Customer Reviews

Guidecraft Screw Block Manipulative

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

When my 20-month-old son started unscrewing the handles on the dresser drawers, I knew he needed a screw toy. This toy fit the bill perfectly. It engages him for 10-15 minutes at a time and is compact enough to stash in the diaper bag. The little screw driver is in storage for a few more months, but the screw heads are blocky enough to be easily turned by hand. He enjoys the exercise of color matching the screw and the hole. One of the holes had a flaw in its boring and was too tight for my son to turn. I screwed the screw in and out a few times, added a drop of mineral oil and it now works fine. This is the first toy I've bought by this manufacturer, but given the generally high quality of construction, it will not be the last.

My son has had this toys since he was 22 months and he loves it. Not to mention, I have 10 year olds and adults who love playing with it too. It is great to have when you are waiting for food, MD appointment, etc. Works on fine motor skills, and keeps the little ones busy. My only gripes would be that some of the screws were a little difficult to use at first and that it is a little on the large size but I think if it was smaller it might be too difficult for little hands. While other 2 year olds are throwing temper tantrums, mine is quietly playing with this toy.

I don't know any child who doesnt enjoy twisting, turning, & taking apart things. This has been a hit for months at our house, its periodically forgotten for a day or two and rediscovered with great delight. The construction is very well made, everything is smooth and the parts are well painted. The screwdriver may be a little difficult for little hands to get out initially, but everything else, provided they're turning the screws the right way, is easy :).

the size of this toy is just right for a toddler and fits easily into a tote bag for travel- my 2 year old boys like the screws but don't use the screwdriver yet-maybe when they get older

I got it for my 2 years old boy and hope he would like it as other reviewers' kids,
but he doesn't like it and my 4 years old girl tried it too.
and both kids don't bother to use the screw to unscrew the bolts,
they just use hands; my 2 year old fingers are too
small for those bolts , so he just played it once and not play any more.

My son isn't quite ready for the screw block yet; he became frustrated so we shall save it for later. My review is based upon my inspection and testing. I love the concept and this type of product. I was disappointed that the screw heads are not necessarily on straight. On the set we received, there are two that are disturbingly crooked and two that are slightly crooked. Slightly off I can understand. The ones that are drastically crooked, enough so that I'm thrown off a little as I align the screw for insertion into the block, I dislike.

I Wanted to love this toy however the screws are anything but over sized. They would easily fit into my boy's mouth and that would be the first place they would go. I considered holding on to the the toy for a split second but then realized it would pose just as much of a choking hazard at 3-4 years as it does now. (Yes of course, even with proper supervision.)
I purchased this item on my Droid after reading the description stating both the manufacturer's and Amazon's recommended age as 24 months. (Now I see at the bottom of the screen it says not for children under three. The latter of which did not appear on my phone.) I also read that other reviewers have given this toy to children as young as 15 months (yikes!) so I thought surely the parts must be large enough not to pose a risk. Not so. Technically, the screws do pass the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Test Tube test (barely). However as an early childhood educator I have always been told to err on the side of caution and that if an object fits inside a toilet paper tube it is a fail- in which case the screws in this toy clearly fail. I Wouldn't recommend even with proper supervision b/c it would be a "no" toy. I am returning it in favor of Plan Toy's Nuts and Bolts...

My 18 month old learnt how to unscrew using this device and it was such a wonderful skill to watch him develop.

It isn't a toy he plays with for hours but each day he disassembles it and I re-assemble it perhaps 3 or 4 times.

The screwdriver that it comes with is beyond him and I find it a little clumsy myself. My son uses his fingers and I don't blame him. I would too.

He can't screw things in yet and, as I just mentioned, he doesn't use the screw driver. So there is still room to grow with this toy. Still, it has it's limits as it is basically just a tool to teach dexterity in one manual task. My husband and I value this type of dexterity so we love the block. Perhaps some families might not think it worth the money though.


****UPDATE****
My son is now 20 months and still loves this. It gets unscrewed a min of 5 times a day. Limited only by how fast us adults re-screw the pins in again.

This is a well-made, unique toy. It's a little advanced for my 16-month old, but I'm confident that in a few months he'll be more into it. It's a great concept.

I bought this for my son's second birthday. He's played with it once or twice. Mostly, he just twists the screws, but he gets frusterated with it quickly and drops it. He may grow into it a bit and use it more, but for now it mostly just hangs out on the toy shelf.