Introducing golf games for kids: tips for a fun and memorable experience

Golf is a sport that has been loved and played by people of all ages for centuries. It’s not just about the competition; golf teaches patience, respect, concentration, and the importance of hard work. 

But introducing golf games for kids is not as straightforward as handing them a club and pointing them towards the green. 

This guide will provide you with a framework to make the experience enjoyable, memorable, and, most importantly, provide a foundation for a lifelong love of the game.

Fun golf games for kids: starting on the right foot

Golf is a game that requires patience and precision, traits that children do not always possess in abundance. So, starting your children on the path to golf needs careful thought and planning. 

Introducing kids to golf isn’t about pushing them to be the next Tiger Woods; it’s about fun golf game ideas, building skills gradually, and fostering a love for the game.

Discovering the right guide: turning to online resources

In this digital age, finding a comprehensive online guide can be an excellent starting point for introducing your kids to golf. The internet is a vast reservoir of resources, with many experienced golfers and instructors sharing their knowledge and techniques, often tailoring them specifically for younger audiences.

Choosing an online guide has the advantage of flexibility. You can adjust your teaching pace according to your child’s comfort and adapt the instructions to suit their individual needs. In addition, many of these guides use interactive elements like videos, animations, and infographics, which can make learning more engaging for kids.

However, it’s crucial to select an online guide that simplifies the complexities of golf into fun, digestible content. Golf is a technical sport, but with the right resource, you can present it to your child in a manner that is enjoyable and easy to grasp. 

So, spend some time researching an online guide that aligns well with your child’s learning preferences and the goals you have set for their golf journey.

Setting realistic expectations: small steps lead to big improvements

Children are not miniature adults; they learn and grow at their own pace. It’s important to set achievable, realistic expectations when introducing kids to golf. 

Start by focusing on the basic skills: gripping the club correctly, standing in the right posture, and making a simple swing. As these become second nature, you can gradually introduce more complex skills.

One effective strategy is to keep the sessions short. Kids have limited attention spans, and golf can be a frustrating sport. Limit the fun golf practice games for juniors to 15-20 minutes at first, and slowly increase the time as your child’s interest and stamina grow. 

The key is to maintain a positive attitude and celebrate the small victories along the way. This approach will foster a sense of achievement and keep your child motivated.

Making golf a family activity: shared time, shared memories

If you want your children to develop a passion for golf, show them how much you enjoy it. Make golf a family activity. Plan golf games to play on the course locally as kids learn best through observation and imitation. 

When they see you enjoying the game, they will naturally want to participate and share in the fun. By playing fun family golf games on the course, you’re not just teaching your kids to play a sport. You’re showing them the importance of physical activity, spending time outdoors, and disconnecting from screens and digital distractions. 

You’re also creating shared memories and experiences that will last a lifetime.

Gear up: investing in the right children’s golf equipment

Like any sport, golf requires equipment. And the equipment you choose for your child can significantly impact their experience with the game. Here are some tips on choosing the right golfing equipment.

Selecting the right clubs: size and weight matters

When choosing golf clubs for your children, size and weight are crucial factors. Clubs that are too long, too short, too heavy, or too light can hinder your child’s progress and enjoyment. 

There are specially designed junior golf clubs available that are lightweight and come in varying lengths to accommodate children of all ages and heights, like plastic golf clubs for toddlers.

Consulting with your child’s coach or a knowledgeable salesperson can ensure you make the right choice.

Golf balls And tees: emphasising the fun

As for golf balls and tees, the emphasis should be on fun. Use colourful balls and tees that make the game more visually engaging, especially for the first tee. 

While the type of ball or tee doesn’t significantly affect their learning at this stage, using vibrant colours can make the game feel less serious and more playful, which is essential for kids.

Clothing and footwear: comfort is key

Comfort should be the priority when it comes to golf clothing and footwear for kids. Opt for clothes made of breathable, stretchable fabric that won’t restrict their movements. 

For footwear, choose shoes that offer good grip and support, while also being lightweight and comfortable to walk in. 

And of course, don’t forget the importance of a good golf hat for those sunny days on the green!

Kids golf bags

Choosing a golf bag for kids should prioritise comfort and lightweight construction.

Choosing a golf bag often comes down to the individual preferences and needs of the child. Always choose a bag that is appropriate for the child’s size, as a too-big bag could be awkward and heavy for them to carry around the course.

Cultivating a love for the game: building on the basics

Once your kids are comfortable with the basic skills and have the right equipment, it’s time to build on the foundation and cultivate a deep love for the game.

Encouraging practice: consistency over intensity

Regular practice is key to improving golf skills, but remember the focus is on consistency, not intensity. 

Encourage your child to practice regularly, but avoid making the practice sessions too long or too strenuous. The goal is to keep the experience enjoyable, not to turn it into a chore.

Taking part in junior tournaments: experience over winning

Participating in junior tournaments can be a great way for kids to gain experience, learn to handle competitive pressure, and make new friends. 

But it’s important to emphasise that the aim is to gain experience and have fun, not just to win. This approach will help your child develop a healthy attitude towards competition.

Learning the etiquette: respect and sportsmanship

Teaching your child golf etiquette is just as important as teaching them how to swing a club. The golf lessons of respect, sportsmanship, and discipline they learn on the golf course can serve them well in other aspects of life. 

Make sure they understand the importance of respecting the course, their fellow players, and the rules of the game.

Gross motor activities – fun golf games for kids

The benefits of golf for children’s health and development can be limitless! Golf can be an excellent way for kids to develop their gross motor skills. It involves balance, coordination, strength, and endurance.

But what’s the best golf game for kids? Here are some fun golf-themed games for wide range of handicaps to keep golf interesting for kids:

Golf games for children – Target golf

Create different zones with different point values using hula hoops or painted circles on the grass. Give each child a set number of balls and have them aim for the different zones to accumulate points. Make it a team or individual competition!

Children’s golf games – Obstacle course golf

Set up a golf course with different obstacles. For example, you could create tunnels out of cardboard boxes, place cones for them to hit the ball around, or put up a ramp for the ball to go over. This will help the kids to think strategically about how they’re going to hit the ball.

Golf bowling

Set up a ‘lane’ with plastic bowling pins at the end. Have kids take turns to hit a golf ball down the lane with the aim to knock down as many pins as possible. This will help them to focus on their aim and power.

Golf ball relay

Divide the children into teams. Each team needs to get their golf ball from one end of the course to the other by only hitting it with their club. The first team to get their ball to the end wins.

Chipping challenge

Set up a basket or target and have the kids try to chip their balls into it from varying distances. What makes this golf game for kids so good? The chipping challenge will help them practice their accuracy and control.

Putting green games

Golf putting games for kids can be a lot of fun to play, like this game called ‘Around the world’ that is perfect for practicing those short putts. Give each player a golf ball and a putter. They choose a hole on the putting green to be their target.

Each player places their ball in a line around the hole and each player attempts to putt their ball into the hole. If they succeed, they move their ball to the next ‘spot’ in the circle and try again on their next turn. If they miss, the ball stays where it is and they tray again. Each player takes turn until they have completed their ‘journey’ around the world.

This game encourages precision and consistency in putting, and it can be adjusted to make it easier or more difficult depending on the kids’ abilities and progress.

Putt-putt tournament mini golf

Design a miniature golf course with fun and challenging holes. You can use everyday objects such as ramps, tunnels, sand pits (sandbox), and water hazards (small kiddie pool).

Longest drive contest – Driving range games

Have a contest to see who can hit the golf ball the furthest. Make sure to use a wide, open space for this activity and ensure safety of all participants.

Golf for toddlers – Golf treasure hunt

Hide small objects or tokens around the golf course or your backyard. Give the kids a map or clues to find them. They need to hit their golf ball to reach each destination where a “treasure” is hidden.

Remember, safety is the number one priority. Make sure the area is clear when someone is swinging their golf club, and teach the children to respect this safety rule.

Kids golf games – Short game area games

Short game skills are essential in golf and include chip shots, pitch shots, sand shots, and putting. Some games can include ‘Chip in the bucket’ where you place a bucket

There are some great golf games for juniors that can help kids develop these skills while having fun (or several buckets at varying distances) out on the short game practice area. Each player takes turns trying to chip their ball into the bucket. Assign different point values to different buckets to make the game more challenging.

Remember, the objective with short games is to make practice fun while also helping kids to improve their skills. Make sure to modify games as needed based on the age and skill level of the kids.

Fun golf games – Indoor golf games

If the weather isn’t cooperating or you simply want to bring the golf fun indoors with free golf games for kids, there are plenty of creative ways to enjoy golf games inside like indoor mini-golf where you can design a mini-golf course using household items. Books can create paths, cups can be holes, and toys can be obstacles. Be creative with it! You can use plastic putters and balls for safe play.

Golf games for kids – conclusion

Golf is a sport that can provide a lifetime of enjoyment, friendships, and valuable life lessons. By approaching it with the right attitude and patience, you can make your child’s introduction to golf a fun, memorable, and enriching experience.

FAQ

How can I make golf more fun for kids?

Other questions asked were:

  • How to make golf fun for kids?

Making golf fun for kids is all about creating a positive environment, providing variety, and fostering a sense of achievement.

Remember, the main objective is for kids to have fun. The more they enjoy golf, the more likely they are to continue playing as they grow up. Use the tips above to make golf fun for kids.

How do you play wolf on the golf course?

“Wolf” is a fun, strategic golf game that involves a good deal of risk and reward. It’s played in groups of four or five players.

You start by establishing the order of play. This can be done by drawing tees or deciding based on the scores of the previous hole, round, etc. This order remains the same throughout the round.

The ‘Wolf’ is the first player to tee off. After everyone has teed off, the Wolf must decide whether to play the hole 1 against 3 (if they’re confident in their drive), or to choose a partner making it 2 vs. 2 (based on the other players’ drives).

If the Wolf decides to pick a partner, it must be done immediately after that partner’s drive. If the Wolf waits to see another drive, they cannot go back and pick a previous player.

Once teams (or lack of) are chosen, the hole is played out in the usual stroke-play manner.

If the Wolf chooses to go alone and wins the hole (has the lowest net score), they win 3 points. If they lose, however, each of the other players gets 1 point.

If it’s 2 vs 2, the team with the lowest net score wins. Each player on the winning team gets 1 point.

After each hole, the ‘Wolf’ title rotates to the next player in the established order, so every player gets a turn.

The game of ‘Wolf’ encourages both strategy and risk-taking, making it a fun and interesting game to play on the golf course.

How do you play golf skins?

“Skins” is a popular golf game that can be played by any number of players, though it’s most commonly played in a foursome. The objective in Skins is to win the most holes; the player who wins a hole earns a “skin”.

Before teeing off, decide on the value of each skin. This could be a set number of points or a specific monetary amount. Each hole is played in the usual stroke play manner. The player with the lowest score on a hole wins a skin.

If two or more players tie for the lowest score on a hole (this is known as “halving”), the skin carries over to the next hole, making the next hole worth 2 skins, and so on.

The player who wins the next hole, wins all the skins that have accumulated. If the next hole is also halved, the skins carry over again.

Continue in this manner for all 18 holes. If the final hole is halved, the skins may carry on to a sudden-death playoff, or the players may agree to split the final skin.

The player with the most skins at the end of the round is the winner.

How many holes are in a golf game?

A standard round of golf consists of 18 holes. However, the number of holes can vary depending on the type of golf course and the time available to play.

18-Hole Course: This is the standard full round of golf and is the most common format played professionally. It typically takes around four hours to complete an 18-hole round, depending on the pace of play.

9-Hole Course: For a shorter game of golf, players might play on a 9-hole course, which typically takes around two hours. Some 18-hole golf courses offer the option to play just 9 holes, especially useful for beginners or when there are time constraints.

Par-3 Course: A Par-3 course typically has 9 or 18 holes, all of which are Par 3. This type of course is good for beginners or for experienced golfers looking to improve their short game. The time to play a Par-3 course depends on the number of holes but is usually quicker than a standard 9 or 18-hole course.

Executive Course: An executive course typically has fewer holes (often 9 or 12), and the holes are usually shorter with more Par-3 holes and fewer Par-4 and Par-5 holes. An executive course generally takes less time to play than a standard 18-hole course.

Pitch and Putt Course: These are smaller courses, often having 18 holes like a standard course, but the holes are shorter, usually less than 100 yards. These courses are designed primarily for practicing the short game and can be played in a relatively short amount of time.

Why are golf tournaments called open?

The term “Open” in golf tournaments typically means that the event is “open” to all professional golfers and, in many cases, amateurs as well. This is as opposed to invitational events or certain other tournaments that may have stricter entry requirements or are limited to specific groups of golfers.

For example, the U.S. Open and the British Open (also known as The Open Championship) are both “open” tournaments. They allow any professional golfer to attempt to qualify, and they also have certain slots available for top-performing amateurs.

However, it’s important to note that while these tournaments are “open” in the sense that anyone can attempt to enter, there are typically qualifying tournaments or certain performance criteria that must be met in order to secure a spot in the tournament field. This ensures that the field of players is competitive while still providing opportunities for lesser-known or up-and-coming players to compete on a big stage.

*Collaborative feature post*

Ravensburger Big Ben Silhouette Puzzle Review

My 5-year-old absolutely loves jigsaw puzzles and can pretty much breeze through 200-piece jigsaws at an alarming rate. So, I decided to up the stakes and challenge him and the rest of the family to build a 1,155-piece puzzle that was not just over 1 metre tall, but irregular shaped, so that the finished piece resembled London’s Big Ben.

Ravensburger Big ben silhouette puzzle - motherhooddiaries.com

Big Ben, Silhouette Puzzle, 1155pc

Link to the product can be found on Ravensburger’s website here.

“This extraordinary range of Silhouette jigsaw puzzles has been designed specifically to enhance any puzzling experience. The jigsaw puzzle is shaped, so when complete, the entire jigsaw will be the shape of Big Ben and other popular London attractions. And to further enhance your experience, dotted all throughout the puzzle are Big Ben-shaped puzzle pieces. The image itself is a wonderfully rich combination of everything we love about London including Big Ben, the Union flag, big red bus, the London taxi, a telephone box, Tower Bridge and the stunning lion statue from Trafalgar Square. When complete the jigsaw measures 78 x 101cm and it is the ideal puzzle to conserve and hang on the wall as part of your room decoration.” Ravensburger

Specifications

Price:

£14.99

Age range:

12 years +

Ravensburger have always been my favourite of all puzzle manufacturers because they have a huge range of jigsaw puzzles that suit all characters, as well as very educational games that can be enjoyed at home and as part of continued learning at school.

Ravensburger Big ben silhouette puzzle - motherhooddiaries.com

 

This particular Ravensburger jigsaw puzzle was a real headscratcher. There were no corners to start off with, so we were not able to follow our standard, find-all-the-corners-first rule. We then opted to look for all the flat edged pieces, which also proved more challenging than normal. Some pieces needed inside pieces to connect, so that rule was also thrown out. We ended up grouping the pieces by colour and we were off to a very slow start.

I noticed that some of the pieces also resembled famous London landmark’s, which I thought was a great touch. However, we were quarter of the way through when an accident happened and all the pieces fell to the floor. We are now tackling Big Ben again and will share an image as soon as we have completed it.

Ravensburger’s jigsaw puzzles have always been a favourite of mine, as mentioned earlier, but not just because of their versatility, but the quality of cardboard used is high and durable enough for little hands. It is easy to tell when a piece fits together, which helps you to progress along the puzzle, especially with challenging jigsaws like the Big Ben Silhouette puzzle.

Overall, it was a very enjoyable puzzle to work on together as a family. We are now completing the puzzle on top of our 1,000-piece travel jigsaw board to prevent any accidents happening again and we are most likely going to laminate and hang this jigsaw puzzle up on our wall when we have finished. The finished look is just awesome.

Rating: 4.5/5 – 0.5 is lost on the fact that the pieces can be removed quite easily, so when transporting a group of jigsaw pieces to the final puzzle, sometimes they are broken up before they get there, which is quite frustrating. Apart from that, we all thoroughly recommend Ravensburger for all your jigsaw puzzle needs. There is so much to choose from, it was be nigh on impossible to find something you didn’t like on the website. They make for perfect Christmas gifts too!

Ravensburger Big ben silhouette puzzle - motherhooddiaries.com

My 1st Years Xylophones Product Review

Personalised, timeless gifts are always a fantastic way to show someone you love them and personalising your children’s gifts will mean that they can treasure these gifts for life. When Motherhood Diaries was offered the chance to review some products from the ‘My 1st Years’ range, as a bona fide musician, I decided to review the Personalised Wooden Xylophone for my two boys. Here is how we got on:

My 1st Years Website and Social Networking Sites:

Website:    http://www.my1styears.com

Facebook:    https://www.facebook.com/My1stYears

Twitter:    https://twitter.com/my1styears

What is My 1st Years all about?

My 1st Years was founded in January 2010, when the founders realised that they couldn’t find anything unique enough as the perfect baby gift. They found a gap in the huge baby market for a new company that could provide lovely baby gifts that were unique, fashionable and affordable.

Personalisation became the key to My 1st Years, whose aim was to become the No. 1 Baby personalisation brand, retaining their core brand values and focusing on providing the highest quality personalised products.

The stock a whole range of personalised baby essentials, but at the heart of their array of products are outfits for newborn babies and products that built the brand – My 1st Shoe, My 1st Outfit, My 1st Bear and My 1st Accessory.

Nearly all of the products on their site can be personalised online and sent straight to the customer or directly to that special someone. Every order will arrive gift wrapped inside their complimentary luxury gift boxes, with a large white bow.

Products for Review, Cost and Where to Buy:

Personalised Wooden Xylophone – £15.00

You can order a Personalised Wooden Xylophone on My 1st Years’ website here.

Reviewers:

Leyla Preston of www.motherhooddiaries.com

Aron (3 ½)

Aidan (2)

Review:

“Introduce baby to the beautiful sounds of this gorgeous pine wood personalised xylophone. This lovely instrument makes a gorgeous decorative accessory for baby’s bedroom until he/she is old enough to play it (36 months). And what’s better than a tuneful colourful xylophone made from pine wood? One with baby’s own name on it! Indeed, our colourful personalised xylophone can be customised with your little one’s name for a unique gift. Simply let us know what the lucky baby is called and we’ll engrave the xylophone using your chosen font style.”

Features of the Xylophone:

  • Measurements: 32cm x 22cm x 3.5cm
  • Can be personalised with up to 12 characters
  • Made from Pinewood
  • Suitable from 3+ years

When we received our personalised wooden xylophones, I was immediately impressed by the beautiful packaging, which was a lovely baby blue, dressed with a cute white bow.

It’s clear that My 1st Years understands how important the packaging is as well as the product itself, as these personalised gifts are given to that special someone, so it’s worth making the effort to present the product I think.

The boys were very eager to open their magical gift boxes and were a little perplexed at this colourful wooden instrument that was waiting for them inside the box.

Unsure of what to do, I took the wooden xylophones, personalised with their names and showed them how to ‘play’ the xylophones using the two sticks provided. Even though it is clearly stated that these items are not musical instruments intended for educational use, it would have been nice for them to be tuned in order to play them. The boys had a great time bashing their high quality wooden instruments, but I was secretly miffed that I couldn’t show off my musical skills on the xylophone. 🙁

The personalised xylophone is the perfect gift for a special birthday and the gorgeous pine wood and colourful bars looks so beautiful on display in the bedroom. I had both xylophones personalised with the boys’ names, ‘Aron’ and ‘Aidan’, so they will get to treasure their xylophones for life.

And they really enjoyed bashing the xylophones and making very wonderful music in the Preston household! 🙂

Here is a video of the boys getting quite inventive with their new xylophones!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y2vyDKESSTg

What did we like most about the My 1st Years Personalised Wooden Xylophones?

They really do look lovely and the pine wood is very strong and sturdy against the boys’ beating of the bars with the two sticks provided. I love the fact they both have their names on the xylophones too.

What to watch out for:

Unfortunately, this xylophone is not tuned perfectly, so if you wanted to play music with it, it wouldn’t come out very well.

Rating:

4.5 out of 5 – I’m going to be a little harsh with the 0.5 I didn’t award the wooden xylophones because they don’t play properly. But, 4.5 goes to the great quality and lovely packaging provided by My 1st Years, which will guarantee these products to be timeless, sentimental gifts

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Postman Pat Toys – Showbiz Pat Doll Review

Postman Pat lovers, young and old(er), lend me your ears and take heed. As part of the Postman Pat movie, Motherhood Diaries got to review one of the Postman Pat toys, this time Showbiz Pat!

I have fond memories of growing up to Postman Pat and his black and white cat (I still remember the Postman Pat theme), and it’s nice to see that he’s still going strong after all this time so that my boys get the chance to grow up with him too.

To celebrate Postman Pat: The Movie, Character Options released Showbiz Pat, the Postman Pat soft toy. In the movie, Pat was seduced by the bright lights of the big city and auditioned for an X-Factor style singing competition, but found that in his absence the post did not run smoothly.

Postman Pat’s Website and Social Network Links

Website – http://www.postmanpat.com/

Postman Pat Movie – http://www.postmanpatthemovieuk.co.uk/

Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/postmanpatofficial

Twitter – https://twitter.com/PostmanPat

The boys playing with Postman Pat

Who is Postman Pat?

Postman Pat is a British stop-motion animated children’s television series that is aimed at preschool-aged children. The series follows the adventures of Pat Clifton, who is a postman in the fictional village of Greendale.

Who is Showbiz Pat?

Showbiz Pat is a Postman Pat soft toy, which sings, dances and grooves to the music in his glitzy new stage outfit, which is a glittery blue suit. The cuddly animated soft toy features:

  • The SDS Postman Pat Theme Tune from the TV series
  • Please Mr. Postman song
  • You can always count on Postman Pat!

Press Pat’s left hand to hear a sample of the music. Here is Showbiz Pat in action! The boys loved playing Postman Pat games with each other!

Olly the White Van Book Series Product Review

Olly the Little White Van’s Website:

http://www.ollythelittlewhitevan.co.uk

What is Olly the Little White Van all about?

Olly the Little White Van is a pre-school TV show that currently airs on Milkshake and is 100% written, designed and animated in the UK. Olly and his friends have brought out a number of books, which are suitable for children aged 1 year plus and cater towards pre-school children’s practical, logic and problem solving skills.

How much does each book cost?

Chunky Story Books – RRP £3.99

Story Books – RRP £3.99

Press-out Sticker & Activity Fun Books – RRP £4.99

Sticker & Colouring Fun Books – RRP £3.99

Where can you buy Olly and the Little White Van books?

At all participating book stores

Reviewers:

Leyla Preston of www.motherhooddiaries.com (Mummy)

Aron (3 years old)

Aidan (2 years old)

Review:

All of us were very excited to receive all of the Olly and the Little White Van’s books in the series and we couldn’t wait to get stuck in and try them all out.

Chunky Story Books – RRP £3.99

The chunky story books were the boys’ favourite from the get go, simply because they are small, sturdy and easy to handle. Each of the chunky board books of Olly and his friends have painted edges and are perfect for little hands from 1 year old and up.

There are 4 books in the Chunky Story Books series, all related to Olly and his friends, who are Bazza, Royston and Jethro. Aron’s favourite was Olly, the main character, and Aidan’s favourite was Bazza, Olly’s best friend.

Olly

Olly, the main character in the whole series, is a friendly white van who loves to help whenever he can. He likes to have fun with his driver, Stan, and his favourite game is football. When he scores, the crowd cheers Olly’s name. When Olly is with his best friend, Bazza, everything is always ok in the end, no matter what happens. Olly is a keen racer and loves to drive very fast, so that he can come first, or at least second place.

Bazza

Bazza, the orange van, likes to get into trouble whenever he can. But, sometimes his cheeky tricks can land him into trouble. At the Bumpton Rally, Bazza ends up in squelchy mud, but Olly, his best friend, never lets him down and manages to break him free. (I can see why Aidan loves Bazza the best – their personalities are very similar!)

Royston

When Bumpton needs help, they always call Royston the fire engine because no job is too small for him. Royston is happy to meet a familiar face on a familiar street and if there’s a fire to put out or a cat up a tree, Royston is at the rescue! He likes to turn on his siren really loud when he’s racing around Bumpton town and even at the end of a long, busy day, Royston still wants to have fun and play.


Jethro

Jethro the tractor likes to take everything slow because, ‘Speed isn’t everything, you know!’ Jethro is big, blue and strong and always helps his friends when things go wrong. Jethro likes to look at art and he is just as smart as he is friendly. He also likes to watch birds fly and hear the crowd roar as he lines up his football, so he’s sure he can score.

Each chunky book has an easily digestible poem that the boys really loved. The words are simple, yet effective because the story behind each book gets to the point very quickly and paints a great picture of each character in the series. When reading these books again and again to the boys, they remembered the words that came next. Even Aidan, who is one month shy of 2, remembered which word came next before I read them. It’s a very clever way to engage the kids and get a feel of the character’s personality. I can easily understand why these books were the boys’ favourite.

Story Books

The Chauffer

In the story books, you get to delve deeper into the character’s lives and meet all the secondary characters in the series, like Stan, who is Olly’s driver, and Lisa the Limousine. The book talks about a very special day, Alice’s birthday (Stan’s wife), and Stan has booked Lisa the Limousine to take them out for a special birthday dinner. Olly is very excited to see Lisa drive up to the house, but Lisa’s car phone rings and Sir Ronald Grump informs her that she has been double-booked that day. She is supposed to pick up Sir Ronald Grump at the station and drive him to an important meeting. Olly is always around to lend a helping hand and offers to take Sir Ronald Grump to the meeting, so that Lisa can drive Stan and Alice to the restaurant as planned.

Sir Ronald Grump is a real grump and is waits impatiently for Lisa the Limousine to arrive, instead he finds Olly coming to pick him up.

‘He’s very cross!’ Aron exclaims. (Aidan at this point, loses interest and reaches out for his trains on our dining table!)

Olly works hard to impress Sir Ronald Grump, but Sir Ronald is only interested in getting to the Grump Tower in twenty minutes. So Olly drives as fast as he can, but they are stopped by a traffic jam.

Do they make it to the meeting on time? It’s up to you to find out!

Aron really enjoyed ‘The Chauffer’ book. He was eagerly waiting to find out whether Sir Ronald Grump made it to his meeting on time and impatiently turned the pages as I was reading them to find out. The illustrations in the book tell a lot of the story, so Aron understood what was going on very well. He even had a go at reading some of the words. Aidan, on the other hand, knew what was going to happen and lost interest. One step ahead…

The Bumpton Rally

The Bumpton Rally talks about the annual town race in Bumpton. Olly and his driver, Stan, are preparing to take part. Olly’s friend, Bazza, is also taking part and doesn’t hide the fact that he’s there to win the race, even though the annual Bumpton Rally is really just a bit of fun. Bazza and Olly banter with each other at who’s faster than who whilst all the vehicles make their way to the start line to get ready to start the race. Other drivers taking part are Tasha, Dirk and, surprisingly Jethro, who believes his slow and steady pace will win the race. The race starts and there are a lot of bumps on the road for the drivers. A sudden twist in the story causes some of the drivers to run into problems.

But, who comes first?

The Bumpton Rally was Aidan’s favourite story book because it involved a lot of fast cars racing against each other. Aron enjoyed the book too, but I could tell he was just biding his time, so that he could get me to read the 4 chunky story books again.

Again, the illustrations tell the story as much as the words, so both boys really enjoyed flicking through the pages and studying the pictures as I was reading to them. It’s a really fun story and it contains a lot of hidden morals, which teach the boys that being fast and strong may not always be the answer, but to think with your head and keep at a steady pace, can win you the race in the long run. (Did I just give the story away?)

Press-out Sticker & Activity Fun Book

The Press-out Sticker & Activity Fun Book is a fantastic educational book catered towards pre-school children, so Aron was the perfect age to give everything a go in the book.

There are a number of activities in the book, such as:

  • Odd one out (Spot which picture is the odd one out)
  • Let’s count! (where you have to count how many pictures of each character are on the page and find the answer stickers (Aron preferred to write the numbers instead, as you can see from the picture below)
  • Sticker Fun! (Find the stickers appended to the book and place them on the correct images to complete the picture (Aron got all of these right straight away, but it was a lot of fun helping him go through every sticker and eliminating the incorrect ones first).
  • Double Trouble! (Spot how many different pairs of pictures you can see, for which there is an answer sticker for. Aron, again, preferred to write the number instead and I didn’t want to stop him, as he has only just started using a pen and I wanted him to practice writing his numbers.)
  • Colouring fun! (A double page of characters in the series for you to have fun colouring in.)
  • Jolly Olly! (Perfect for practicing motor skills – join all the dots around the pictures and then find the stickers to match.)
  • A board game and pieces to press out (Aron wasn’t at all interested in trying this out, but I assume it’s because he is too young and didn’t understand the point of the game.)
  • Spot the difference (where you have to find all five differences between two almost identical pictures)
  • Who is who? (Find the name stickers for each vehicle (I was really surprised and impressed that Aron could spot the correct word for each picture. The activities in this book forced him to have to read the character’s names in order to complete the activity and he remembered the names for this particular activity.)
  • Where is Olly? (This is a blank page where you can choose to draw Olly at the beach, in the town or on the farm. Aron didn’t attempt this at all, but he hasn’t started drawing yet, so I will patiently wait until he’s more confident in his drawing skills and attempt this activity with him again).
  • Who wins the race? (Where you need to follow the lines to match the driver to the correct place they came in the race and find the stickers that correspond to the number. Aron correctly used his pen to follow the lines to the drivers’ correct places, but, again, refused to find the stickers and instead write the numbers down with his pen. Not complaining!)
  • Copy and colour (Use the grid below the picture of Olly, which is drawn on an identical grid, as a guide to draw your own picture of the character. Aron didn’t attempt this at all, but I believe he will arrive at this drawing stage in his own time.)
  • Wordsearch! (Find all the names listed in the wordsearch grid given. I had to help Aron with this as he’s only just started reading and found it very difficult to distinguish words from the jumble of letters in the grid. Admittedly, I ended up completing the wordsearch myself because it was fun, but I made sure Aron watched me do the whole thing and point out where the words were).
  • Sticker Fun! (More sticker fun where you need to find the correct stickers to complete the pictures given. This activity turned out to be Aron’s favourite and I quickly realised how much fun Aron has with stickers in general, so I made a mental note to buy more sticker books in the future).
  • Answer page (Where you will find all the answers to the activities in the book. We didn’t use it as I am a walking answer page!)

I was very impressed with the amount of diverse activities that you could find in one book. Each activity caters to so many developing skills which are vital for a pre-schooler of Aron’s age. I immediately saw an improvement in Aron’s writing skills and reasoning ability and definitely believe that the Sticker & Activity Fun book had a lot to do with Aron’s progress.

Sticker & Colouring Fun Book

The Sticker & Colouring Fun Book contains a lot of very simple pictures for the boys to colour in and a double page full of tiny stickers of all the characters in the series. The boys didn’t attempt this book at all, but only because they were so interested in the other books in the series that I decided not to push them to complete this particular book.

Left to their own devices, however, the boys ended up adding a lot of the stickers to our fridge…

What did I like most about Olly and the Little White Van Books Series?

I liked how diverse and educational the Press-out Sticker & Activity Fun Book was for Aron and, in the future, Aidan. The book really honed in on Aron’s writing skills and the ability to think logically about the problems posed in the book.

I would imagine the boys liked the chunky story books the most because they are easy to handle, the storylines are simple to digest, and the boys related to each main character’s personality, which was so well portrayed in the story.

What to watch out for:

After a lot of handling from both boys, one of the chunky story books started to pull apart in the middle. I don’t think that this is a fault in the book, but down to my boys’ heavy handling.

Other points to note:

The boys have not watched the TV show yet, and I will make sure I record a couple of episodes on Sky, so they can sit down and understand the characters and the story lines before reading the books and attempting the activities again. They really enjoyed the characters and I think the TV show will cement their interest indefinitely.

Rating:

5 out of 5, simply for the versatility of the book series. You have an easily digestible chunky story book series for 1 year old plus, activity and sticker books for pre-schoolers, and story books for children of all ages to enjoy.

Fantastic and very educational!

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