Fun toys and games for budding musicians!

Published at 12:00, Tuesday, 29 June 2010

Advertising feature. Are you proud parent to a wannabe rock star? Nurture your little one’s talented side with one of the great range of musical toys and games available online. Kids love clattering and clanking and generally making a racket, so take a look at the varied selection of children’s musical instruments online.

Why not introduce them to music early on by getting hold of the Chicco Musical Ball? The soft ball helps to develop your baby’s sense of rhythm and music, as well as encouraging hand eye co-ordination. Suitable for babies as young as three months, the colourful, machine-washable toy is a must for any kids' toy box.

Young Thomas the Tank Engine fans can even get to grips with their very first guitar. Ideal for kids aged 18 months and up, the electronic toy guitar features two fun interactive modes of play - strum and automatic. Simply press buttons and the strum to see flashing lights and hear six tunes with exciting engine sound effects. A brightly-coloured musical instrument, this is the perfect size for your little one’s hand.

Let your kids take centre stage with the VTech Kidi Pop and Rock. A fun piano, guitar and drum all in one, the exciting children’s toy has been designed to help encourage creativity. Folding easily to transform from a guitar to a piano, the toy has three music styles, including rock, jazz and hip hop.

Great for developing the kids’ imagination, the Kidi Pop and Rock allows your little angels to record and save their own musical creations and play them back. You’ll be wanting a go yourself once you’ve seen how easy it is to create a musical masterpiece!

Inquisitive little girls will love banging and bashing the VTech Dora the Explorer Learning Drums. This fun toy allows them to beat the two colourful drums while learning basic counting skills. Play fun games with TV favourite Dora and hear melodies and drum sound effects.

Using infrared sensor technology, little Dora’s hands move as the drums are triggered. Featuring ten LED lights, the kids’ toy teaches numbers, counting and memory.

Struggling to get your little angel off to sleep at night? Soothe your baby off into dream land with the VTech Baby Sleepy Bear Sweet Dreams. The cute polar bear themed cot light has been designed to help your newborn baby to sleep via its soft light effects and soothing sounds. Featuring calming melodies, songs and nature sounds, the cot light also features a built-in timer that can be set to five, ten or 15 minutes to ensure parents can leave their baby knowing the sounds will not play continuously.

There are loads of fun children’s toys available to encourage hand-eye co-ordination, too. Suitable for ages eight and up, kids won't know what's coming next with the fun Bop It toy. Twist It, Bop It, Shout it - can your kids react to the commands quick enough to beat their high score? Get the whole family involved and see who comes out on top with this fun party game. Featuring a new high score and four commands, kids can even play the game on their own.

Your little princess can see her favourite TV characters, such as Fifi and the Flowertots at any time of day via the magical Musical TV. Available on the Internet for less than £10, the fun toy is ideal for ages 12 months and above. It's easy to use too! Just press the button to hear Fifi's happy theme tune and see the sights of Fifi and the gang having fun in The Flowertot Garden!

Complete with a solid carry handle, this exciting musical device has two volume levels and has a durable design for long-lasting fun.

If you like kids’ toys to be educational as well as fun, look no further than Dora's Laptop. A children's toy with a difference, the device is designed to engage pre-school kids in a play along learning adventure with their favourite TV character, Dora. With ten activities that help teach letter names, the alphabet, spelling, simple sums and words, the toy also teaches basic Spanish phrases. How's about that for great value?

Suitable for kids aged three and up, the toy has a chunky enter button for little ones' hands, helping them develop basic computer skills. Watch little Dora dance along to give kids positive encouragement, while two separate LCD screens give extra interaction and guidance throughout the fun and games.

Curious little boys and girls can join Wall-E and Eve as they go on an adventure to solve Earth's problems in the VTech V Smile Wall E Learning Game. Based on the fun family film by Disney Pixar, the game is packed with games that teach numbers, shapes, matching and sorting.

Simply play with the buttons on the controller, or use the motion sensitive control to get really involved. A fun learning game with two difficulty levels, this can be played on the V Smile or V Smile Pocket. Suitable for kids aged three and older, this fun children's toy combines learning and game play with exciting film characters.

Encourage a young musician early with the Melissa and Doug Band in a Box. Form your own family band by encouraging everyone to dig deep into the box and select an instrument! Just warn the neighbours before you get going! The colourful box is bursting with all you need to make music, with a tambourine, maracas, a triangle, wooden clacker, two cymbals and tone blocks all in a sturdy wooden case.

Ideal for kids (and big kids!) aged three and up, this brilliant collection of instruments is the perfect starting place for encouraging a budding band member. Get everyone in on the game and help develop your kids' rhythm and hand-eye co-ordination with this fun children's toy.

Whatever your little cherub is into, you're bound to find it online. What are you waiting for? Get shopping for your kids' toys and games today and stock up in time for the long summer holidays.