Melissa & Doug Deluxe Wooden Magnetic Pattern Blocks Set - Educational Toy With 120 Magnets and Carrying Case, Multi-color, 1 EA

Saw our 2.75 year old granddaughter playing with this on our last visit. She enjoys this immensely and assigns cards to grandma and grandpa to complete as well! Just purchased one for her cousin, our grandson for his 3rd birthday.FYI - there are not enough shaped pieces to complete more than one card at time. We made do by substituting available pieces. Although the pieces didn’t always match the picture this way, it did allow for more creative thinking and learning to make do. Granddaughter began to share and trade pieces with us, also a good skill! Sadly, additional shaped pieces are not available for purchase.

Wow what a nicely constructed toy. My 3 year old grandson is thoroughly enjoying using the colorful pieces to make his own picture or follow the prescribed patterns .

I recently got this toy secondhand for my toddler and he loved it, like I was surprised by how much he loved it. He spent way more time using it than most other toys and puzzles. I think it was just challenging enough to keep his interest but not too much to frustrate him. So I bought it new for my niece of the same age because it’s the perfect unique gift for a kid!

Pattern blocks are great school readiness toys for teaching spacial logic, shapes, coordination, concentration, etc. These are a nice set over-all. I wanted magnetic pieces for my boys since magnets help them keep track of the pieces. We sort them out on cookie sheets prior to working the patterns so they can see and find the pieces easily. It also keeps them from getting spread all over the table or floor. I was also looking for magnets since this will help hold the pieces in place a little more while the children work since small children tend to wiggle around and accidentally disturb their projects at this age.My boys are 3 and 4 years old. There are patterns in this set that are just right for my easily distracted 3 year old, some that are a challenge to my much more focused 4 year old, and a couple that both of them will either grow into later or need assistance with now. The pieces fit nicely onto the patterns. All of the designs are very eye catching and engaging. I did notice a few things that I would change about the quality of this set if I could.The board is made of a soft wood. I'm not sure what kind of wood it is, just that it has too much give for my comfort. The magnets are made of something similar to plywood. This is not good since they chip and peel. We have had the set for about 1 1/2 months and I have already had to repair some pieces with wood glue. This is in spite of the fact that my children are monitored as they use this product and have not been overly rough with it. The color on top is not paint. It is a sticker, which can peel off. I prefer paint. The pattern sheets that come with it are moderately heavy and glossy, so fairly durable; it would be nice if they were a little tougher to withstand pre-school and toddler clumsiness since this is a school readiness toy after all.I wish that the strength of the magnets themselves was a tiny bit stronger so that they wouldn't slip around so easily on the board. I suppose it is good that they aren't extra strong since the size of the magnets would otherwise make them a health hazard if swallowed. However, my little guys get frustrated with the toy when the whole pattern shifts wrong with a little hasty touch. This will eventually teach coordination and concentration, I suppose. But for the age level it targets, it would help if the magnetic strength were a little more merciful on their chubby, clumsy hands.My biggest beef is the case the toy came in. I am very disappointed with the case. It is not sewn together, just heat sealed/pressed. It started falling apart within minutes of use even though I was the one carefully removing and replacing the objects and not the children. I usually love the quality of Melissa and Doug products. I really expected better. I may be able to repair the case and strengthen it for the children, but I'm not sure.

We originally just got one set, but then with both my older boys got interested we had to get a second set as their pictures got more and more elaborate. I know they sell these without magnets but we really prefer these. It makes matching the pictures on the magnetized board easier and we can use them on other surfaces easier. We have a baby so we didn't want them to be able to get into this, and our toy cabinet is metal so we just have the boys make their creations vertically and out of reach of the baby, that way they can leave out their pictures for display or to work on later and we don't have to worry. This comes with fun patters but once they've been done few times my kids transitions pretty easily into just making their own pictures and patters.

Well loved

I looked at a lot of different options for this style of toy. This one is pretty unbeatable. It is well made, comes in a self-contained case to keep all the parts together, and I love the magnetic board and shape cards. My 3 year old really enjoys it, and it will grow with her. Great toy for a great price. Highly recommend.

I've looked at a lot of these, and this one stands out partly because of the build quality (typical Melissa & Doug quality), but mostly because it has full-color, actual-size cards. This is a huge win for younger toddlers just beginning to learn this type of puzzle. The move from board puzzles to this one is much smaller, than, say, one that has small cards. The concept of looking at a small card, then trying to recreate the image on a bigger board is much more complicated than just putting the magnetic pieces right in the spot on the card where they go.