Part of this boys’ toys range are Bob The Builder games and puzzles and here is a short summary of the top 10 choices available:

Jigsaw Puzzles (RRP from £5) – there are so many Bob The Builder puzzles to choose from, the choice is overwhelming. There are some in tins, some in boxes, there are some with two or more in a box, some are wooden, some are for the floor – see what I mean! They range from 12 to 42 pieces and cost upwards of £5.

8 Piece Wooden Playtray (RRP £8) –this is a simple introduction to puzzles for younger children (from aged 2). Each of the 8 wooden pieces featuring a popular character from the TV show, has to be fitted back in the right place on the playtray.

Giant 4 Game Picture Card Deck (RRP £4) – four traditional card games can be played with the 32 extra large and easy to hold cards measuring 13 x 8.3cm. The games are Matching Pairs, Snap, Old Maid and Happy Families.

Memory Game (RRP £7) – this is just a matching pairs game but nice thick cards, great artwork and easy rules, make it ideal for younger players. All of the favourite Bob The Builder characters are included on the 24 picture cards.

Shapes & Colours Game (RRP £8) – this is a game that will help encourage shape and colour recognition. Each player’s card has four shaped holes cut out of it which all must be filled correctly to win. Players throw the dice and collect pieces as shown to use to fill their board.

Brick By Brick Game (RRP £8) – a simple game where you have to help Bob build a tower, brick by brick, according to what you throw on the dice.

Character Blasters (RRP £5) – choose the Bob The Builder character you want to build, set the game’s timer and press start. You then have until the time runs out to fit the 3D puzzle pieces together. If you don’t succeed the puzzle board pops and all the pieces fly across the room.

Pressmatic (RRP £9) – this game takes me back – I didn’t know they even made these anymore. Anyway this is a normal board game where you have to take your character round the board to collect some items they have muddled up, but the dice are in a handy popping bubble in the centre of the board. They never get lost – perfect!

Uno (RRP £10) – this is the Bob The Builder version of this well known card game. The extra large cards feature all the main characters. Players have to match the colours and numbers on the cards to get rid of them and win.

Tricky Tool Box (£9) – this looks like a fun little game as you get to flick tools into Bob’s tool box as it rotates. The ‘tricky’ part is keeping them in there once you get them in as the tool box throws them out again.

Online Games
Children love to play free games online and there are numerous Bob The Builder games to amuse them while teaching them a few keyboard and mouse skills along the way.

On BobTheBuilder.com there are a large variety of games split into the following types:

•    Racing & Mazes (Mountain Scrambler, Packers’ Pick Up, Muck’s Maze, Scrambler’s Ramble)
•    Puzzles (including Jigsaws, Slider Puzzles and Noughts & Crosses)
•    Building & Painting (Paint The Gang, Design A House, Bob’s Pipe Game)
•    Matching (Matching Game & Bob’s Tool Shed)
•    Counting (Snowball Spud)

Beware though this site makes some annoying machinery noises every few seconds to keep you in the Bob The Builder building mood!

The BBC website has no such annoying noises but has a smaller selection of online games.

Here you can choose from:

•    Sunflower Park – where you help Bob build a playground.
•    Relay Race – where you have to help Bob find his lost spanner in the village.
•    Apple Antics – Spud is throwing apples from the trees and you have to catch them.
•    Bobsville Build – where you get to help Bob and his team move to Sunflower Valley.

For a more commercial online game head over to GameHouse.com for their ‘Bob The Builder Can-Do Carnival’ game.

There is a free trial of this game you can download or you can pay to upgrade to the full version. The game involves helping Bob build his own carnival. You have to help him plan the job, choose the materials, pick the right tools and clean up afterwards in a series of games that are both fun and creative.

Not quite a game, but for younger fans try these ‘projects‘:

•    Build A Playground
•    Mend A Road
•    Build A Fountain

Here your children have to go through a series of tasks to complete the overall project.  In the ‘Build A Playground’ project they have to dig a hole, fill in the sand, put up a sign etc. They have to follow Bob’s instructions and click on the right machine so that it performs the right action.

Printable Colouring Sheets

Children love to colour and what better pictures than their very own favourite characters from their favourite cartoon.

BobTheBuilder.com has many colouring sheets of Bob himself and all the most popular machines.

The BBC website has a selection of the human characters but no machines.

Printable Activity Sheets

If your children are not into colouring then print them off some of these puzzles, mazes and matching activities.

Other Printables

Brighten up your little one’s bedroom walls or doors with some Bob The Builder pictures by printing off these free posters of the most popular characters.

Other Online Activities

You can Meet The Team and find out some fun facts and hear sound effects of the most popular characters.

Read an Online Story with these great little Bob The Builder books full of pictures.

Craft Activities

Head back to the BBC website for a selection of Bob The Builder craft tasks – you can choose from making a card, a finger puppet or a drum kit.

There are also some nice step by step instructions on BobTheBuilder.com of how to make homemade dough, a shoebox town and sock puppets.

Outdoor Activities

If the weather is on your side, get your little ones outdoors for some Bob The Builder fun. Download instructions for the following activities: Painter, Muck May I? game and a Nature Collage.

And try ‘I Spy’ or ‘Construction Site’ games if you’re on the go and need to keep your children entertained.

Theme Song

If your little ones are anything like mine, then a favourite music activity is to listen to the theme song over and over again until you (not them!) want to scream! If you’re prone to headaches, don’t check this out!

I hope this gives you a few ideas of free Bob The Builder games and activities you can try with the click of a few buttons!