Paddington Bear was recently voted Britain’s favourite ever animated character, which is heartening news for those of us thirty-something parents who feel somewhat disillusioned by some of the all-singing, all-dancing modern children’s programmes played on a loop at all hours of the day and night.

While many modern programmes are great fun and intelligently produced, the gentle stories and basic animation of old kids TV shows from our own childhoods bring a certain kind of calm that seems to grab children’s attention in the way the quiet teacher can often control the class just as well if not better than the shouty one!

Paddington has also maintained his integrity when it comes to merchandise. From his stall at home in London’s Paddington Station, to his official website, the range of Paddington Bear-related gifts is littered with books, clothes and wooden toys for the young ones, while even grown-up fans can enjoy a reminder from their childhood in the shape of tea cups, notebooks and pens.

So what other throwbacks still exist in the world of old kids TV shows? Recently, I had the good fortune of stumbling on a stack of DVDs containing the complete collection of Ivor the Engine, near the checkout at my local DIY store, of all places!

And it was undoubtedly the most satisfying purchase of the trip, because it has been successful in calming my 2- and 5-year olds on many an overexcited occasion since.

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The year is filled with them – Christmas, New Year, Valentine’s Day, Mothers’ Day, Easter, Fathers’ Day, and bank holidays, not to mention birthdays, anniversaries and special achievement such as graduations.

With so many demands on our time and money, it can be tempting to skimp when it comes to some of these high days and holidays, thinking that spending money on Valentine’s or anniversary presents is wasteful when we are struggling to pay the bills.

And it is true that the commercial nature of many of these traditional family celebrations has somewhat overtaken the original reasons for celebration.

But celebrating is a great way for children to learn about their culture, enjoy family traditions, and feel good about their and others’ achievements, and it doesn’t have to cost a lot.

Here are some great ways you can make family celebrations special without breaking the bank:

* Buy or make bunting and decorations that you can reuse every time – seeing them being strung up will instill good feelings and a sense that they day is special.

* Buy or make a special celebration hat for the person of the day to wear, or nominate a special plate or seat at the table, making them feel just that little bit more special.

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Getting the kids outdoors is a great way to keep them fit and healthy, as well as boosting their mood, working up a healthy appetite and promoting good sleep. It can also be a great opportunity to encourage children learning new skills.

Many of us take for granted skills such as throwing and catching a ball, hitting a shuttlecock successfully over a net, hopping, skipping and jumping. But for young children, these are skills that need to be learned and practised – and your back garden or local park is a great place to start!

First, you need to get kitted out to get children learning new skills. This doesn’t need to cost a lot; you can get most of it at your local pound shop – no need to hit the sports shop just yet! You need:

* A ball

* A skipping rope, or just some ordinary rope, or even a washing line will do!

* Some chalk for drawing hopscotch

* A cheap set of rackets and shuttlecocks that you can find in beach or toy shops

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My daughter is nearly two-and-a-half and I would love to take her to dance classes. Music is an integral part of household – metal, 80s and classical are what we dote on, and my sweet one loves to jam up a storm.

We have ‘dance parties’ for two, sometimes three (me and her, and sometimes dad) but I think it’s be amazing for Amelia to party up a storm with kids her own age at toddler dance classes – even if it is to pop music! I am all for musical indoctrination but my daughter probably needs to increase her repertoire so that she can develop her own ‘taste in tune’.

Google spat out some cool options for ‘toddler dance classes’ but my favourite so far is one called Diddi Dance.

I haven’t been to a session yet but I definitely plan to take my daughter soon – you can even call your local Diddi and book a free trial!

Diddi Dance uses dancing games and exercises, bells, hoops and dance ribbons to improve rhythm and co-ordination but also social and gross motor skills. Children are encouraged to nurture their natural love of movement in a structured yet relaxed 45 minute class.

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I’ve found a really fun way to teach my toddler about the days of the week – months, years and even seasons. It’s a wooden educational calendar toy called Circa.

Small children don’t really have much concept of time – other than night and day, and that sometimes it’s warmer and other times colder. Life is one big game fest – ‘how long do I have to play’ (oh to be young again!). My two-year-old can say the days of the week; she knows that Wednesday is hair-washing day (yes – I do wash her hair only once a week!) and that Sunday is pancake/church day. But she has no concept of how long it will take to get to those days.

I want to teach her. Time may be irrelevant in her young life at the moment but soon it will become important (but never important enough to ruin the fun of childhood of course).

Circa – the circular calendar toy – rotating and circular stacking design is made to help children understand the cycles of the calendar. It’s all about learning through play.

Circa is divided into four pieces that represent a major cyclical event in the calendar: the days of the week disk; the months of the year disc – including a rotating seasons sub-disc; the days of the month disc; and a perpetual year dial.

Rather than being overwhelmed by the calendar as a whole, Circa allows children to learn about the components of the calendar separately – they can fit the discs together to see how the calendar toy comes together as a whole.

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