Animal Shape Box

Animal Shape Box — a shape sorter that is about animals, not circles and squares

A compact wooden box, 23 x 7.8 x 6.5cm, with four chunky animal blocks to match to their slots: a fox, a teddy, a deer and a frog. Small and light enough for a toddler to carry about, which matters more than it sounds. Suitable from 12 months and rated for 1 to 3 years, from Speedy Monkey.

🐾 Why animal shapes help

A plain shape sorter asks a one-year-old to tell a square from a rectangle, which is a hard thing to care about. An animal is different. They know what it is, so the matching has a reason behind it: this one is the animal with ears, and that slot has ears too. The shapes are more irregular than circles and triangles, so each one fits only one way, and working that out takes some turning and trying.

🚶 Small enough to take with them

Big shape sorters live in one place. This one is long and narrow, so it goes from the living room to the kitchen to the car, carried by the child who owns it. Toddlers like toys they can be in charge of.

🌳 Wood and paint

Speedy Monkey design their toys in France and make them from wood finished in child-safe paints. This one carries UKCA and CE marking.

⚠️ Worth knowing before you buy

• It is small. At 23cm long it is a compact sorter. For something bigger to post blocks into, the House Shape Sorter has eight blocks and a lift-off roof.
• Wood is wipe-clean only. Use a damp cloth, never a soak.

What we like about it

• Animal shapes give the matching a reason a toddler understands
• Each shape fits one way, so there is real working out to do
• Compact and light for carrying about
• Bright multicolour blocks with smooth edges
• Wood with child-safe paint, UKCA and CE marked
• No batteries, no screens

Specification

• Suitable from: 12 months (rated 1–3 years)
• Contents: wooden shape box with 4 animal blocks: fox, teddy, deer and frog
• Size: 23 x 7.8 x 6.5cm
• Colour: multicolour
• Material: wood with child-safe paint
• Brand: Speedy Monkey, designed in France
• Safety: UKCA and CE marked
• Care: wipe with a damp cloth

❓ Frequently asked questions

When will they be able to do it on their own?
Most children take the blocks out long before they can put them back. Posting the right animal through the right slot usually comes between 18 months and two years. Until then, guide their hand and let them feel the piece drop.

Is it a good travel toy?
Yes. It is one of the smallest sorters we sell, and the blocks pack back inside.

How do I clean it?
Wipe with a damp cloth. Do not soak painted wood.

What else is like it?
The Animal Puzzle uses animals as puzzle pieces in a board, and is the easier of the two.

🔍 Which first puzzle or shape sorter?

This one first, then the rest of our Speedy Monkey puzzles and sorters, simplest first. All are suitable from 12 months:

• Animal Shape Box — this one. A fox, teddy, deer and frog to post, small enough to carry about.
• Animal Puzzle — a frog, koala, hedgehog and fox in a board, the simplest of the set.
• Early Learning Puzzle Board — four shapes and a bear to lift out and put back.
• House Shape Sorter — eight patterned blocks to post, and a roof that lifts to get them out.
• Building Blocks With Shape Sorter — 50 printed blocks, with a bucket whose lid is a shape sorter.
• Garden Surprise Puzzle — six knobbed eggs with chicks and bunnies hiding underneath.
• Hedgehog Clock Game — twelve number blocks round a clock face, with hands that turn.
• Fox Puzzle — six chunky pieces that build a friendly fox on a board.
• Stack & Sort Crocodile — ten blocks in four shapes, with one to four holes each, so sorting and counting go together.
• 5 in 1 Wooden Activity Cube — a shape sorter on one side and four more activities on the rest.

Our guides to puzzle toys for babies and the best toys for an 18 month old go into more detail.

Safety information

Adult supervision recommended. Check the toy regularly and stop using it if any piece is cracked, splintered or loose.

❤️ From our family to yours

Carefully chosen products for babies, toddlers and parents. Browse the rest of our Speedy Monkey range and our wooden toys — free UK delivery on orders over £25.