grown up and are long gone. Proudly 100% made in Italy from design to materials to manufacturing.
Kipod is new and different. Developed by a young Israeli woman who just loves teaching children through craft, the range consists of a series of craft kits with wood, paper and/or wool all packed in great boxes to keep.

The children make the toy/game before they play with it and develop their fine motor skills, patience and persistence as well as their imagination. The number of products in the range is limited compared to the other two brands but there is something for everybody from a memory game for the youngest where they put stickers onto timber coins first to make the game to a smart projector to trace pictures on the wall with washi tape for the pre-teen. Check out this really great video for Grafitape.
The Kipod games and toys are fun and make great gifts. Learn to tie laces, to fold paper, to make pom poms from wool or to delicately balance timber shapes on top of each other. The kits and their visual presentation really appeals to children and the joy they get from creating the toys is priceless.
For more information please click through for individual brand presentations. Calafant, Kipod or Milaniwood.