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

Fine motor skills disguised as a fairground catch

£18.99£29.99 Save 36%

or 4 payments of £4.74 with Klarna

🛡️ 30-day full refund, no questions. Fewer than 30 returns from 23,000+ orders.

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Standard · 2-3 working days

Holds focus 40 mins
No batteries
Builds hand-eye grip
Teaches counting to 12
Solid wood, hand-finished
Ships 2-3 business days
30-day returns
Klarna available

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

as seen in

Real talk

It's 1:58pm. She's at your elbow. This buys you the call.

Catching Frogs is the fairground game that actually holds a pre-schooler's attention. The hook-and-catch motion keeps their hands busy, their brain counting, and you uninterrupted. One game, genuinely independent play, no tablet guilt.

You get your meeting. She gets a skill that sticks: hand-eye coordination, number recognition, the satisfying weight of solid wood in small hands. That's the trade.

Joe Jaques, Jaques of London

What's in the box

What you're getting

One complete catching game. Arrives beautifully wrapped in Jaques packaging, so good it becomes the first gift memory.

Wooden frog catching game with magnetic fishing rod and pond base

In the box

1 wooden pond game

Hand-finished solid wood base with raised edges. 12 frogs with numbered lily pads. One magnetic fishing rod with natural wood handle. Weighted for real play, not toy-shop light.

✓ Solid wood construction, no plastic
✓ Numbered 1 to 12 for counting practice
✓ Magnetic catch, no fumbling, pure satisfaction

Child's hands holding wooden fishing rod over frog game

Play style

40 minutes of independent play

Cast the rod, catch a frog, read the number, place it in order. Repeat. The rhythm keeps them occupied while you work. No adult running commentary needed.

✓ Solo or co-play, it works both ways
✓ Builds fine motor control through repetition
✓ Hand-to-eye coordination that shows results

Detail of hand-finished wooden frog pieces with painted numbers

Quality

Made to be played for years

Jaques has been making toys since 1795. This game is built the same way: solid wood, hand-finished, tested for durability. Not the usual tat. Holds up through siblings, cousins, your own children later.

✓ Solid wood, not laminate or MDF
✓ Hand-finished edges and painted numbers
✓ Passed to the next child, not the bin

made for any child 12 months to 6 years. Buying for a 2nd or 3rd birthday? This is the one.

Was £29.99

Catching Frogs - Fishing Game: £18.99

While they play

What it quietly teaches

Looks like play. Works like a lesson.

🎣

Hand-eye coordination

The magnetic rod teaches aim and release. Watch it sharpen over 3 weeks of play.

🔢

Number recognition to 12

Each frog is numbered. Kids count, sequence, repeat. Maths becomes a fairground game.

💪

Fine motor grip

Fishing rod angle, rod twist, thumb-and-finger catch. Every move builds the muscles writing needs.

⏱️

Focus and repetition

The same satisfying loop, over and over. That's how young brains lock in a skill.

What families say about Jaques of London

What the people buying this say

★★★★★

"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.

Pull the rod. Hook the frog.

Magnetic catch means it always works. No frustration, just success. Every cast feels like winning.

→

Read the number. Place it down.

Counting to 12 in sequence. Repetition builds automaticity. Maths stops being abstract.

→

Repeat for 40 minutes.

The rhythm is hypnotic for a child. For you, it's a clean work call. No interruptions.

Why this matters right now

231 years Making games since 1795 Jaques started with wooden board games when Britain's first Factory Act was still a dream. We've never left wood or durability.

23,000+ Orders from UK families This isn't a new trend. Parents have been buying Jaques for their own children for over two centuries. We still use solid wood.

2-3 days Ships within business days Birthday panic? Order by 2pm and it arrives Tuesday. Jaques packaging is wrapping-ready, one less thing to do.

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

Why this game costs more than the plastic version

	Jaques Catching Frogs - Fishing Game	Cheap Alternatives
Material	✅	❌ Plastic, feels hollow
Hand-finished edges	✅	⚠️ Factory rough, splinters
Weight in hands	✅	❌ So light it feels cheap
Magnetic catch reliability	✅	⚠️ Cheap magnet, misses often
Played for years, not weeks	✅	❌ Breaks after 5 minutes
Passed to next child	✅	❌ Landfill after one birthday
30-day returns, 60-day care	✅	❌ No promise, no recourse

Jaques

✅ Solid wood
✅ Hand-finished
✅ Real weight
✅ Reliable magnet
✅ Plays for years
✅ Passes down
✅ 30-day returns

Cheap alternatives

❌ Plastic
⚠️ Factory rough
❌ Too light
⚠️ Fails often
❌ Weeks max
❌ Bin-bound
❌ No guarantee

made for any child 12 months to 6 years. Buying for a 2nd or 3rd birthday? This is the one.

Was £29.99

Catching Frogs - Fishing Game: £18.99

30-Day Money-Back Guarantee

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

Questions & answers

Questions parents ask before they buy

What age is this for? I'm buying for my nephew and I don't want to guess wrong.

Catching Frogs works from 12 months (with help) through 6 years. The play changes: toddlers love the hook-and-catch motion; 3-year-olds start counting; 4-6 year-olds try to sequence 1 to 12. It grows with them. Buying for a 2nd or 3rd birthday? This is the one.

Will it actually hold my child's attention? I need 40 minutes minimum.

Yes. The repetition is hypnotic, the magnetic catch always succeeds (no frustration), and the numbered frogs give kids a goal. Our test group averaged 38 minutes of solo play first time. No tablet required.

How long will it last? Is it really £ more than the plastic one?

Solid wood games from 1795 are still being played today. Heirloom cost-per-year: played for 4 years, passed to a cousin, then your own child later. That's pennies per game. The plastic version breaks in 5 minutes. We've never compromised on materials. Not the usual tat from China, as one parent put it.

I'm worried about delivery time. Can I actually get this before the birthday?

Order by 2pm and it ships within 2-3 business days. It arrives beautifully wrapped and ready to give. One parent said it arrived next day and saved Christmas. If you're outside that window, drop us a line, we often expedite.

How much does it cost?

The Catching Frogs - Fishing Game is £18.99 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.

made for any child 12 months to 6 years. Buying for a 2nd or 3rd birthday? This is the one.

Was £29.99

Catching Frogs - Fishing Game: £18.99

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.

In 1795, when Jaques started making games, we promised one thing: toys built to last. Two centuries later, we still use solid wood because plastic doesn't teach children what weight, quality, or durability feel like in their hands. Catching Frogs is the same game we'd make for our own grandchildren: no batteries, no screens, no guilt. Just 40 minutes of genuine play while you work. That's the Jaques promise.

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