Engaging Creativity Through Toys & Play with Layal Jade Tinubu

Layal Jade Tinubu is the ’founder of Tots Toys Limited which was established in 2018. Tots Toys is an educational learning space and toyshop for children. The highly fashionable lady , is  also a co-founder of a Foundation. One thing she is well known for asides her impeccable dress sense and love for home -grown fashion brands,  is  her passion for her  foundation and  essence of play in children’s education by creating a space where some of the best educational resources for kids are made accessible to parents and carers.

Born in London, England but spent her childhood between Lagos, New Jersey and London. She is a graduate of  Politics and African Studies from SOAS University of London. She has also received an MSc in Entrepreneurship and Business Management from the University of Surrey in 2012 and 2013 respectively. After that, she worked as a Senior Consultant at PwC.

With such robust exposure and being a mum, Layal  did a lot of research prior to the birth of her kids and spoke to those who had gone ahead of her in raising amazing children. According to her …..” I learned so much about the importance of impactful formative years of a child and how It has a long-lasting effect on who we become as adults….

Shortly before she had her first child , she embarked on this constructive and educational path because she wanted her daughter to have an impactful childhood and to ensure that she is adequately positioned for the future.

Asides becoming a mother , she drew inspiration for  Tots Toys from her passion of learning the process of children and their development. “……I learned very early about the pivotal role that play has in shaping children and the impact it can have on their future.

Effective and wholesome play for children has the potential to teach children that which can’t be taught in schools. After conducting extensive research and speaking to various mothers and dads, I also noticed a huge gap in the educational/creative play resource sector in Nigeria when it comes to accessibility and affordability. When I became a mother, I found it challenging to get the toys, educational books and general learning resources, I found myself constantly searching for resources in the UK or US. I didn’t want parents like myself to go through that struggle and deny their children the right access to the effective learning toys, books and resources that stimulates creativity, problem-solving and much more for their kids. I believe the culture around children playing in Africa needs to be redefined. And Tots Toys was born!

Tots Toys recognizes the need to stock toys that stimulate, encourage interaction, encourage artistic expression and generally allow children to connect with the world around them. The range of educational toys and books are all specifically sourced to aid in children’s development and learning through play. As Layal puts it ….” We promote fun where children learn through a range of aspects – getting messy with arts & crafts, using their imagination with creative play and realizing the value of play through toys, games and, puzzles” ….

These educational toys are specifically sourced to help children develop fundamental skills such as cognitive thinking and problem solving, fine motor skills and nurturing creativity. They also try to encourage a new generation of book readers – from  classic stories, books for assisted learning and activity books.( Interesting , won’t you say ? )

Also , back in 2018, she  co-founded a Foundation known as Noella Foundation. As Layal put it …..“basically, it is a non-profit private organization with the aim to contribute to the economic sector of Nigeria by fostering entrepreneurship, building rapid innovations and advancing economic growth and development”….. In a nutshell, Noella Foundation helps the youth to identify and use their passion to create solutions that drive economic growth. Although with parenting, you can’t control every variable and guarantee how children will turn out as an adult, it is our duty to put our best foot forward and give our children a childhood that could help jumpstart their lives for better.

in conclusion , Layal is being applauded for her consistent strides in the formative sect of education . As in recent years, researchers have learned that the human brain develops most of its neurons, and is at its most receptive to learning, between birth and three years of age.