Bringing out the #BigKid in me!

Last Updated on 8 July 2020 by Colette

*This post is in collaboration with Tesco*

When someone asks me which toy I remember most vividly from my own childhood, I immediately conjure up images of a Big Yellow Teapot and the hours spent playing with it on my bedroom floor.  It wasn’t even complete – I think it must have been handed down to us from someone else and I know for sure there were bits missing from it but we didn’t care.  I loved the way it opened up at the back and the little steps leading into the house.  It amazes me that someone somewhere hasn’t bought the rights to this toy and re-released it, I know I’d buy one!

I also recall playing with Duplo quite a bit – again, we didn’t have much of it and I’m sure it would be have been “pre-loved” but it was the toy I went back to again and again, usually when I’d been sent to my bedroom.  I remember getting so involved in making patterns or building walls that when I was told it was OK to leave my bedroom again, I often didn’t bother!  Duplo is just one of those timeless toys isn’t it?  It might say up to age 5 on the box but that doesn’t stop all three of my kids getting stuck into our enormous box of Duplo – or Daddy for that matter.  On more that one occasion I’ve caught the boys trying to build the tallest tower they can with our Duplo, usually with the aim of touching the ceiling.

The one thing that’s guaranteed to make me sit down and play with the kids though is getting the Play Doh out.  I’ve learned not to be too fussy when the colours get mixed up – we can always buy some more right?  But there’s nothing like opening a fresh, completely untouched, pot of Play Doh.  Aside from anything else is just smells of childhood?  I love to roll it out and cut shapes out of it, to mould it into balls or squares or just squish it with my fingers.  It’s really therapeutic.  Playing with Play Doh doesn’t require skill or concentration, nor fancy tools or a lot of space.  Whether it’s homemade on the hob or bought in brightly coloured pots from Tesco, played with at home or school – it makes no odds.  Play Doh seems to have something of a universal appeal (and so many opportunities for educational purposes too!)

You can pick up some new Play Doh along with a whole host of other toys at Tesco this Autumn and bring out the #BigKid in you too!