Toys and Games

Toys and Games

Toys and games for toddlers through to primary school age, spanning licensed character toys, wooden family games, ride-along vehicles, sensory play and craft. Heavins has been a toy shop in Athlone for generations, and the range reflects that: recognisable brands children actually ask for, alongside the wooden stacking towers and board games that get played with by everyone in the room. Licensed lines cover Bluey, Peppa Pig and Paw Patrol across phones, laptops, tablets, torches, cash registers and remote controls, with Teamsterz garbage trucks and JCB tool kits for anyone who wants engines and noise. Family games include the HTI Epic Fun range with T-Rex Tantrum, Crazy Unicorn Buckaroo and Head Guess, and Toyfinity giant wooden tumbling towers and four-in-a-row sets for the garden.

Plush Soft Toys

Soft toys are the first toy most children own and the one that lasts longest. The range covers cuddly characters, teddies and plush animals in sizes from small enough for a pram or a school bag up to large floor cuddlies. Look for washable fabric and stitched rather than glued features, since anything a toddler holds ends up in the washing machine sooner or later. Plush works as a birthday or new baby gift at almost any age, and character plush from the shows children already watch tends to be the one that gets carried everywhere rather than left on a shelf.

Toy Vehicles

The largest sub-range here, covering die-cast cars, construction machines, emergency vehicles and lights-and-sounds trucks. Teamsterz garbage trucks and bin lorries with working lights and sound effects are perennial sellers, and the HTI Mega Machine construction vehicles cover diggers, dumpers and loaders. Scale matters for small hands: larger vehicles suit toddlers who are still building grip, while smaller die-cast models suit older children building a collection. Playsets such as the HTI Country Life farmyard give the vehicles somewhere to go, which extends how long a child stays with them.

Role Play Toys

Role play toys let children copy what adults do, which is how a great deal of early learning actually happens. The range covers cash registers and checkout tills, toy telephones, laptops and tablets, activity dashboards with steering wheels and tool kits with battery operated drills. Bluey and Peppa Pig cover the tills, phones, laptops and game controllers, while the JCB toolcase gives a working drill and a set of tools in a carry case. These suit roughly ages two to six, and they are the toys that generate the most talking, which is usually a good sign.

Sensory Toys

Sensory toys engage touch, sight and sound rather than a storyline, and they suit both very young children and older children who benefit from fidget and calming play. The range covers squish and stretch toys, suction poppers, textured and tactile pieces and colour changing lights. The HTI Oh So Sensory Sucker Popz bucket and Squish Meez mega tub are the mainstays, along with Bluey, Peppa Pig and Paw Patrol colour change torches that shift shade as they glow. They work well as party bag fillers, travel distractions and quiet-time toys.

Music Toys

Music toys introduce rhythm, cause and effect and turn-taking, and they are among the earliest toys a baby will respond to deliberately. The range covers instruments, sound-making toys and character toys with songs and phrases built in, including the Peppa Pig Flip and Learn telephone and interactive dashboards with sound effects. Volume control is worth checking before buying for a small house. For older children, music toys shift from noise-making toward simple instruments where a recognisable tune can actually be picked out.

Art and Crafts

Craft sets cover drawing, painting, sticking and making, and they are the rainy-day answer that costs least per hour of attention. Look for sets that are complete in the box, so a child can start without a trip to the shop for glue or paper. Wooden building sets such as the HTI towering blocks sit at the constructive end of the same idea, developing balance, planning and fine motor control. Craft suits a wide age band, from toddlers who want to stick things down to older children following a set of instructions to a finished result.