Dress Up Bears: Silver, Junior Design Awards 2026

A small wooden box opens on the table, and inside are the pieces of several bears waiting to be assembled. A child chooses a head, a body, a pair of feet, and a change of outfit, then sets about building a bear that exists nowhere else.

This is the Wooden Puzzle Game - Bears Dress Up Set, which received Silver in the Best Game for 3-5 Years category at the Junior Design Awards 2026. The pieces are made from solid, non-toxic timber, cut and finished to the UKCA and CE standards that apply to toys for young children.

Like the rest of our wooden toys, it is built to be handled, dropped, rebuilt and handled again. It sits comfortably among the picks in our guide to the top toys by age.

Shop the Dress Up Bears Wooden Puzzle Game

Why the Junior judges chose Dress Up Bears

The Junior Design Awards judges praised the design of the Dress Up Bears Wooden Puzzle Game, and particularly the non-toxic, solid-wood build that gives each piece its weight and honest feel.

They noted the mix-and-match combinations, which the panel recognised as open-ended creative play rather than a puzzle with a single correct answer. A child is not racing towards one finished picture; they are deciding what their bear should be.

The judges also liked that the wooden box encourages tidying up, so the game that comes out neatly also goes away neatly. Silver in the Best Game for 3-5 Years category reflects that combination of material quality and thoughtful play.

Awards of this kind are a judging exercise, where a panel considers a toy against others in its age band. They are separate from the UKCA and CE testing every toy must pass before it reaches a child's hands.

The recognition places this wooden puzzle game for age 3 alongside the better examples in our children toys. It is a search that returns a great many products, and an independent panel's view is one useful way to tell them apart.

A Reviews.io average of 4.8 out of 5 from 240 verified customer reviews, recorded on 15 October 2026, suggests families at home reach a similar conclusion to the judges. The two measures are different — one a design panel, the other parents living with the toy day to day — and they happen to agree.

That agreement is reassuring, though the real test is what a three-year-old does with it on an ordinary afternoon.

What children actually do with it

Children use the Dress Up Bears set in ways that shift from week to week. A toddler new to it tends to match like with like, finding the feet that belong to one body and building a bear that looks as intended.

Soon the mixing begins. A head from one bear joins the outfit of another, and the child discovers that the pieces do not have to go together in any set order. This is the moment the toy becomes theirs.

Some build a row of bears and line them up. Others name each one, give it a job, and start a story. The same box supports a quiet sorting task and a noisy imaginative game, depending on the mood of the afternoon.

Because the pieces are chunky and wooden, small hands manage them without frustration. Turning, matching and slotting all exercise the fine motor control that a child of this age is busy developing.

There is useful early learning folded in too. Choosing which piece fits where involves comparing shapes and noticing differences, the kind of visual thinking that our jigsaw puzzles encourage in a slightly different form.

Parents often find the game travels well between siblings. An older child builds elaborate characters while a younger one simply enjoys the stacking, and both are occupied by the same small box.

It also sits nicely alongside sturdier first toys. If you are choosing for a slightly younger child, our notes on the best wooden toys for 2 year olds cover the stage just before this one.

Why open-ended toys last longer

An open-ended toy is one without a fixed end point. There is no final level, no single picture to complete, no moment at which the toy announces that play is over.

That matters for how long a toy stays in use. A puzzle with one solution is often solved, admired, and then set aside. A set that invites fresh combinations each time keeps giving a child something new to try.

The Dress Up Bears set works this way by design. With several heads, bodies, feet and outfits to combine, the number of possible bears is far larger than the number of pieces, so the game rarely feels finished.

This is a quality that wooden toys tend to share, which is part of why they endure. A plain set of blocks or a simple matching game has outlasted generations of noisier, more complicated playthings for the same reason.

The thinking behind it overlaps with Montessori ideas, where children are trusted to direct their own play and repeat an activity as often as they wish. Our guide to the best Montessori toys for 1 year olds looks at that approach for younger children.

A toy that lasts is also a toy worth keeping. Solid timber survives years of handling and passes down between children, which is one reason it tends to earn its place on the shelf.

Jaques of London has made toys to that standard since 1795, still as a family firm, and longevity in a child's hands is a measure we pay attention to.

Storytelling and imaginative play at 3 to 5

Between the ages of three and five, children begin telling stories in earnest. They assign roles, invent reasons, and narrate what their toys are doing, often out loud and at length.

The Dress Up Bears set gives that storytelling a cast. Each bear a child builds has a face, an outfit and, within moments, a name and a personality to go with it.

Changing a bear's outfit becomes a plot point. The bear was going to the park, and now it needs different feet; it was sleepy, and now it has a new head and feels brave. The physical pieces give shape to a story the child is making up as they go.

This kind of play builds language. A child describing what their bear is doing is practising sentences, sequencing events, and reaching for new words to fit the scene.

It builds empathy too. Giving a bear feelings and solving its small problems is early practice at imagining how someone else might feel, done entirely through play.

Several children can share the game and weave their bears into a single story, which brings in turn-taking and negotiation. That social side grows as children get older and move towards rules-based play.

When they do, our board games carry the storytelling into a shared, structured form. For the next age up, our round-up of the best board games for 5 year olds picks up where the bears leave off.

A toy that teaches tidying up

The wooden box is part of the toy, not merely its packaging. Every piece has a place inside it, and putting the bears away is itself a small, satisfying task.

The Junior Design Awards judges singled this out, noting that the wooden box encourages tidying up. A child who has enjoyed building bears is often happy to pack them back into their spots.

Tidying becomes a sorting game rather than a chore. Matching each piece to its space uses the same comparing and placing skills that the play itself relies on, so the activity does not really stop when the game ends.

For a young child, this is useful early practice in finishing what they start. The toy that came out neatly goes away neatly, and the table is clear for whatever comes next.

It helps at home in practical terms too. Loose pieces that live in a proper box are far less likely to be lost, which keeps the game complete and ready for the next time.

Habits of order formed early tend to carry across to other toys. A child used to boxing up their bears is often readier to tidy away their other things as well.

At £19.99, the Wooden Puzzle Game - Bears Dress Up Set offers a good deal of play for its size. For ideas on keeping older children busy outdoors, our guide to the best outdoor games for 10 year olds looks further ahead.

What parents say about the Dress Up Bears Wooden Puzzle Game

4.8 out of 5 from 240 verified Reviews.io reviews (as of 15 October 2026). These are real buyers, quoted word for word.

“Delivery of this was extremely quick and the packaging and quality of the toy was excellent. My granddaughter Played with it several times in the day and thoroughly enjoyed it and learned new vocabulary throughout playing with it with me. It’s now the first toy she looks for when she comes to our house.”

★★★★★ Sue, verified buyer, 2024-12-06

“I bought this for a niece who lives in the Netherlands - not only was it easy to post but packaged beautifully and according to her Mum made well and she loves it. So much nicer that some of the plastic short life stuff you can buy - I am sure this will last to be passed on to the next niece/nephew 😁”

★★★★★ Karen, verified buyer, 2024-11-25

“I volunteer at a local attraction Shipley Glen Tramway a funicular tram which is 131 years old. The dress up bear set & other traditional games bought from Jaques are used in the information centre and are loved by children & adults who visit & join in our activities.”

★★★★★ Anonymous, verified buyer, 2026-05-24

“Beautiful quality bought as Christmas present. My granddaughter may not appreciate the beautiful packing but I do. Having bought many Jacques toys in the past the beauty is they are made to last and are timeless so can be passed down through the family”

★★★★★ Karen, verified buyer, 2024-11-29

Read every review of the Dress Up Bears Wooden Puzzle Game

Frequently Asked Questions About Wooden Puzzle Game Age 3

What award did Dress Up Bears win?

The Jaques of London Dress Up Bears Wooden Puzzle Game received Silver in the Best Game for 3-5 Years category at the Junior Design Awards 2026. Judges praised its design, non-toxic solid-wood build, and mix-and-match combinations as open-ended creative play, and noted that the wooden box encourages tidying up. Jaques of London has been crafting games since its founding in London in 1795 and remains family-run to this day.

What age is Dress Up Bears for?

The Jaques of London Dress Up Bears Wooden Puzzle Game is designed for children aged 3 to 5 years. It received Silver in the Best Game for 3-5 Years category at the Junior Design Awards 2026, with judges highlighting its mix-and-match combinations and open-ended creative play as particularly well suited to young children in this age range.

Is Dress Up Bears made of solid wood?

Yes. The Jaques of London Dress Up Bears Wooden Puzzle Game is built from non-toxic solid wood. At the Junior Design Awards 2026, judges specifically praised the non-toxic solid-wood construction as part of what earned the game Silver in the Best Game for 3-5 Years category. The game also comes in a wooden box, which judges noted encourages children to tidy up after play.

What are the best screen-free toys for 3 year olds?

Screen-free toys that encourage hands-on, creative play are widely recommended for 3 year olds. Wooden puzzle games are a strong choice: the Jaques of London Dress Up Bears Wooden Puzzle Game, for example, received Silver in the Best Game for 3-5 Years category at the Junior Design Awards 2026. Judges highlighted its mix-and-match combinations as open-ended creative play, its non-toxic solid-wood build, and a wooden storage box that helps children learn to tidy up — all without a screen in sight.

What is an open-ended toy?

An open-ended toy is one that can be used in multiple ways, without a single correct outcome, allowing children to direct their own play and imagination. Rather than following fixed rules, children invent scenarios and combinations. The Jaques of London Dress Up Bears Wooden Puzzle Game is a good example: judges at the Junior Design Awards 2026 described its mix-and-match combinations as open-ended creative play, awarding it Silver in the Best Game for 3-5 Years category.

How does a mix and match puzzle help imagination?

A mix-and-match puzzle lets children combine different pieces freely, creating their own characters or outcomes rather than working towards one fixed solution. This encourages imaginative thinking and storytelling. The Jaques of London Dress Up Bears Wooden Puzzle Game uses exactly this approach: judges at the Junior Design Awards 2026 praised its mix-and-match combinations as open-ended creative play, awarding it Silver in the Best Game for 3-5 Years category. The non-toxic solid-wood pieces are built to withstand repeated imaginative use.

Who runs the Junior Design Awards?

The Junior Design Awards are run by Junior Magazine, a UK publication focused on design, style, and products for families. The awards recognise well-designed products for children and parents. In 2026, the Jaques of London Dress Up Bears Wooden Puzzle Game received Silver in the Best Game for 3-5 Years category, with judges praising its non-toxic solid-wood build, mix-and-match combinations, and the wooden storage box that encourages tidying up.

Is Dress Up Bears a good gift for a 4 year old?

The Jaques of London Dress Up Bears Wooden Puzzle Game is designed for children aged 3 to 5, making it well suited as a gift for a 4 year old. It received Silver in the Best Game for 3-5 Years category at the Junior Design Awards 2026, where judges praised its non-toxic solid-wood build, mix-and-match combinations as open-ended creative play, and a wooden box that encourages tidying up. Jaques of London has been making games since 1795 and remains family-run today.

Sources

Every award on this page links to the organiser's own results page. Checked 2026-10-14.

• Best Game for 3-5 Years, Junior Design Awards 2026 (Junior Design Awards)
• Dress Up Bears Wooden Puzzle Game product page, Jaques of London
• Verified customer reviews: Reviews.io, Jaques of London store (live feed, 15 October 2026)