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About BrightMinds
BrightMinds is a British company selling toys, games, activities, and books for kids of all ages. This brand sells everything from your baby’s first book and stackable blocks to robots and board games for preteens, all with the goal of being as educational as they are entertaining.
Our BrightMinds review learned that this company is no newbie to the industry – they’ve been around since 1999, offering an extensive collection of products from companies like Melissa and Doug and Djeco. During their two decades in business, they’ve been recognized as one of the UK’s Top 10 mail order companies by The Daily Telegraph.
BrightMinds’ curated products are all about accessible, approachable STEAM learning and early childhood development through play. Each product is tested and hand-picked by staff based on its quality and ability to fire up your child’s creativity and curiosity.
Interested in expanding your little one’s creative play horizons? Our BrightMinds review will give you a look at some of this company’s best-sellers, as well as their buying details, brand highlights, and customer feedback so you can make an informed purchase.
Overview of BrightMinds
BrightMinds was founded in 1999 by British entrepreneur Alison Quill. While working as a science teacher, Quill found herself disappointed that so much of the curriculum was lacking in that “spark” that makes learning fun.
Quill was inspired to launch BrightMinds so she could curate a range of the very best in educational and stimulating toys for kids.
20 years later, the company’s goal remains “to foster ‘a brighter way to play’ to inspire your child to be curious about the world around them and encourage creativity in a fun and relaxed way.”
All of BrightMinds’ products are intended to supplement traditional curriculum learning with more joy and curiosity. When choosing products, BrightMinds carefully caters to kids of different ages, abilities, interests, and learning styles, so that every child can enjoy educational play.
Before my BrightMinds review takes a closer look at some of the specific products that have been a hit with parents and educators, let’s check out the highlights of buying with the brand.
Highlights
- Fun and educational toys, games, and activities for all kids from ages 0-12+
- Products for STEAM subjects – science, tech, engineering, arts and crafts, and maths – as well as general skills development and learning
- BrightMinds toys help with reaching learning goals in numeracy, literacy, arts, maths, and more.
- Curated products meant to be interactive and stimulating
- Founded by an experienced science teacher
- In business for over two decades
- 10% off first time order
- Free UK delivery on orders over £50
- Free catalog to your door.
- 90-day guarantee to return or exchange
BrightMinds Products Review
BrightMinds has tons of toys and games for toddlers and kids up to age 12 (and sometimes beyond). I’ve selected six of their top sellers for a closer look at what parents and educators can find at BrightMinds.
BrightMinds Cambridge Brainbox Primary 2 Electronics Kit Review
This kit will give your young learner the chance to learn more about electric circuits. Recommended for kids aged 7-11, this kit would be a brilliant gift for any child interested in STEAM subjects, or a great addition to an interactive school curriculum.
The Cambridge Brainbox Primary 2 Electronics Kit is a “plug and play” kit with colorful components that attach to form a whole electrical circuit.
It’s intended to teach children of all experience levels the basic principles of electronics and electricity. This kit comes with colorful components that attach to form a whole electrical circuit.
In addition to the circuit, the Cambridge Brainbox Primary 2 Electronics Kit comes with a manual, whose instructions and symbols will show parents, teachers, and kids exactly how the kit works, and empower kids to understand other circuit diagrams.
Here are just a few more of the learning possibilities facilitated by this kit:
- Design and built circuits
- Learn about “and” and “or” gates
- Try out conductors, insulators, electric motors, and switches
- Complete over 100 different challenge experiments to test your skills
Buy the Cambridge Brainbox Primary 2 Electronics Kit for £33.
BrightMinds Bigjigs Big Yellow Crane and Construction Set Review
Calling all construction lovers. If your little one is head over heels for vehicles, playsets with tons of moving pieces, or building gear, this set combines all three.
The Bigjigs Yellow Crane and Construction Set is an adorable construction site set made from wood and plastic pieces with a total of 13 different elements.
This set comes with a variety of building necessities like diggers, dump trucks, concrete rollers, and even a crane. It also includes some wee safety equipment like cones and stop signs.
While work-based products are often considered toys for boys, the Bigjigs Yellow Crane and Construction Set lets both boys and girls see themselves represented. All the hard work on your construction site is supervised by both male and female characters, who can be stood up and moved around while you get the job done.
While this set can certainly be enjoyed on its own, it may be a fantastic addition to train track sets for a little added drama en route.
Buy the Bigjigs Yellow Crane and Construction Set for £45.
BrightMinds City of Zombies Maths Game Review
This cheeky game is both exciting and cooperative. The City of Zombies Maths Game is a board game intended for kids ages 5 and up.
In this game, 1 to 6 players collaborate to defeat the zombies and win the game. Players must roll dice, figure out numbers, and use the card deck to keep the Zombies away and save more people. This game takes as little as 20 minutes to play and includes a colorful board, illustrated card deck, dice, and a detailed instruction manual.
As you might expect, this game comes with a lot of silly cartoons that make it especially fun and engaging. While it is about zombies, the cartoon illustrations are more humorous than scary!
This game was designed to help kids build numeracy skills in an entertaining and cooperative way. The City of Zombies Maths Game has multiple levels to challenge every learner: Beginner, Advanced, Expert, and Master.
Pick up the City of Zombies Maths Game for £40.
BrightMinds Djeco Topanifarm Stacking Cubes for Infants Review
These stacking cubes are as cute as they are interactive. The Djeco Topanifarm Stacking Cubes for Infants were made for babies and toddlers aged 18 months and up.
This set comes with six colorful cardboard boxes with little farm animals that can be placed inside or around the boxes.
The sweet rubber animals that nest in each cube include:
- Blue bunny
- Yellow dog
- Purple cat
- Pink pig
- White chicken
- Orange cow
The stackable cubes go from largest to smallest so they can be easily stacked in a tower, helping with skills like spatial ability, hand-eye coordination, stacking and ordering, and dexterity. Each box is also printed with numbers to help with early numeracy skills.
These substantially sized cubes are lightweight and won’t cause injury when they inevitably come down all at once. Your toddler will love trying out their building skills and enjoying hours of imaginative play with their new barnyard buds.
Buy the Djeco Topanifarm Stacking Cubes for Infants for £18.
BrightMinds My Fairy Garden Review
My Fairy Garden takes playing house to a whole other level. This kit gives kids ages 4 and up the opportunity to plant their own real garden for their little Fairy doll.
This set comes in a low, round bowl that will support the grass lawn your child will plant around the Fairy house. They’ll learn to plant seeds and keep the included soil damp while the grass grows. Then, you’ll be able to add an oyster shell water feature and lay down a colorful stone path.
There are tons of non-gardening accessories to keep your child busy playing with their Fairy’s home, too, including a laundry line, a dormouse friend, and a flower chair.
Here are just a few of the elements included with My Fairy Garden:
- Pebbles
- Grass seed
- Fairy glitter
- Fairy stars
- Two fairy mushrooms
- Instruction manual
This set will encourage creative and imaginative play, as your child can rearrange the set and even add their own accessories or other plants – just check out the instruction manual for tons of suggestions on how to keep My Fairy Garden growing.
Buy the My Fairy Garden for £16.
BrightMinds Rory’s Story Cubes Original Review
This toy is sure to spark your child’s imagination – and maybe yours, too! Rory’s Story Cubes are 9 different dice with a total of 54 different pictures, all designed to prompt and build original stories.
To play the game, roll a few of the dice and see which images turn up. Then, you’re the bard, responsible for making up a story to explain the pictures.
Rory’s Story Cubes are intended for children aged 5 and up, and can be played alone or with a group. While the game has plenty of suggestions on how to play, the possibilities are endless and you can keep the game as open-ended as you’d like, or make up your own rules.
According to BrightMinds, this game has won multiple awards for its educational potential and should help your child learn how to build a narrative, think creatively, and learn how to take turns speaking and listening.
It’s a fantastic way for kids who aren’t confident writers to begin to craft their own stories, think on the spot, and express their ideas verbally.
Play Rory’s Story Cubes with your 5+ child for £13.
Who Is BrightMinds For?
BrightMinds caters to parents, caregivers, and educators looking for stimulating and engaging curriculum supplements or activities to keep young minds busy and learning.
After all, one of the best ways to teach is to let kids take on a hands-on activity. Educational play lets them try new things, stretch their imaginations, and enjoy the challenge – without the pressure of a formal lesson.
So many of BrightMinds’ products are designed with this in mind, encouraging experimentation and cooperation, while encouraging kids to have fun and work at their own pace.
One demographic that seems to particularly love this company? Grandparents. Our BrightMinds review found that generous grandmas and grandpas rely on this brand to find fun, creative, and educational gifts that aren’t always easy to find in toy stores.
BrightMinds also offers products from brand names that are known to be a hit with kids – while adults may love these toys and activities for their learning potential, you can also trust you’re shopping from brands that are popular with kids all over the world.
BrightMinds Reviews: What Do Customers Think?
BrightMinds shares reviews on their official website, where buyers can leave comments and star ratings on their product pages. Most of these reviews are enthusiastic, with many customers who bought BrightMinds products as gifts happy to find their little ones enjoying their new toys. .
A customer who purchased the best-selling Rory’s Story Cubes writes in their BrightMinds review, “Bought and sent as a gift to 8 year old grandchild. She picks 3 cubes, not quite randomly, and each of us has to make up a story to be shared at our next Messenger session. Excellent tool for sparking imagination. Cubes are well made and come packed in a good box.”
One mom, who bought the My Fairy Garden, was pleased with how fun and engaging the toy was for her young daughter. She shares in her BrightMinds review, “My 4 year old is delighted with her fairy garden. Had lots of fun putting it together.”
Another mother had a similarly great experience buying this imagination-sparking toy for her daughter, writing in her BrightMinds review, “It’s the perfect way to introduce gardening and growing to a young mind still fascinated by make-believe and fantasy. Everything was securely packaged and the interaction booklet really easy to follow…”
The best-selling Bigjigs Yellow Crane and Construction Set also has high praise from buyers.
One grandparent chose this cute building set for their grandchild’s birthday and was impressed by how he fell in love with it right away and how much enjoyment he’s gotten out of it. They write in their BrightMinds review, “I bought this for my grandson’s 3rd birthday and it has been a huge success. He’s not stopped playing with it.”
Our BrightMinds review also found that the brand has stellar reviews on TrustPilot, where they have an impressive 4.6/5 star rating based on over 8,000 reviews.
One Brightminds review on TrustPilot was from a customer who found it especially convenient to be able to search the site’s toys based on age, making it easy to find a high-quality gift for her grandson.
She reports in her BrightMinds review, “I was glad to find gift suggestions by age group, this really helped. The gifts I chose were of good quality and appropriate for my grandson and he loved them. They were delivered promptly and the service has been excellent.”
Another buyer was impressed with the selection of toys that gave her some new and novel options.
She comments in her BrightMinds review, “They sell the most unusual toy that you don’t find elsewhere. The prices are very competitive and the delivery is perfect so it’s five stars from me.”
Another grandparent purchased a bug-catching kit for her granddaughter’s birthday and loved watching her enjoy it. She posts in her BrightMinds review, “Bought for my granddaughters 4th birthday. She loved all gifts immediately and went outside to catch bugs before looking at her other presents.A great result.”
I also found some customer feedback on the site Reviews.io. One customer, who rated the brand 4/5 stars, was especially pleased with the brand’s pricing and their customer service.
She writes in her BrightMinds review, “Really fast delivery. Was the most competetively priced. Really happy with the experience.”
BrightMinds also shares customer feedback on their official Facebook page, where they have a solid 4.5/5 star rating out of more than 13,000 reviews. Most of these reviews praise this brand for their toys’ educational potential and child-friendly design.
One Facebook comment was from a grandmother who bought a hopscotch set for her grandchild. She was thrilled with everything her little one was able to learn while having fun, writing in her BrightMinds review, “My granddaughter loves this hopscotch set – big, bright colours – helps with numbers, counting and mobility.”
Another impressed buyer chose the Easy Read Time Teaching Clock for her grandson, writing, “I bought this clock for my Grandsons Easter present so he could learn to tell the time. It shows the times before the hour and past the hour plus it numbers every minute so hopefully it will be easy for him to learn. Delivery was prompt and the clock is very colourful.”
Overall, our BrightMinds review found that buyers – especially grandparents – love being able to buy unique, educational gifts that kids actually use. With their appealing selection, competitive prices, and prompt delivery, customers consider BrightMinds a reliable source of well-designed products that give kids a chance to learn new skills while having fun.
Is BrightMinds Worth It?
BrightMinds has everything you would expect from a modern childrens store, from beloved brand names like Melissa and Doug, Tidlo, and Usborne Books, and products that range from mini laboratories, to scooters, to crafting boxes.
With such a vast selection of toys, games, and activities, any parent can find something that’s perfect for their little one, and can rely on the brand to offer products that’ll carry you from infancy to the teenage years.
Despite the oodles of options, BrightMinds has a site that is easy to navigate. You can filter your search by topic, such as “Science and Tech” or “Arts and Crafts,” or you can shop through products based on age range or brand name. This site also has an “Offers” section for parents hoping to stock up on a budget.
And because BrightMinds tests all of the products they sell, the brand’s site also offers detailed descriptions of how their products work, what they can teach, and how they can fit into the UK’s National Curriculum.
Teachers will also appreciate that this brand was founded by an educator who curates the store’s selection with learning goals in mind. Anyone who wants to pep up their usual curriculum with interactive activities will be well-served by BrightMinds – this company has games and activities for every subject and skill, from numeracy and counting, to literacy, to science and nature.
Last but certainly not least, BrightMinds has great reviews. Customer feedback is one way to gauge a company’s performance, and our own BrightMinds review found that they consistently receive a ton of love from buyers.
BrightMinds high star ratings on review sites suggest that parents, teachers, and grandparents are thrilled with the quality and pricing of their products, and the reliable delivery process. They’ve enjoyed their buying experience and – most importantly – find their little ones are getting a lot of valuable use and enjoyment out of their new toys.
For these reasons, our BrightMinds review is happy to recommend this tried and true company to parents, grandparents, and teachers looking for the best in educational toys.
BrightMinds Promotions & Discounts
If you are a UK customer and spend over £50, BrightMinds will deliver your order for free.
You can also subscribe to their newsletter for a BrightMinds discount code on your first purchase and receive other codes and offers in the future.
The brand also has an Offers section, where you can find all of BrightMinds’ discounted products
Here are some of the sales available at the time of writing this BrightMinds review:
- Nick Baker’s Snail World on sale for £13 (down from £15)
- Melissa and Doug Wooden Ice Cream Set on sale for £18 (down from £20)
- Learning Resources STEM Explorers on sale for £16 (down from £18)
Where to Buy BrightMinds
You can shop all of BrightMinds’ curated educational toys and activities on their official website.
FAQ
Who owns BrightMinds?
Entrepreneur and former science teacher Alison Quill is the founder and current owner of BrightMinds.
Are wooden toys safe for babies?
BrightMind explains that wooden toys for kids continue to be very popular and are often safer choices for babies since they don’t have small pieces that can become dislodged.
Whenever you’re buying a product for kids, please make sure you read the product description carefully, take note of all age recommendations, and follow all safety and use instructions.
I’m giving a gift. What if they don’t like it?
Whether you’re giving as a gift or buying for yourself, Brightminds gives you 90 days to make a return or exchange if you don’t love the product. Just make sure the item is still in new condition and its original packaging. Customers will pay for return shipping.
Visit the BrightMinds returns page for more details of their No Quibble Guarantee and returns process.
How to Contact BrightMinds
I hope you enjoyed this BrightMinds review! For any lingering questions, I found two ways to get in touch with the brand:
- Call their customer service line: 01904 202 240
- Send a message through their website’s Contact Us page
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