One of the aspects of the toddler/preschooler age that I adore is the imitation of every day tasks. My kids love to be helpers and copy whatever I do. Whether it is washing the dishes or putting on lip stick, I can count on them to try their very best to do it exactly as they saw me to it – even if they make a big mess in their wake.
One of Piglet’s favourite “jobs” is to vacuum. If he sees crumbs he runs off to get our cordless Dyson, and I am left taking deep breaths and I quietly pray he doesn’t drop it or break it in any way. When I saw the Casdon cord-free Dyson toy I instantly knew he would love the idea – but would it satisfy his craving for the real thing?
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What Is The Casdon Dyson Cord-Free Vacuum?
A toy replica of the famous Dyson cordless vacuum cleaner, it is very realistic (my in-laws thought we were actually letting the kids play with the real thing) but designed to be lighter and more suitably for little hands. There is real working suction so kids can see the cause and effect in action.
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What Included?
In the box you will find just 3 parts:
- Dyson vacuum unit
- Small nozzle
- Long handled nozzle
I was relieved to not find lots of parts to put together. You just need to add in 3 x AA batteries and it is all set to play with.
Real Suction
I assumed the vacuum would just make a noise, so it was a real surprise to discover it has actual suction. There are colourful balls in the cylinder that bounce and spin around, but there is a hidden internal dust collector that they can empty in to the bin and see all the little bits that they’ve picked up.
Did The Kids Like It?
To say yes would be an understatement. Piglet adored it from the minute he saw the box and couldn’t wait to get it open. It sits next to their toy kitchen, just like my real vacuum, and it’s pulled out multiple times a day for a quick clean of our rug.
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Piglet quickly discovered that the suction works better with the small nozzle than the long one, so he changes to that when he wants to make sure he tidies up his crumbs. The long nozzle is his favourite for running up and down the room with though!
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At just over 2 years old JJ is “technically” below the recommend age for the Dyson toy vacuum, but as the batteries are safely hidden and there are no small parts I am happy to let him play with it freely. He is regularly having a turn with it, usually after Piglet has put it down. I love to watch this chain of imitation play out – JJ copies Piglet who copies me and his Dad.
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So far the vacuum has stood up to some fairly rough play. It’s been dropped, lugged over to the bin so they can play out emptying it, taken to Granny’s house to show her that they have matching Dysons. I am not naive enough to believe it will last forever – but so far it seems to be able to withstand most of what toddlers and preschoolers are able to throw at it.
Does The Casdon Cord-Free Dyson Help With Child Development?
With my kids I try not to give them any old toy to play with. I prefer toys that have some form of benefits to their development, but in a way that is fun and natural without them realising they are learning as they play. Straight away the benefits of the toy vacuum cleaner were clear to see – but they also gave a handy guide on the side of the box too.
Hand-Eye Co-ordination
Manoeuvring a vacuum around a room is second nature to us, but for children it’s not as easy as it looks. They are practicing their hand-eye coordination, which they will eventually use in the future for things like writing, sports and even driving. Developing cognitive skills is really important and role play is a great way for kids of all ages to practice it.
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Imagination
Imaginative play is crucial in child development. Imagination and role play are how children explore social norms and boundaries, develop problem solving skills and help them make sense of the world around them in general. Daily they see us doing the vacuuming, but by playing out the process for themselves they can work out the “why” for themselves. They then can come up with difference scenarios on their own.
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Cause And Effect
The most obvious example of cause and effect is the suction of the vacuum, an the emptying of the dust compartment. There is more to it than that though. Simple things like bumping the toy vacuum cleaner into the leg of a chair or into some toys or a tower of blocks all are important learning opportunities. You may find that they do these things intentionally as they see what happens over and over again – it’s all part of the learning process!
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Motor Skills
Developing motor skills goes hand in hand with hand-eye coordination. At 4 Piglet has no problem unclipping the nozzles and swapping them round, but at 2 JJ found it a bit harder at first. Watching his brother do it first, and then being given time and space to work it out JJ can now do it by himself. Pressing the buttons and opening and closing the dust compartment are also practising those fine motor skills which are so vital going forward.
We were sent a Casdon Dyson Cord-Free Toy Vacuum Cleaner to review. All words and opinions are my own.
