We were kindly gifted the Jaques of London wooden toys for review, however as with all our reviews, they are all our own honest opinions.

Established in 1795, Jaques of London is the oldest games company and sports manufacturer in the world, and have been responsible for inventing many well known games, such as Croquet, Ping Pong, Snakes and Ladders, Ludo and more.

So, when we had the opportunity to review some of their beautiful wooden toys, we knew it was a great chance to introduce Lily to some of the amazing, traditional games we grew up with too – Snakes & Ladders and 4-in-a-Row.

We were visiting a caravan in October half term, so knew it was a perfect opportunity to take these games along and give them the first of many adventures with us.

Here’s how we got on…

Snakes & Ladders with Ludo

Jaques of London invented snakes and ladders in 1873. They have been making snakes and ladders for over 140 years, so this stunning, wooden board game of Snakes & Ladders with Ludo would make an incredible gift from the original inventors.

Not only is it beautifully packaged, but the reversible board itself is made from solid wood, meaning it is fantastic quality, and will last in your family for generations.

On one side you can find snakes and ladders and on the other you find ludo, both beautifully painted, with entirely wooden pieces in their own little drawstring bag, meaning it is plastic-free and long lasting too.

Board games like this are a great way to spend quality, screen-free time together as a family, while helping children of all ages learn about turn-taking, communication, problem solving and numbers too.

Lily had SO much fun playing Snakes & Ladders in the caravan together and I know we’ll be playing this game at home, whether we’re looking for screen-free fun for a rainy day or just some quiet* time after school together. (*Well, as quiet as she can be when laughing at mummy sliding down the snakes!!)

Snakes & Ladders was Lily’s absolute favourite game all week in the caravan, she asked to play it from the moment she woke up to the last thing she did before bed – we *had* to play it over and over again!

The board itself is such beautiful quality and we had many hours of excited laughing playing this game together – it is going to be one of our firm favourites for many years!

You can find out more about the Snakes & Ladders with Ludo set from Jaques of London here, rrp £13.99.

Four in a Row game

Lily absolutley LOVES Four in a Row, so this portable version of the game was just perfect for our caravan trip, and will definitely be joining us on many of our adventures away!

This wooden connect 4 set is made of 100% wood, including 36 wooden disc counters in red and black, which all folds away into itself, making it perfect for screen-free fun – I’d definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a family travel game.

It is such fantastic quality, meaning it really will last for many years, while being great for kids and adults of all ages.

It can help coordination, learning about problem-solving and turn taking, as well as developing logic from a young age.

We had played giant Four in a Row at festivals throughout the summer, so to have her very own version of the game, Lily could not have been more excited.

She asked all of us in the caravan all week to play Four in a Row with her, making it a great screen-free game to play while dinner was cooking or when the rain came down.

We were also a huge fan of how it folded away to clear up between games.

It is brilliant, such amazing quality, and hours of fun to be had – we’ll definitely be keeping these in mind for family gifts too.

Four in a Row from Jaques of London retails at £12.99 – find out more here.

Conclusion

I remember spending many lovely hours playing games like this with my family as a child, so having the opportunity to play this with Lily now is just brilliant – these have already been played with again and again, and I know they will continue to be played with for many years too.

Even more so, it was great for her to spend quality time playing these games with her grandparents together too, as she doesn’t get to see them often, so it is a lovely way to make memories – not to mention, escaping the October rainy days outside the caravan!

These toys are also great affordable gifts in the run-up to Christmas, particularly if you’re looking for gift ideas and toys for 5 year olds that are high quality, plastic free, and will be loved for years to come – plus, what’s more, their packaging is beautiful!

Thank you to Jaques of London for giving us the opportunity to review these games – we cannot wait to spend many more hours of family fun with these, both back at home and on adventures too.

For a discount at Jaques of London, simply visit the website here.