Chad Valley Noah’s Ark is a fun activity toy for little ones aged 12 months+. Baby N just turned 1 year old over Christmas and this has been one of her favourite toys from the Chad Valley Play Panel, which she’s been playing with every day.
The set includes ten animal figures, and one Noah figure to steer the ark.
All of these are chunky and just the right size for little hands to hold. They’re great for helping little ones to learn their animals and practising animal noises. N really seems to have an interest in animals, so she was drawn to these straight away.
The Noah’s Ark set combines a few different ways to play, which I think has helped to keep N’s interest in this toy. The ark takes 2x AA batteries which enables it to make animal sounds, sing songs and it also has a little piano on the top to add to the musical aspect.
When each of the animals is placed into the correct spot on the boat (4 on the roof, and the others inside) then it’s sound will play. The four on the top are farm animals – pig, horse, cow and sheep – with the animals inside being more exotic jungle or zoo animals – giraffe, tiger, lion, monkey and elephant. When you press Noah into his seat at the helm of the boat, it makes sea sound effects and the food bucket at the back of the boat plays a tune.
The jungle animals in the bottom of the boat all have coloured shapes on their feet, which helps bring in more areas of learning as you play together with this set.
The whole set is bright and colourful, and I’ve found it really great for older babies of around N’s age, as it’s more complex than the simpler baby toys that she’s starting to grow out of but is still nice and chunky and sturdy – important as she still puts a lot of toys in her mouth. At this age her learning and language is developing so quickly, so I like that this toy offers lots of different things to talk about together in a way that keeps her interest.
She’s already learned to say a few animal names and sounds, and knows most of the animals if I ask her to show me. These figures are perfect for games like this, and as she gets a bit older they would be fun for imaginative pretend play too.
The Chad Valley Noah’s Ark is available from Argos, in store or online, for 19.99, and is available for same day home delivery.
You might also like our previous Chad Valley Play Panel reviews
Anna Marikar, mum of four and seasoned blogger, has spent over a decade sharing her parenting journey and passion for kid-friendly crafts and free printables.
Her easy-to-follow craft ideas and practical parenting advice have transformed In The Playroom into a cherished resource for parents.
So cute! I love how it includes shapes and sounds.
What a fab toy, love the little animals and the fact it plays a tune and is lovely and colourful.
Floating balls fun zone looks great fun
Looks like hours of fun to be had with this
Aww! Looks like lots of fun!
Oh I love this, my kids had this when they were little and I’m sure I had something similar when I was little too!