My lucky children often get to try out many of the toys we sell in our Didsbury toy shop, but that’s a benefit that works both ways as I get to see the quality of the toys, how much they have enjoyed playing with them and whether I feel they are worth the price. Some toys have been ditched if I’ve not been suitably impressed and others I am happy to recommend to customers based on an honest opinion of how I have seen my children playing. Similarly feedback from customers, good and bad, helps me decide whether to ditch or keep certain products or brands.
One brand I consistently get excellent feedback from is Djeco, which is a French brand. They make lovely toys and room decorations, which are great quality and a little bit quirky, as well as their absolutely amazing arts and craft sets.
One craft set which I took home to try out on my children was the Art by Numbers Mosaic set.
I bought this for my eldest son Jake, when he was 8, to do during the school holidays. He’d lost interest in doing craft activities and had moved more towards Lego, Board Games and screen based play, so I was pleased to see that he did enjoy completing this particular craft activity.
In the set you get two pictures to complete, a lion and a whale, each of which has numbered squares over which you stick the mosaic squares. You can either follow the number and colour pattern suggested or you can make up your own design.
Also included is a booklet which suggests which coloured stickers to use over which numbers.
The squares are a reasonable size (approx 5mm square) so they’re not too fiddly and there are gaps between the squares which again means that it is not too difficult to complete.
Jake enjoyed completing the designs and, as such, I would say that as a guide these are suitable for 7-10 years.
At £7.99 these are perfectly priced for party presents or for a school holiday activity treat. They’re easy enough that kids won’t get frustrated but no so easy that they are a doddle to do and done in five minutes. Great for if they have a friend over or a sibling of a similar age too.