Review of Jaques of London Wooden Toys

This post is sponsored by Jaques of London, but, as ever, this is an honest review and all opinions are my own. 

Before I had children of my own I only ever dreamed of beautifully arranged shelves of gorgeous wooden toys. It would be minimal, chic and immaculate. Needless to say I was a little naive! The reality of sourcing affordable, well-made wooden toys that children actually want to play with can be somewhat difficult. 

Thankfully there are some brands out there that are committed to making high quality wooden toys that are still good value for money, and one of these that I have had the pleasure of reviewing recently is Jaques of London. Here is how we’ve been getting on with Jaques toys, as we’ve tested them out ahead of Christmas.

A heritage toymaker

Jaques is a heritage toymaker, started in 1795 and now owned and run by the 8th generation of the Jaques family. The tradition of handmade, simple and classic toys is clear throughout everything they make. Many of their toys are timeless classics like chess, shape sorters and jigsaws.

It’s clear that Jaques know what children like to play with! Their range runs from the early years, like these toys for 1 year olds, right the way through to older children and adults. Their range even extends to board games and outdoor games (which I have found quite hard to source in the past!)

Toys that are fun and educational!

I love that Jaques has a wide range of toys that are both fun and educational. Their bright colours and simple designs are super appealing to small children, while the toys themselves encourage development of fine motor skills, imagination and creativity, and self expression (among other things!) Clem and Margot have been playing with their Jaques toys every day since they opened them!

Jaques even has a selection of toys that would be great for supporting homeschooling or preschool learning for little ones. I particularly like the look of this fractions board for maths learning, and this lacing set for fine motor development and alphabet learning. To supplement this, Jaques also offer a whole range of free resources through their Mini Minds Hub - I know we’ll be using some of these to keep the little ones entertained over Christmas!

Lovely high quality

The Kids Tool Bench and Shape Stacker that Jaques sent us to try are really well made, incredibly sturdy and look like they will last us for years. I have found that some wooden toys dent or snap easily, or the paint starts to flake. We haven’t had any of these issues and the build quality is excellent so I know we’re going to find these long lasting. 

The fact that this family business has been around for so long shows just how committed they are to making excellent toys. In a very saturated market they have clearly dedicated themselves to making toys that children love and treasure.

Jaques have dedicated themselves to making toys that children love and treasure

Value for money

Wooden toys, especially ones that are well made, can be quite pricey. In fact, so much so that I had all but resigned myself to buying secondhand. Jaques, however, have really good price points, with many of their toys coming in under £20. They also have fairly regular sales, so it’s worth signing up for their mailing list to hear about upcoming offers. 

Packaging and sustainability

I couldn’t review this brand without commenting on the sustainability of their toys. It’s wonderful that Jaques are focussed on wooden toys, which will last long and then biodegrade at the end of their life. All the wood Jaques uses is FSC approved, and much of their packaging is also biodegradable - including cardboard boxes. However, the toys and boxes themselves are wrapped in shrink wrap plastic, which is a shame. This kind of plastic is usually recyclable at large supermarkets, so if you’re worried about waste it’s worth keeping it to recycle with plastic bags and other soft plastics. 

If you’d like to shop Jaques of London’s full range of toys, head to their website.

This page contains affiliate links, which earn me a little bit of commission if you make a purchase, at no additional cost to you. Thank you!

You might like …