Wooden Games · Est. 1795★★★★★ 150 reviews

The fairground game that keeps her away from the iPad

£17.99£29.99 Save 40%

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Standard · 2-3 working days

Fine motor skills
Hand-eye coordination
Early maths play
Wooden construction
Ages 1 to 6
Screen-free fun
30-day returns
Klarna available

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

as seen in

Real talk

The 20 minutes she forgot to ask for the iPad

Catching Frogs does what screens can't: it holds a young child's attention while her hands and eyes do the real work. She's concentrating, problem-solving, counting, and building fine motor control without you feeling like you're outsourcing her development to a device. It's a fairground game translated into solid wood, small enough to pull out on a Tuesday afternoon.

You'll notice her fingers getting steadier, her counting getting quicker, and the guilt about screen time getting quieter. That's the whole point.

Joe Jaques, Jaques of London

What's in the box

What you're getting

One complete fishing game with everything needed to play straight away. No batteries, no setup, no fuss.

Catching Frogs game set laid out showing all wooden pieces and pond board

In the box

The game board and pieces

A painted wooden pond with slots for the frogs. The fishing rods clip onto the board, and each frog sits waiting to be caught. Everything is solid wood and ready to play from the moment you open the box.

✓ Painted wood pond base
✓ Magnetic fishing rods
✓ Wooden frogs with hooks

Close-up of child's hand using the magnetic fishing rod to hook a frog

Play style

The fishing mechanic

Kids use the rod to lower the magnet, hook a frog, and pull it up. It's slower and more deliberate than random grabbing, which means hand-eye coordination gets a real workout. The magnets are strong enough for little hands to feel the catch.

✓ Requires steady hand control
✓ Magnetic hook design
✓ Satisfying catch feeling

Child concentrating on the game, counting frogs caught on the mat

Play style

The counting layer

After each frog is caught, it sits on the mat. She counts them. She notices numbers changing. She sees the pattern. You're not lecturing maths; she's discovering it by playing. That's how learning sticks at this age.

✓ Natural counting practice
✓ Early number recognition
✓ Self-correcting play

Ready to swap screens for skill-building

Was £29.99

Catching Frogs - Fishing Game: £17.99

While they play

What happens while she plays

Looks like play. Works like a lesson.

🎯

Hand-eye coordination

Lining up the magnet, lowering it steadily, timing the hook. Every catch refines the connection between what she sees and what her hands do.

🧮

Early maths sense

Counting caught frogs, noticing who has more, seeing numbers grow. She's building number fluency without worksheets or apps.

🧠

Focus and patience

The game slows her down. Each catch takes a few seconds. She learns to wait, to concentrate, and to feel the payoff of sustained attention.

✋

Fine motor strength

Gripping the rod, pressing the trigger, holding the catch. Her fingers are building the small-muscle control she'll need for writing in school.

What families say about Jaques of London

Why parents and educators reach for this one

★★★★★

"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.

Ages 1-6

Works across the toddler years

A 12-month-old will mouth and hold the pieces. A 3-year-old will obsess over catching. A 5-year-old will invent scoring rules. One game, multiple stages of play.

→

10 minutes

Long enough to matter

Not so long that you lose her, but long enough that screens don't feel like the only alternative. made for a rainy Wednesday or a waiting-room escape.

→

No setup

Pull it out and play

No assembly, no finding bits, no missing pieces. Everything lives in the box. That's why it actually gets used instead of sitting on the shelf.

Why this matters right now

228 Years of games craft Jaques has been making wooden games since 1795. This game comes from a company that has spent centuries learning what kids actually play with.

Solid wood Built to outlast one child These pieces are heavy. They're meant to survive drops, get handed down, and still work for the next sibling or friend. Not a toy that breaks after one season.

0 screens Required This is what screen-free play actually looks like: hands busy, mind engaged, no guilt. Just a kid and a game that works.

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

How Catching Frogs stacks up

	Jaques Catching Frogs - Fishing Game	Cheap Alternatives
Builds hand-eye coordination	✅	⚠️ Many apps claim this
Teaches counting through play	✅	⚠️ Flashcards feel like work
Holds attention without screens	✅	❌ Screens are designed to distract
Works with multiple ages at once	✅	❌ Most toys are age-locked
Solid wood that lasts years	✅	❌ Plastic games often crack
No batteries or charging	✅	❌ Electronics need constant replacement
Grows with your child	✅	⚠️ Apps get stale quickly

Jaques

✅ Real hand-eye work
✅ Learning through play
✅ Screen-free engagement
✅ Multi-age play
✅ Solid wood build
✅ No batteries needed
✅ Grows with them

Cheap alternatives

⚠️ Apps claim the same
⚠️ Flashcards feel forced
❌ Screens distract
❌ Age-locked toys
❌ Plastic breaks fast
❌ Tech needs replacing
⚠️ Apps feel stale

Ready to swap screens for skill-building

Was £29.99

Catching Frogs - Fishing Game: £17.99

30-Day Money-Back Guarantee

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

Questions & answers

Questions parents ask

Will my 3-year-old actually sit and play with this?

Most will for 10-20 minutes, which is genuinely valuable at this age. The catching part is satisfying enough to keep her focused, and the counting layer gives older siblings something to engage with too. Start with 1 or 2 frogs to make it feel achievable.

Is it just a distraction, or is she actually learning?

Hand-eye coordination and counting are both real skills that show up later in writing, maths, and physical play. She's not sitting passively; her brain and fingers are doing the work. The learning sticks because she discovered it by playing, not because someone told her the answer.

How durable is solid wood for a young kid who throws things?

Solid wood is significantly more durable than plastic. It can handle drops, gets handed down, and rarely breaks. Magnets are securely fitted. The game is built to outlast one childhood and often gets played with by younger siblings or friends later.

Can multiple kids play at once or is it just one player?

It works either way. One child can play alone, or 2-3 kids can take turns fishing or compete to catch more frogs. Older kids will invent their own rules (racing, scoring, challenges). Younger ones will just enjoy the catching part.

How much does it cost?

The Catching Frogs - Fishing Game is £17.99 today (down from £29.99). 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.

Ready to swap screens for skill-building

Was £29.99

Catching Frogs - Fishing Game: £17.99

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.

When Jaques started in 1795, toys were wooden because nothing else existed. We've kept that principle alive because solid wood teaches something screens never will: the satisfaction of physical accomplishment. Catching Frogs brings that fairground joy into your home, but it does something deeper. It gives young hands real work to do, and young minds real problems to solve. No batteries, no distractions, no guilt. Just a child learning through play, the way humans have for thousands of years.

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