7 Mattel Bloxels

£43.99; ages 8+ App required

This inventive toy allows you to design your very own game. You create characters and backgrounds using small, coloured blocks on a board, which you scan in with an app to play the game on your tablet. This proved particularly popular with older children, who seemed to relish sitting quietly and concentrating on their design. A creative toy that lets children use their imagination It takes time to design a game and so it requires some patience