Educational toy Learning Resources Spike the Fine Motor Hedgehog Rainbow Stacker — plastic, multicolour, for ages 1.5+

Learning Resources Spike the Fine Motor Hedgehog Rainbow Stacker is a colourful plastic stacking toy designed to support early development in children aged 1.5 years and older. The set includes nested cups shaped to form a hedgehog when stacked vertically or a long spine when arranged horizontally. Each cup features tactile ridges and an easy-grip profile sized for small hands. The toy is suitable for home, daycare, and preschool environments and is safe for supervised water play at the bath or water table.

Advantages

This Rainbow Stacker offers two distinct stacking orientations — vertical and horizontal — enabling varied play that strengthens fine motor control and bilateral coordination. Textured surfaces on each cup add sensory input to support tactile exploration. The pieces are made of durable, wipe-clean plastic to withstand frequent handling and simple maintenance. The design also introduces basic concepts such as colour recognition, shape sorting and early counting during hands-on activity.

Suitable for

• Developing fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination in toddlers
• Early sensory exploration and tactile play
• Colour, shape and number recognition practice
• Bath time or water-table play under supervision
• Small-group activities in daycare or preschool settings

Key specifications

• Material: durable, wipe-clean plastic
• Colour: multicolour set of stackable cups
• Age range: recommended from 1.5 years and up
• Design: cups with tactile ridges and easy-grip profiles
• Play modes: stack vertically to form a hedgehog or horizontally to build a spine

How to use

Provide the child with the set on a flat surface and demonstrate stacking the cups vertically to create the hedgehog form or horizontally to make a longer spine. Encourage the child to pick up individual cups, align them and place them onto each other, guiding finger placement to improve pincer and grasp skills. Use the coloured cups to prompt simple naming and counting: ask the child to find a specific colour or count cups as they are stacked. For water play, place the set in shallow, supervised water and allow children to explore buoyancy and textures.

Usage recommendations

Use under adult supervision. Clean the pieces with a damp cloth; avoid submerging for extended periods to preserve material integrity. Rotate stacking orientation and add simple challenges—such as sorting by colour or timing a small stacking task—to progressively support developing fine motor control and early cognitive skills.