Kinetic Sand Sensory Bin, 18-Piece Set With Glow Stones

A whole small world in a case with a lid: soft kinetic sand, a set of moulds, the little tools that go with them, and a handful of stones that glow once the light goes off. Eighteen accessories in all. You open it on the rug, and a child who was asking for a tablet ten seconds ago is digging.

The sand is the reason it works. It clings to itself instead of to hands, so it packs into a castle and holds, then crumbles back and packs again. It never dries out, there is nothing to mix and nothing to add, and it stays in the tray instead of travelling across the room. When play is over the lid clicks back on and the whole set goes on a shelf, sand included, ready for the next time.

Three worlds to choose from. Construction comes with diggers, dump trucks, traffic cones and a road sign, and castle moulds to bulldoze. Dinosaur has a volcano, eggs in a nest and a herd of small dinosaurs to bury and dig back out. Pet is a pastel playground with puppies and kittens, a kennel, a swing, a slide and a bathtub, and it comes with green sand.

No batteries, no screen, no sound. Rated 3 years and up by the maker, and we keep that rating: the set holds small parts.