Developmental Toys

They are toys chosen to give practice with a particular skill, such as grasping, turning a handle, threading, balancing or waiting for a turn. For children with special educational needs (SEN), simple toys with a clear reward give lots of repetition without it feeling like work, and the range runs from motor skills toys to cause and effect games.

They are colour coded: red is 30 seconds, green 1 minute, pink 2 minutes, yellow 3 minutes, blue 5 minutes and orange 10 minutes. Each timer is 160 x 70mm with moulded end caps and a thick wall surround, and they are made with the classroom in mind, for showing how long a turn or task will last.

It is filled with approximately 1.7kg of beads inside a soft plush body. It can hang around the shoulders or coil up on a lap, and it is designed to give deep pressure input during the day. For lap pads, blankets and other weighted items, see our weighted toys and lap pads.

Because it rewards a simple action with a clear result. Turning the handle plays music, then the smiling clown pops up, so children practise turning a handle and learn to wait for the surprise. At 150mm wide and 155mm high it sits easily on a table for one-to-one or small group work.