Home » Jaques of London Wooden Toys Review – Snakes and Ladders & Ludo and Giant Tumble Tower

Jaques of London Wooden Toys Review – Snakes and Ladders & Ludo and Giant Tumble Tower

There is something very special about wooden toys, isn’t there? And wooden toys from Jaques of London are another level again. 

AD | This is a sponsored review post

Before we have children, us mums-to-be all proclaim we will have nothing but wooden toys in our houses (something we may or may not stick to!). But it’s easy to see why we all fall in love with play equipment and toys made of solid wood and natural materials.

The quality is amazing, they’re better for the environment, and they last for so much longer. Not to mention the fact that they’re not plastic toys, noisy with flashing lights, need batteries or take hours to put together! Wooden toys can be passed down through generations which is lovely.

We are currently in possession of a wooden train track that is 52 years old, and has been played with by 9 different children from various generations in our family! Proof that high-quality wooden toys are a cut above the their plastic counterparts and are a must in any toy box belonging to both young kids or older children.

As a family business, Jaques of London have been making and inventing toys and games since 1795. They are now on their 8th generation of games makers and believe in the power of play and quality family time spent together.

So when I was asked to review the Jaques of London 3ft Tumble Tower, as well as their 2-in-1 Snakes and Ladders & Ludo board game, I was delighted knowing they make the best wooden toys – and so were my boys. 

Wooden Toys Review – Jaques of London Giant Tumble Tower 

If you’re looking for brilliant garden games for kids of all ages, then look no further. My boys have had great fun with this Tumble Tower wooden blocks set.

We’ve all seen the idea before. Stack the bricks in a neat 3 x 3 arrangement then take it in turns to remove blocks and add them to the top of the tower. As more and more blocks are removed the tower becomes unstable – who will be the one to make it finally tumble? 

  • Four year old plays with wooden toys and a giant tumble tower on the patio
  • Four year old plays with wooden toys and a giant tumble tower on the patio
  • Four year old plays with wooden toys and a giant tumble tower on the patio
  • Four year old plays with wooden toys and a giant tumble tower on the patio
  • Four year old plays with wooden toys and a giant tumble tower on the patio
  • Two brothers plays with a giant tumble tower toy on the patio

Both children and adults alike will love this wooden Tumble Tower. It is suitable for three year olds and over, and can reach as tall as 3ft whilst playing. It’s brilliant fun! It’s been specially designed for the whole family to enjoy and you can see why. It’s also great for hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills.

The blocks are made from sustainable wood – ethically sourced New Zealand pinewood to be exact. They measure 9cm by 3cm, so perfect for little hands to join in too. They might need a bit of help when the going gets tough and it becomes more wobbly, but they’ll be having plenty of fun and laughing their heads off when it all comes tumbling down. If my boys were anything to go by! 

The individually hand-finished blocks have the attractive Jaques of London logo on one side. So if you’re slightly OCD like me, it’ll add yet another level to the game. I HAD to try and set it up with all the logos on the same side, and facing the same way. Obviously my boys didn’t care at all, and just got on with it! 

  • Jaques of London tumble tower wooden toys come in a green canvas case
  • Jaques of London tumble tower wooden toys come in a green canvas case

To keep it all neat and tidy, the tumble tower comes in a smart green zip-up square canvas case. The game is easy to tidy away and doesn’t take up much room so offers easy storage.

The size of the game means it’s perfect for playing outside on a sunny day, but is also not too big that you can’t bring it indoors if the weather turns. It’s one of those great additions to our garden toys for the summer when friends are over. Especially seeing as it can be played by all the family. Or even just us adults! I’d definitely recommend it. 

Wooden Toys Review – Jaques of London Snakes & Ladders/Ludo

I’m not sure about you, but we love a classic board game in our house. And for our aged children (6, 4, and 4), you can’t get more classic than Snakes and Ladders. It’s one that the boys turn to again and again. Delighting and boasting when their turn takes them up a ladder. Slightly less pleased (to put it mildly) when they have to slide down a snake. Especially that big one! 

My nearly seven year old also LOVES playing Ludo. The strategy game where players race their tokens around the board to ‘home’ based purely on the number they throw on the dice. He plays it with Granny and Grandad on no doubt the same set that I spent hours playing with as a child on caravan holidays!

So you can imagine how pleased he was to discover the Jaques of London version is a 2-in-1 game with Snakes and Ladders on one side, then a Ludo Game Board on the reverse of the board. It’s a great way to be able to play two different games at once.

  • Snakes and Ladders board game is one of the best wooden toys from Jaques of London
  • Snakes and Ladders board game is one of the best wooden toys from Jaques of London
  • Ludo board game is one of the best wooden toys from Jaques of London

Again, the good quality of the durable, solid wood board is wonderful. I feel like this thing could literally last forever and with good reason. The quality finish outlasts 100% cardboard games in testing and you can absolutely see why. 

The playing pieces for both games are made from genuine wood rather than plastic, as is the wooden dice. You can just feel the quality every time you play it. 

If they could just somehow add something in to stop the tantrums of the losers, I’d be the happiest mum alive! 

The Snakes and Ladders & Ludo game could make great gifts or a birthday present too. It comes packed in a fabulous cardboard box complete with luxury ribbon, and wrapped with the trademark Jaques ‘historical tissue paper’. It even contains a handwritten card to say who has packed it. Thank you Victoria! I was almost sad to open it and ruin it all. 

  • Jaques of London wooden toys come packed with tissue paper and card
  • Jaques of London wooden toys come packed with tissue paper and card
  • Business card to say who had packed the wooden toys from Jaques of London

Wooden toys make perfect gifts

If you’re thinking of investing in some simple wooden toys either for your own children or as a perfect gift, then I can definitely recommend both the Tumble Tower and the Snakes and Ladders & Ludo. 

Or head to the Jaques of London website to find out what other beautiful wooden toys and traditional games they offer. Best sellers include various types of toys ranging from a shape sorter offering a fun way to learn different shapes, wooden puzzles with bright colours, a chess set, building blocks, or stem toys that fit with the Montessori method. Whether you are looking for something for pretend play, creative play or open-ended play. The child’s imagination is the only limit!

They’re guaranteed to provide hours of fun for all the family. 

Do you love wooden toys? 

PIN image of a four year old playing with a giant tumble tower part of the Jaques of London wooden toys selection

How did I do?

Did you enjoy this post? Why not hang around and read a few more whilst you’re here. If you want to read some more of my usual kind of stuff, head over to my Mum Life section. You’ll find all things parenting with a tongue-in-cheek twist. Or if you want some days out and UK family holiday inspiration, click on the Travel section.

If you like a bit of social media madness, pop over to my Facebook page where you’ll be able to have a laugh at what ridiculousness goes on in my house with three very small boys on a daily basis. Warning – there is often sarcasm, and usually swearing. There are also great travel reviews and some AWESOME giveaways. Feel free to join my Twins, Tantrums and Cold Coffee – Shits and Giggles Parenting Group too, where everyone shares their hilarious stories.

If you like what you see, how about you check me out on Pinterest Instagram and Twitter too.

And if you want to work with me, feel free to give me a shout here or at helen@twinstantrumsandcoldcoffee.com and I’ll get back to you.

You may also like

Leave a Comment

* By using this form you agree with the storage and handling of your data by this website.

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Accept Read More

Privacy & Cookies Policy