... One of these toys was the Little Tykes Activity Gym, that was bought for the younger two for Christmas four years ago, and as I'm feeling a bit nostalgic I thought I'd tell you all about it.
~~~The hard bit (part 1)~~~
Right when we first bought this Gym it came packed in a very large ... Read review
Advantages: Fun | Colourful | Extremely durable Disadvantages: Limited age group.
...down, ready to let the little horrors out to play. Yes, I know, you'll all blame me now if it rains tomorrow. Anyhow, while doing all this sprucing up, I realised that the children had outgrown some of these toys, and we were going to have to find new homes for them (the toys of course not the children, although any offers will be considered). One of these toys was the Little Tykes Activity Gym, that was bought for the younger two for Christmas four ... ...which means there's a nice little den area. All of the surfaces are made from plastic, and are very easy to clean, a hose pipe does a great job.
~~~The fun bit~~~
Once it was set up we had to decide where to put it. Now we have a pretty large lounge so during that first winter we had it set up indoors, and the children had plenty of fun playing on it. However, eventually we decided it was just to big to stay indoors, ... more
With all the lovely weather we've had this weekend, I decided it was time to clean all the garden toys down, ready to let the little horrors out to play. Yes, I know, you'll all blame me now if it rains tomorrow. Anyhow, while doing all this sprucing up, I realised that the children had outgrown some of these toys, and we were going to have to find new homes for them (the toys of course not the children, although any offers will be considered). One of these toys was the Little Tykes Activity Gym, that was bought for the younger two for Christmas four years ago, and as I'm feeling a bit nostalgic I thought I'd tell you all about it.
~~~The hard bit (part 1)~~~
Right when we first bought this Gym it came packed in a very large box, completely unassembled. So we had to put it together, which from reading the very clear instructions should have been an easy matter taking less than ten minutes. Well that was the theory, it actually took us over an hour. You see, it sort of slotted together, but there were bumps that you had to click into place, and it took an awful lot of force to actually get them to click.
However, once we had actually got it together it was very, very sturdy, I can't see it ever falling apart while being played on.
~~~Looks like fun~~~
Right, so we finally managed to put it together, so what did it look like?
Well it's a very brightly coloured cube, which has holes for climbing through on each side, and a bright pink slide. There is also a platform inside the cube, which means there's a nice little den area. All of the surfaces are made from plastic, and are very easy to clean, a hose pipe does a great job.
~~~The fun bit~~~
Once it was set up we had to decide where to put it. Now we have a pretty large lounge so during that first winter we had it set up indoors, and the children had plenty of fun playing on it. However, eventually we decided it was just to big to stay indoors, and so we moved it into the garden, where it has stayed ever since.
When we bought this our younger children were two and three, although the three year old has a number of difficulties which meant he was like a very large eighteen month old. Both children loved crawling through the holes and sliding down the slide, and played with it right up until last summer.
~~~The educational bit~~~
Now when I review toys I like to add a bit about what skills your child could be developing while they play with them, so lets look at what your little cherub could learn.
Well, let's start with the obvious, all that climbing, crawling and sliding is going to help to improve their gross motor co-ordination. This is something that one of my youngsters has great difficulty with, and it was wonderful to watch him become more confident.
Another thing, they may learn is turn-taking, especially if you have more than one child that's playing on it. This is a vital skill for any child.
The final thing that this can encourage is imagination. Now I can almost hear you saying “what but it's just a climbing frame”, but think about it, with a little imagination it can become a fort, or a pirate ship, a castle or even a house.
~~~The safety bit~~~
Now, this is the most important part, so I hope you're reading carefully. The Little Tykes Activity Gym is considered suitable for children between the ages of eighteen months and four years, and for most children this would be a pretty good guideline. Smaller than average children upto about five, will still be able to play.
Being made of sturdy pre-formed plastic, it is extremely strong and stable but I would suggest that it is used on grass or carpeted surfaces rather than on concrete or hard floors, as even a small drop could hurt a child.
As with all toys of this sort I would say that adult supervision is pretty much a necessity.
~~~The hard bit (part 2)~~~
Now that the children have grown too big to play on this we've decided to donate it to the children's ward. This meant that we had to clean it up, which was extremely easy using a hose pipe and cloth, and then put it down. And if we thought it was hard to put up, then we found it nearly impossible to put back down again. It involved a lot more banging and thumping and took, yep you've guessed it, over an hour again. I must admit this was actually very reassuring, as it showed just how strong it actually is.
~~~The value for money bit~~~
We paid £50 for our Activity Gym, and it appears to be no longer available in the shops, but I have seen it on ebay starting at £10. As it's lasted four years (and is still going strong) I personally feel that it was excellent value for money especially as it was fun for the whole time.
OK, so it doesn't look quite as good as new now, but if we weren't going to donate it to the local children's ward, I would have been quite happy to sell it on and therefore make it even better value.
~~~What the kids thought~~~
Ashleigh (6) ~ I liked played on the slide, but I'm too big now and I can't get through the holes anymore.
Michael (7) ~ Michael can't talk very well, but he used to love climbing through the holes and going down the slide and would spend hours playing on it when the weather was nice.
~~~And what their mum thinks~~~
I personally thought this was great value for money, it's bright, colourful and extremely well made. It gave me hours of pleasure both watching my children develop their physical skills as they played on it, and joining in with their role-play games where it was the castle or pirate ship.
Although it is only suitable for a relatively small age group, I would still recommend it, if you can get one, especially as you should be able to easily sell it on (or donate it to a children's ward or playgroup) once you're child has outgrown it.
Advantages: sturdy, strong, robust, attractive, compact Disadvantages: difficult to assemble, not as much fun as it could be
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Little Tikes Junior Activity Gym
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Most crèches or children’s play areas seem to have one of these activity gyms and they looked bright and colourful so we decided to get one for my brothers first birthday.
The activity gym as shown in the picture is made up of four side panels, each with holes in for the child to climb through. There is a small bright pink slide and a blue floor, which the children ... ...so I have held my little brother hostage and asked him to answer some questions about the toy. The conversation below is unedited:
ME: Do you think this was a fun toy?
BROTHER: Well, it was sort of fun and sort of not fun
ME: Whys that?
BROTHER: because when you climb underneath it through the holes its fun but when you climb on top of it the slide is a bit small so its not so good
ME: You know it has lots of bright colours, well does that make ...
ilusvm 04.03.2005 (18.04.2009)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Little Tikes Junior Activity Gym
Advantages: Bright and fun Disadvantages: Bit small
This Little Tikes Activity Gym is great for young children and creates a fun environment which is also safe.
The activity gym comes in a large box which contained all the parts. The instructions were clear and easy to follow. Looking at the gym all you needed to do is slot in the pieces. This was true as the pieces did have to be slotted together but getting them together was the hard bit. You need someone strong who can force the sections together ... ...and Mothercare. It cost a little under £50 but it can be bought on ebay for cheaper. Second hand activity gyms are even cheaper and since the material is long lasting might be worth getting.
This product is recommended for children between the ages of 18 months to 4 years old. But with supervision younger children can easily play on it. It is certainly strong enough to hold children over the age of 4 but when they get too old they can not fit through ...
tiger645 04.04.2006 (10.04.2006)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Little Tikes Junior Activity Gym
Advantages: sturdy easy to use fun Disadvantages: difficult to put up in the first place
Little Ttikes Junior activity gym is a small slide/climbing frame for 18 months - to a manufacturer suggested 4 years. It is brightly coloured and an easy size for a toddler to use
We bought this as a managable outdoor toy for my 17 month old. It looked easy to constuct - moulded plastic panels that just slot together. However I just could not put it together propery, one panel will not slide into place completely no matter how much I push, pull ... ...However it still seems sturdy even though it isnt all clicked into place so we are risking it for the moment. (If I can jump up and down on it without it collapsing it should be ok!)
My daughter absolutely loves it. She climbed on to it as soon as I showed her where to put her feet and slid down to climb straight back on. She can do this for a good forty minutes at a time without getting bored. She also loves climbing underneath where there are ...
stargazer2001 30.04.2001 (27.04.2001)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Little Tikes Junior Activity Gym
Advantages: good for littlies Disadvantages: bit small
...brightly coloured gym made by little tikes is a very good buy for a nursery or for you if you have a child under 4. This gym is a made from a thick strong plastic that you put together put together. is not terribly difficult. The slide is bright primary colours reds blue yellow green. The gym when made up is a cube with several holes in the sides, at the top of the cube a platform is fitted into the cube, with a slide that goes to the floor. Children ... ...lot of young children get little exercise these days and this gym will encourage them. It will help their climbing skills and if they have another child to play with they will learn sharing and taking turns.
This climbing /slide cube is sufficient for small children under 5 but once they get to 4 years old they will probably get bored with it. For normal active children I think that by the time they get to 3 1/2 4 this toy will not offer enough ...
mumsymary 07.06.2005
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Little Tikes Junior Activity Gym
Advantages: The children love it, very robust, easy to clean, can be indoor or outdoor Disadvantages: none
...can climb on, with a little slide. The pieces are made of plastic and slot together (you need a strong hubby with a mallet!), it can also be taken apart for storage if needed (same method!). It is marketed as suitable for ages 18 months to 4 years. We actually got it for our oldest daughters first birthday, after seeing her playing happily on one a couple of weeks before. Although at first she needed help to climb up, she loved the slide from the ... ...with (her birthday is in January) but once the weather improved we used it as an outdoor toy and it now lives in the garden. Our daughter is now 3.5 years old and still loves the activity gym, even though she's really a bit big for it. She likes to stand on the platform and see how far she can see, and enjoys trying out new ways to go down the slide (which is shorter than she is!). It's now a huge source of amusement for her younger sister, who is ...
christinemc 12.05.2001
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Little Tikes Junior Activity Gym
Age Group
Wear and Tear
Value for Money
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Advantages: Well built, stable, versatile Disadvantages: Suitable for a relatively small age range
The LittleTikesjunioractivitygym is a great introduction to outdoor climbing and sliding fun for toddlers from around 12 -36 months.
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