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tiny toy shop
Beautiful, simple, sustainable toys that encourage children to explore, learn and communicate through creative play.
The simpler the toy, the more complex the play:
open-ended materials designed to ignite children’s curiosity and imagination.
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Heuristic Play Classes for Parents, Babies & Toddlers
Term 4 Classes online now!
Tuesdays, starting 15 October.
Last class Tuesday 17 December.
Last class Tuesday 17 December.
Birth - 8 months, 9am-10am SOLD OUT8 months - 2 ½ years, 10:30am-11:30am SOLD OUT
These classes have been designed to be interactive and social to build relationships between parents, children, and the use of open-ended materials.
play areas
sorting & stacking
Encourages problem-solving, fine motor skills, and cognitive development as children explore how objects fit together and categorize them based on different attributes.
Children develop spatial awareness, visual discrimination, and language skills while having fun and engaging in hands-on learning experiences.
blocks
Enhance creativity, spatial awareness, and problem-solving skills.
Foster fine motor development, encourage collaboration and teamwork.
Introduces basic maths and physics concepts.
loose parts
Sparks creativity, problem-solving, and critical thinking as children manipulate and combine various open-ended materials.
Freedom and flexibility stimulates imagination and encourages experimentation.
pretend play
Promotes imagination, language development, and social-emotional skills.
Children explore various roles, develop empathy, and practice problem-solving and communication.
small world
Encourages imaginative storytelling, role-playing, and language development.
Explore different environments, cultures, and scenarios, fostering creativity and social skills.
music
Cultivates a sense of rhythm, promotes auditory discrimination.
Boosts language development and self-expression.
Develops listening skills, coordination, and an appreciation for different sounds, fostering creativity and emotional expression.
nature & science
Promotes curiosity, stimulates sensory exploration.
Encourages a sense of wonder and environmental awareness.
Outdoor experiences in nature inspire imagination, physical activity, and cognitive development, fostering a connection with the natural world.
puzzles & games
Enhances cognitive skills, fine motor control, and concentration.
Develop critical thinking, spatial reasoning, and patience.
Practice logic and strategic thinking, while having fun and building resilience.
books
Nurture language development, literacy skills, and imagination.
Fosters a lifelong love of learning and storytelling.
Children acquire vocabulary, improve concentration, and develop empathy, opening doors to new ideas and perspectives.
grasping toys
Grasping toys provide essential sensory stimulation and promote fine motor development as babies explore different shapes, textures, and sizes, while enhancing their hand-eye coordination and grip strength.
art
Sparks creativity, self-expression, and fine motor skills.
Allows children to explore different materials and techniques.
Fosters visual-spatial awareness, problem-solving abilities, and self-confidence, encouraging individuality and a sense of personal accomplishment.
dough & clay
Supports sensory exploration, hand strength, and coordination.
Encourages imagination and three-dimensional thinking.
Enhances fine motor skills, fosters creativity, and provides a tactile experience that promotes relaxation, self-expression, and problem-solving.
sand & water
Offers opportunities for sensory exploration, physical activity, and imaginative play.
Fosters a connection with nature and the coastal environment.
Promotes gross motor skills, spatial awareness, and social interaction.
Provides a unique sensory experience and a sense of freedom.
gardening
Teaches children about nature, encourages responsibility.
Promotes an understanding of the growth cycle and the importance of sustainability.
Children develop fine motor skills, patience, and a sense of accomplishment while fostering a love for nature and a connection to the Earth.
carpentry
Supports sensory exploration, hand strength, and coordination.
Encourages imagination and three-dimensional thinking.
little helpers
Engaging children in routines and encouraging their participation as little helpers nurtures responsibility, independence, and practical life skills, while fostering confidence and self-esteem.
By involving children in household tasks, routines promote social and emotional development, time management skills, and create opportunities for bonding and building strong family connections.
rhythms & celebrations
The circular nature of weeks, months, the year, and seasons come to life with our hands-on resources and enable children to see the passage of time.
Celebration Rings used for birthdays and other traditions, decorated with figures, treasures from nature, photos and flickering candles add special magic and help create wonderful memories.
trays & baskets
Our beautiful baskets and trays make toys particularly appealing to children, add beauty to your home and make toy rotation and clean up a breeze!
A place for everything and everything in its place.
shop by age
babies
under 2 years
the makers we love
grimm's
“We believe that playing, learning and experiencing is an attitude rather than a matter of age.” Sven & Elke Grimm
Natural, sustainable open-ended wooden toys for imaginative play. Made with love with Europe.
grapat
Beautiful wooden open-ended loose parts that allow children to express their own imagination. A small family project based in the Spanish countryside.
Grapat believe play should be respected and protected and that children should be offered quiet uninterrupted space for true play to occur.
just blocks
Open-ended play for architects big and small, young and old, inviting imaginative exploration.
The simplest 4 element beech wood block sets that offer rich learning opportunities. Made by a small family company in Poland.
abel
Curved beech wood building blocks that inspire both simple and challenging creative play.
The perfect playmates for our Grapat and Grimm's pieces. Handmade with love in the Netherlands.mobilo
STEM toys that become fantasy worlds in the hands of children. Mobilo is loved by educators the world over as a highly educational learning toy.
Made from fully recyclable raw materials using mostly self-generated solar power in a tiny village in Germany.
orchard
Multi-award winning educational puzzles and games. Loved by teachers, parents and children for over 50 years. Learning made fun! Made from recycled card in the UK.
Our most popular birthday party gifts!
way to play
Waytoplay is an unbreakable, weatherproof rubber road system, designed by a family with a passion for playing with cars outdoors. Made in the Netherlands and designed to last a lifetime.
They stick to bath and shower walls when wet and are the best way to encourage a long wash cycle for your dirty nippers!papoose
Beautiful Fairtrade playthings hand crafted from New Zealand felted wool in Nepal and wood in Indonesia.
Our Papoose range includes exquisite felted food for pretend play and felted play mats, toadstools and trees for small world play.
dantoy
The world's leading sustainable producer of bio plastic toys. Dantoy's multi-award winning ranges include Blue Marine Toys made from 100% recycled maritime industry ropes & nets and BIO made from the waste of sugarcane production.
Dantoy is a 50 year old family run Danish company.
nic
Exquisite quality German made toys that encourage meaningful imaginative play. NIC toys are built to last and be passed down to the next generation.
The NIC range have been awarded the 'spiel gut' Good Play Award for their play value.
iq plus
iq plus have been manufacturing professional-quality instruments for over 40 years.
Sustainably made from renewable plantation wood by a family run company in Thailand.
wooden story
Beautiful timeless heirloom toys made by hand in Poland by a family of third generation makers.
Inspired by nature, handcrafted from FSC timber, finished in beeswax & botanical oils and packaged in gorgeous cloth bags and boxes.
trade aid
Trade Aid is a local Christchurch social enterprise creating fairness in trade since 1973.
Trade Aid works with small craft producers around the world and in doing so supports communities to solve problems and fulfil their aspirations.
doll factory
Handcrafted multicultural, anatomical boy and girl dolls with realistic skin features and sealed articulated joints for bathing.
Made with love in Spain.
tickit
Makers of innovative educational products that inspire learning.
Award-winning, high quality, engaging and open-ended learning resources to inspire curiosity and aid development through play.
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