Full steam ahead – a toy for all the family

Our daughter Saffy, 2 1/2 (going on 15), has always taken an interest in a range of toys. We have tried not to offer overly gendered toys, but to be led by her interests and offer a variety of games, toys and action figures. Toys which will occupy her for more than 5 minutes are always winners (time for a cup of tea for me, thank you). Whilst she does enjoy playing with her dolls and teddies, she also enjoys toys which stretch her imagination and refine her fine motor skills.

We had thought about buying a train set for a while, after she enjoyed playing with her cousin’s set at the grandparents and given the fact that she always enjoys a ride on a miniature railway at a garden centre. So following a clear out of her baby toys (to the loft as we are expecting baby number two shortly) we took the plunge and bought the Railway Bucket Builder set by Hape. It advertises itself as ‘a great train set that lets you build your own town’ which sparked our interest as Saffy likes role play in general with her toys and teddies. It retails at around £33 which seemed like a reasonable price for something we are likely to use for years to come.

What we love is the look of it. The Railway Bucket Builder set is a brightly coloured, fun looking toy which has great features to keep little one’s active minds occupied. It’s advertised as being for 3 years+ but we tried it for Saffy as she is quite advanced for her age and is usually supervised when playing so we weren’t worried about small parts etc. But there is definitely room for her to grow with it and get the most out of all its features.

The train set is easy to assemble when you follow the pictures on the front package, along with the guide inside, and could be done with help from your little one (depending on how patient they can be).

The key features which set it apart from your standard train set are:

• Clever use of the box which becomes part of the railway set up, adding another level of play and some nice dips for the trains to glide down (and also packs away neatly at the end of the day)
• It is bright and colourful, looking great in any space or playroom
• Goes beyond the traditional train set with additions of houses, trees, a fuel station, tools, cranes, work-people, magnets to lift carriages off the track and build the trains/other vehicles
• Well constructed quality parts, made from sustainable materials
  Doesn’t take up a huge amount of space, can fit on a standard size coffee table.

Saffy has since spent many an hour happily engaged in play, making choo-choo sounds and pretending to be both the train driver and controller. She particularly likes the nuts and bolts for fixing the trains, which has got her so interested in spanners she now demands a spanner in lots of different scenarios! She also likes using the magnets and crane, which is great for developing her fine motor skills. What has also been nice for Saffy is that she enjoys playing with it alongside her grandad who is a train fanatic and may have spent more time on it than she has.

Overall we rate it as a perfect addition to our playroom. It is educational, informative and has enough great features to keep busy toddlers and children occupied for a good while, and has been a hit with our nephew too who is a huge Thomas the Tank Engine enthusiast!

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