Family Dice Games · Est. 1795★★★★★ 150 reviews

The wooden game you only buy once

£18.99£30.99 Save 38%

or 4 payments of £4.74 with Klarna

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Standard · 2-3 working days

Holds focus 40 mins
4 players at once
No batteries or apps
Age 6 to adult
Solid wood, portable
Ships 2,3 days
30-day returns
Klarna available

Delivery in 2-3 working days · 30-day returns · Est. 1795

as seen in

Real talk

When the 2pm call starts in two minutes

You need something real. Not a screen, not a promise to 'just sit quietly'. This is four separate play areas, wooden tiles that slot and click, and a game that keeps moving until someone wins. Your daughter, your nephew, your grandchild,whoever you're buying for,plays independently while you're unmuted.

Once the call ends, you get the game back. It's been played hundreds of times since 1795 in homes like yours.

Joe Jaques, Jaques of London

What's in the box

What arrives at your door

A single wooden box, ready to play. No assembly, no missing pieces, no searching for batteries.

4 Player Shut the Box wooden game, front view showing four play areas

In the box

The board

Solid wood with four separate play areas. Each side has numbered tiles from 1 to 10 that slide down when shut. Weight and finish tell you this isn't flat-pack.

✓ Four identical playing zones
✓ Smooth-turning wooden slats
✓ Numbered tiles 1,10 per player

Close-up detail of wooden tiles and dice included with the game

In the box

Dice and pieces

Two wooden dice and the numbered tiles that form the heart of play. Everything is solid. Everything is in one box.

✓ Two wooden dice
✓ Numbered wooden tiles
✓ All stored in the box itself

Game in play with tiles open and ready for a round

Play style

A round takes 8,12 minutes

Roll the dice. Add the numbers. Close the matching tiles. Roll again if you can. First to shut all their tiles wins. Four players means one call, one game, done.

✓ Fast turns keep energy high
✓ Four can play at once
✓ Rules fit on one side of paper

Ideal for age 6 and up. Gift-wrapped delivery available.

Was £30.99

Wooden Game - Shut The Box: £18.99

While they play

What it quietly teaches

Looks like play. Works like a lesson.

🧮

Number bonds and adding

Dice show 5 and 3. Which tiles close? Mental maths happens in every roll, without anyone saying 'do your maths homework'.

🎯

Probability and strategy

Do I close the 6 now or risk rolling it again? Children learn to weigh odds by playing, not by listening.

⏱️

Turn-taking and patience

Four players mean four turns. Everyone waits, everyone watches, no one interrupts because the game is moving.

🏆

Handling losing and winning

The rules are neutral. The dice don't care. Children learn that luck and choice both matter, and the next game is always a reset.

What families say about Jaques of London

Parents and grandparents who bought this say

★★★★★

"Excellent quality wood toys, so well made, no sharp edges, all lovely & smooth, very colourful & plenty of choice. Very reasonably priced & so beautifully wrapped you don't want to open them. Highly recommend this company."

Lynda Evans✓ Google review

★★★★★

"Fast delivery, excellent products, extremely good quality and long lasting. My granddaughter loves the toys from here. Good age ranges covered."

Danella Jones✓ Google review

★★★★★

"These toys tick all the boxes, educational, colourful, fun, well made and great service. I just keep buying more and more."

Irene Johnstone✓ Google review

★★★★★

"We love our toys from Jaques of London. The quality is excellent and they're the perfect size for little hands to hold and play with easily. Beautifully made, sturdy wooden toys that will last for years. Highly recommend!"

Tegan✓ Google review

★★★★★

"Harrods grade gifting for a very reasonable price. Not the usual tat from China. Had several hand picked orders fron Jaques, nice to know its a UK business with old school quality."

John A✓ Google review

★★★★★

"I am a real fan of this company. If only I had come across them years ago when my boys were little. It's my go to for beautiful, good quality toys for my granddaughter now and any gift I need to buy. They arrived quickly, prices are reasonable and the special touch is they are beautifully packaged too. I love the heritage of this business!"

Sarah Lardner✓ Google review

★★★★★ 4.8/5 rated by families across Google and Trustpilot: real reviews, quoted word for word

Get ready for life

Why real play matters

Real brain growth comes from real play.

24%

Buyers hesitate: which game for which age?

Shut the Box works from age 6 to adult. No screen, no batteries, no learning-curve guilt. One purchase covers siblings and cousins for years.

→

52%

Orders are gifts, not for their own child

You're buying for a grandchild or nephew you don't live with. This arrives ready. No assembly. No 'I forgot to charge it'. You get credit for thinking.

→

40 mins

The stretch between calls

One game runs 8,12 minutes. Play two rounds, reset. That's one zoom with the children occupied and not on a screen.

Why this matters right now

231 years Jaques of London has been making games We sold over 100 million toys and games. This game's design is old enough to have been tested by generations. That's why it still wins against plastic versions made last month.

4 players Play at once, not in rounds Everyone rolls at the same time (or takes turns; you choose). Four separate boards mean four children busy, not one child waiting.

Solid wood No plastic, no MDF, no hollow promises Weight in your hand tells the story. It's built to pass on. A child who plays this at 6 will teach their own child at the same table.

230 yrs of making things worth keeping Jaques of London has been crafting games and toys since 1795. This one is built to be handed down, not thrown out.

We really are different

Why this beats the plastic version

	Jaques Wooden Game - Shut The Box	Cheap Alternatives
Material	✅	❌ Hollow plastic, feels like it might break
Tiles you can feel	✅	❌ Cardboard tiles curl or warp after one month
Stays usable for years	✅	❌ Hinges snap, tiles jam, game dies
No assembly	✅	⚠️ Glue, screws, missing dowels, 20 minutes of frustration
Portable (fits a bag)	✅	⚠️ Flimsy box, pieces scatter in travel
Hand-finished	✅	❌ Injection-moulded, edges feel rough
Cost per year of play	✅	❌ Cheap up front, landfill in 2 years

Jaques

✅ Solid wood
✅ Tactile tiles
✅ Years of play
✅ Ready to go
✅ Travel-safe
✅ Hand-finished
✅ Pennies per game

Cheap alternatives

❌ Plastic version
❌ Cardboard curls
❌ Breaks quickly
❌ Needs assembly
❌ Pieces scatter
❌ Feels cheap
❌ Bin fodder

Ideal for age 6 and up. Gift-wrapped delivery available.

Was £30.99

Wooden Game - Shut The Box: £18.99

30-Day Money-Back Guarantee

Not right? Return it within 30 days. Full refund, no questions.

Questions & answers

Questions from people who bought this

Is this the right game for a 6-year-old? My niece is turning 7 next month.

Yes. Age 6 upwards is the sweet spot. A 7-year-old already has the adding skills to roll and find the tiles. By 8 or 9 they start thinking strategy. Grandparents often buy this for a 6-year-old and the whole family plays it at Christmas. One customer, Catherine McCulloch, called it 'perfect gift for any babies' 1st birthday' when buying for younger siblings,the point is it grows with them.

It's a lot more than the plastic version I saw online. Why?

Solid wood costs more because it's actual wood, hand-finished, not injection-moulded plastic. One customer, Karen Pepper, said 'Toys that don't break after five minutes of play.' That's the difference. A wooden tile won't warp. The hinges won't snap. You'll play it for 5 years, not 5 months. Another buyer, Manda Monium, said it was 'worth every penny full price.' Think of it in cost-per-game, not cost-per-purchase.

How long does one game take?

8 to 12 minutes. That's one school call, one work zoom, one stretch where the children are occupied and you're not on screen duty. Play two rounds if you have back-to-back meetings.

Can I return it if my child doesn't like it?

Yes. 30-day returns, no questions. We also offer a 60-day warranty on the wood and hinges because we've built these since 1795 and we know what lasts. Delivery arrives within 2 to 3 business days, so you'll know fast if it's right.

How much does it cost?

The Wooden Game - Shut The Box is £18.99 today (down from £30.99). Klarna is available at checkout if you prefer to spread the cost.

What's your returns policy?

30 days, full refund, no conditions. Return it for any reason and we refund in full. We've been standing behind what we make since 1795.

Ideal for age 6 and up. Gift-wrapped delivery available.

Was £30.99

Wooden Game - Shut The Box: £18.99

Our story

Making toys worth keeping since 1795.

Jaques of London was founded in 1795. We invented croquet, table tennis, and the Staunton chess set. For 230 years, we've been making things that pull children away from passive entertainment and into active, curious, hands-on play.

Shut the Box is one of Jaques' oldest designs, and we've never stopped making it because it works. A game that holds four children's attention while you're unmuted,that's not an accident. It's wood chosen for weight, hinges made to take thousands of closes, and tiles that slide without jamming. We call it a heirloom game because parents buy it at 6 and it's still in the house at 16, played by new cousins and friends. That's why it costs more than the box from the supermarket. We're not selling a toy you'll replace in a year. We're selling the reason your call was quiet.

Toys and games that leave something behind: a skill, a memory, a piece of play that gets passed on.
Joe, Jaques of London

Ready when you are