The best after school activities for children

A fun yet challenging way to stimulate your child's concentration, problem solving skills and cognitive skills, the Plug and Play Ball provides a lot of fun. With seven puzzle pieces, your child has to put the ball back together by simply plugging the pieces together. It's a great 3D challenge toy that also doubles as a fidget toy.

While this can't be left outside, it's a great toy to let your child play with in the garden! They can use it as a bridge, a mini slide and can even practise their balancing skills. They can even relax on it with their teddies. The Size M Balance and Motor Skills Board is such a simple toy, but the play possibilities are endless.

Our writer said: "My 6-year-old loves the balance board. He uses it to stand and rock on, as a bridge for his cars and even to sit on to play games. He sits and rocks himself, and I've noticed that it really helps him release some of his energy as he likes to move around, so for him to sit and rock it's a really great support."

This LEGO Moana's Wayfinding Boat set will not only look great on display in your child's room once built, but it's great to play with and provides so much entertainment when building. It has 321 pieces and even comes with two mini figures and a dolphin.

Our writer said: "my children love LEGO and I find it helps to keep them entertained and their mind and hands busy. This LEGO Moana was simple to build, but it provided a good hours worth of concentration which was a great way to unwind after a busy day and helped to pass time between getting home and having tea."

A sensory swing is a great way for children of any age to have sensory input after a long day at school or nursery. They can swing, twist or even lay reading in this hammock-like swing. You can have it indoors or outdoors, and it will last years as it's suitable for weights up to 900kg.

The Yoto Player is designed for all ages and can be used by parents through the app for babies and toddlers or by toddlers and older kids themselves. The cards play stories, games and even music, and you can even create a night time routine with the nightlight, and have an alarm for the morning.

Our writer said: "The Yoto Player was really easy to set up, and I love that I can create a routine for my son on it, which will be really handy for when going back to school. It's easy to use the cards and it's handy to download them onto the app too. He's enjoyed sitting and listening to the stories and educational cards through the headphones when he's wanted 5 minutes peace."

Read our full Yoto Player review.

A game that can be played independently or with an adult, Finding Your Bearings In Space - The Garden game is an educational game that helps children to understand spatial awareness. Recreate the scenes from the card and learn the vocabulary as they play, with three difficulty levels.

The Kids Mini Top lets children tilt, spin and rock with the help of an adult or on their own. It can have a calming and soothing effect and even helps with children's balance. It's a great outlet for them to have after school, and they can even sit in it with their teddies watching a show.

Children always ask to go to the park, so rather than having to take a walk, why not have one in your garden to enjoy after school? The Plum Discovery Play Centre provides hours of fun, with a pail and pulling rope for water, easy clean painting screen, climbing ladder and slide.

One review said: "I bought this product a month ago and me and the kids are made up with it. Really easy to follow instructions and very sturdy structure, can't get the kids off it come bedtime"

The Number BubbleBrix doubles up as a bubble popper fidget toy and a way to help children build maths skills. They can press the bricks until it pops and repeat the number. The blocks interlink too so that you can create maths equations for them to solve. It also comes with a handy storage bucket.

It's important to always check in with your child, and if they don't like answering too many questions about their day at school, these Tales of Me Affirmation Cards are a great way to connect with your child after school, while also encouraging them to have a positive relationship with themselves, friends and their attitude to learning. Use them on a daily basis to help them become a part of their subconscious belief system as they navigate school life.

One review said: "Thank you so much for creating beautiful and positive cards! In the time that we are living I think it is imperative to teach our children about love, compassion, joy, happiness and hope. I think they have had a tough time the past 2 years and now, we as parents, need to work harder to help them to see a brighter future"

Making maths fun, the Sum Swamp board game helps children to practise their addition and subtraction skills in order to win the game. Suitable for two to four players, simply roll the dice and solve the problem to move the marker forward.

With two ways to play, the Janod - Algorithms Frog Game helps to teach your child about different colours and how to identify a logical sequence. There are two fun ways to play, with independent learning following card sequences or with an adult.

Designed with children in mind, thanks to the bump-proof case, the Amazon Fire HD 8 Kids Tablet is very easy for young children to use. It offers a range of free apps and helps to prevent any potential (and often unwanted) in-app purchases without parents' permission. It also has a 2-year guarantee. It's great for keeping little ones entertained after school, through education apps or watching their favourite shows.

Our mum tester, Paige, said: " I would recommend this product for a mother’s sanity. That five minutes knowing your child is safe, happy and entertained puts so much ease on a parents mind, all while you're having a break. They have some amazing learning apps and lots of entertainment for the children. The children absolutely love it."

Read our full Amazon Fire HD 8 Kids Tablet review.

If you haven't got a Tonies Box already, you really need one! They're easy to use and with your childs favourite character such as the Tonies Frozen Elsa Figure, they can listen to the story when they get home from school to help reduce screen-time, and they can even enjoy singing along to their favourite songs.

Our writer said: "The Tonies figure is easy to use and it plays all the favourite Disney songs from the Frozen movie. My kids love singing and dancing along, and have even enjoyed listening to the film while playing with their toys, rather than sitting and watching a screen."