2008 Great Toy Awards from Talking Tots plus Exclusive Discounts

Talking Tots, the UK’s fastest-growing toddler activity group, today announced the winners of the 2008 Great Toy Awards, and launched a website packed with tips on choosing gifts for children, together with exclusive discounts from some of the UK’s finest toy companies.

British parents spend £1.4 billion each year on ‘educational’ toys, but the early years experts at Talking Tots believe many of these toys offer no significant developmental benefit to children. The Great Toy Awards are designed to recognise toys that offer real educational value for children, and are selected by a team of experts including paediatric speech and language experts, educational psychologists, teachers – and toddlers!

Hoping for some toys from the Great Toy Awards

“We considered more than 3,000 toys for inclusion in the guide, and many of the most popular items are no more educational than the box they come in,” says Tracey Park, co-founder of Talking Tots. “We launched the Great Toy Awards to recognise toys that are designed to really work with children’s early development, and that combine educational value with fun and great value for money.”

Parents can discover the 2008 Great Toy Award winning toys at the Great Toy Guide website, where they can purchase all the winning toys, and access exclusive discounts and special offers on a range of brilliant toys from companies including Manhattan Baby, JellyCat, Le Van Toy, Plan Toys and many more.

Talking Tots is also offering one family the chance to win a stocking stuffed with £250 of Great Toys including a Leapfrog “Tag” system – one of the most exciting new toys of 2008.

The 2008 Talking Tots Great Toy Awards winners are:

Great Communication Toy: Bamba’s First Comforts, £29.99, Baby Sign Factory
Great Motor Skills Toy: Hammering Set, £9.99, Absorbent Minds
Great Imaginative Toy: Dragonstone Castle, £13.99, Lula Sapphire
Great Role Play Toy: Tea Time Tray Set, £23.95, Tickety-Boo
Great Early Learning Toy: Cookie Shapes, £13.40, Learning Resources

Full details of all winning toys and runners up are available on the Great Toy Guide website at www.greattoyguide.com