After a long winter in lockdown we were looking forward to some sunshine. Sadly that wasn’t to be – well not yet anyway! Rain, storms and gales have dominated May this year. As such our plans for day trips and to explore the countryside have been put on hold. We haven’t adventured much further than our own back garden! This doesn’t mean however that my 5 year old son, who is full of energy and likes to stay active, hasn’t been outdoors. He’s been outdoors a lot in our garden playing. And thanks to his TONKA Trucks he’s been kept both happy and busy for hours!

AD – we were sent the TONKA Trucks in exchange for a review

Why we love Tonka Trucks

• Tonka Trucks are tough enough to be outdoors!

Kids love to be outdoors and in my opinion they need to be outdoors! Inside my son is often bouncing off the walls (literally – propelling himself off the sofa and cushions)! Outdoors he can burn off some of his energy (or Sammy beans as I like to call it)!

That’s why having good toys that can endure outdoor play is a must. TONKA is perfect for this because TONKA Trucks are tough! And they’re not just a little bit tough, they are TONKA truck tough, as demonstrated by Sam below!

• TONKA Trucks are made with real steel

What a pleasant change to the many 100% plastic toys on the market. TONKA make their trucks from steel. This means they should be better for the environment as metal can be recycled. Plus they are made to last and will stand the test of time!

• TONKA Trucks are the perfect toy for imaginative play

Whether you take your TONKA Trucks to the beach to play with pebbles and sand, or to the woods to bulldoze and tip sticks and leaves, your kids are enjoying imaginative play. But with TONKA Trucks fuelling kids imagination, you don’t actually have to take your kids anywhere. They will have so much fun just playing with them in the garden or local park.

What is imaginative play and why does it benefit my child?

Imaginative play means playing whilst using your imagination. No surprises there! It’s role playing and creating stories through play. But why is it so important for kids to engage in imaginative play?

There are actually a number of reasons and it’s really important in the development of young children. Imaginative play is said to reduce anxiety in children, help express feelings and emotions, improves academic skills including literature, decreases disruptive behaviour and improves concentration and focus. And that’s just some of the benefits!

My son loves playing the TONKA Toys and I love watching him play in the garden to see what his imagination creates. At the weekend he used his TONKA Trucks to build a bridge. Each truck had their own ‘task’ and purpose in the construction. He then used the box as a ramp and ran his cars down the ramp.

He had absolutely no input from me or my husband. I just had the pleasure of observing his independent and imaginative play. He played for well over an hour and it’s a great way to get screen free time with quality toys in the outdoors.

About the TONKA Trucks and where to buy them?

TONKA is available from John Lewis. We reviewed:

The TONKA Steel Classics Bulldozer £24.99

The Tonka Steel Classics Bulldozer is brilliant fun for clearing away anything in its path. My son loved moving the dirt, weeds, grass and rocks out of the way to build his bridge. He especially enjoyed using the workable blade. The bulldozer is appropriate for ages 3 years and up.

The TONKA Steel Classics Toughest Mighty Dump Truck £49.99

The ultimate Steel Classic Toughest Mighty Dump Truck is a deluxe version of the Classic Mighty Dump Truck and it’s brilliant! It’s such a large toy that it definitely has the wow factor (as you can see from my son’s face in the picture below when he first saw it)! It’s from ages 3 and up.

My son loved tipping the massive truck bed up and down to trigger its unloading action. As it’s so big he was able to fill it right up for the best tip ever!

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