But how to play with them all? I’m quite used to free play where I make up stories in my head and play on my own with them, however how do my folks keep my attention with my Schleich toys and prolong their shelf life in my toy chest?

Well, the answer is a new brochure that has come out which is jam-packed with fun ideas to keep children engaged with their toy animals. Not only is it full of games and play ideas for little ones it also has great tips for big folk too to help them interact with their children more through fun play ideas. My mummy loves imaginary playing with me, so this is right up her street.

The brochure is part of the ‘Educational Play the Schleich Way’ campaign just launched and Schleich they have created a 16-page brochure which is like a guide-book for big folks to help prompt them and play with their little ones by actively instructing with bright pictures and great useful of information.

It covers topics such as a balanced play diet, encouraging imagination and early language skills, the guide also comes with helpful hints and tips on how to get the best from your child’s playtime and how you can incorporate Schleich products. We’ve had a sneak peek of this great Schleich brochure, so are using what we learn from this guide to help me play with my toys.

So what is a balanced play diet? Is it food? No, just like having a well-rounded food diet, kids also need to be exposed to certain play groups and make sure they are getting enough of all different types of play. The brochure splits it done to Active Play, Creative Play, Social Play and Free Play. Everything in moderation too as too much of one type of play means that your child can get side tracked and miss out on other fun activities. As a family we keep it varied with structural play and time left alone to get up to my own devices.

Its also important to play with friends and learn to share toys and ideas. Our favourite has to be Creative play by exploring playing with toys in new surroundings, using different materials, toy, locations and situations. Schleich are great toys to engage with all these different types of play. Even my nursery has sets of Schleich toys, as they recognise a huge educational value of these little models.

My mummy is very good with turning the telly off, and starting a play scenario especially with Schleich toys. Even by placing an animal in our jungle of a garden and shouting “I’m lost” is enough to engage and get me participating in creative play. I usually take the play scenario and run with it.

We took inspiration from the brochure to play outside and used natural materials taken from our garden. We used our tuff spot to create an animal play wonderland in our garden using grass clippings, ivy from our fence and little stones to create a pathway. We used tinfoil to create a little river and tree logs to make a little house. I absolutely loved it.

My mummy refers back to the brochure, which is full of great play prompts if I get bored or get distracted, she also helps me to keep the play going with my Schleich animals. We’ve taken my animals out with us on our adventures, most recently to Northern Ireland on holiday with my Grandma. They are the perfect size to fit in my backpack and great for keeping me occupied at restaurants.

The brochure is really useful and we’ve printed it out and it lives in my toy chest, so my folks and I can make reference to it. We found the game ideas helpful and daddy in particular is never stuck for ideas now!

Schleich products are very educational and great for teaching children more about the animal world. Even a little snail came to say hello to us while we were playing! The attention to detail and quality of this miniature life-like toys is unbeatable and we’ve not seen anything come close. The best toys are the ones I love playing with like these and I’m learning without realising. My mummy helps me learn too by talking about the animals habitats and where they come from. Playing encourages language and speech development too, so I repeat what she says and mimic the animal noises. We’re impressed with the range of toys from the animal kingdom and at this rate I will have a Noah’s Ark of them but the time I’m fully grown.

So for now I will continue to play in my jungle of a garden with my miniature animal toys..I hope we don’t get lost! You can see a wide range of Schleich toys online at  www.schleich-s.co.uk or pop into a local Smyths Toy Store retailer to see an amazing range!

Love Bella x

Disclosure: We received these toys and a copy of the brochure from Schleich in order to write an honest review.