Customer Reviews

Melissa & Doug Deluxe Wooden Magnetic Pattern Blocks Set

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I love Melissa & Doug toys because they are educational, innovative and lead-free. However, though this toy is great because of the educational aspect and the magnetics, my son and I were disappointed that the shapes don't align and fit together properly because they have rounded tips. This makes it hard to make the patterns it comes with. If your child would be frustrated because they want it to fit perfectly, then you might consider their other pattern block sets in the wooden box. They have a Beginner one and another one which has more pieces. These have straight lines because they are not magnetic. Here are the links to these two products.

Melissa and Doug Pattern Blocks and Boards

Melissa and Doug Beginner Pattern Blocks

This is such a great idea, but it is impossible to sucessfully fill in several of the patterns because the pattern blocks are rounded and not the same shape as the picture you are supposed to match. It is only a matter of millimeters but in the geometric patterns, that makes a big difference. This has been very frustrating for my 2 and 4 year old children because they see what should fit and it will not fit. We love Melissa and Doug toys but this is one that needs some changes.

This is an excellent tool for building an understanding of color, shapes, and patterns. There is so much room for learning by using this toy! And best of all, it's fun! And, for us moms out there, keeping up with it is a breeze. It comes with it's own vinyl storage case, and who can beat magnetic pieces that stick to the board to ease your child's frustrations if the pieces don't "stay" where they are put. The pictures included are really cute - I especially enjoy the duck pattern - and my daughter loves putting them together. All-in-all a really wonderful (and cheap!) investment for hours and hours of fun, stimulating activity! Kudos yet again, Melissa & Doug, for a really great product.

I just got this for my kids, age 4 and 2, and they love it. It is very helpful that they are magnets, they don't move around as much so the kids don't get as frustrated. The carrying case is great to keep everything together. We are also starting to homeschool our 4 year old and this is a great math activity as well.

This product is not worth much time (or money) so here's a list of the problems:
1. Poor quality pressed wood magnets smell of formaldehyde.
2. Magnets are topped with colored paper on the pressed wood, which easily chips/scratches off to being white. (straight out of the box with damage to paper layer)
3. Pieces are VERY tiny comparatively to other wooden block brands such as Learning Resources brand - almost all of these pieces in this set are choking hazards.
4. PVC storage bag - I'm not into exposing my child to toxic phthalates through their skin from touching this bag or inhaling the offgassing from this product (endocrine disruptors).
5. Magnet backing can easily peel off and is not cut to shapes well, lots of little black pieces all over the place out of the box.
6. Magnets do not stick as well to board once pattern sheet is placed for use with magnets on board.
7. All pattern sheets are "product art" with animal images, nothing for imagination such as geometric designs, and I do mean absolutely nothing.
8. As mentioned by other reviewers, these blocks are different sized than their counterparts printed on the sheet - this makes for incredible frustration for a preschooler who is desperately trying to make their fish or giraffe match the sheet (constant failure feeling).

Personally, we're going to buy another Learning Resources parquetry set from Amazon instead, it was a zillion times higher quality for learning and design - and definitely worth the few dollars extra for the many more years of use! This M&D set would not last purposefully for more than a week in our home with light use.

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.

After only a few uses, the paint is chipping off the edges of the pieces. Also, the pieces get stuck in the frame, under the lip. Like, really stuck. I'm all for the kid figuring out how to fix problems on her own, but this one is just annoying. I had to use a screwdriver to get one out. Seems like the issue could have been avoided with a slightly different design.

As soon as I saw this product, I wanted to get it. The idea was wonderful...my child gets into a panic when pieces don't line up perfectly.

I love the patterns that came with it, but strangely, some of the pieces fit in an awkward fashion on there...they don't want to line up.

Also, the numerous tiny pieces make it difficult to keep them "corralled". I just used a baggie, but my intention was to take this along on car rides. I have a feeling these pieces will disappear quickly if we do that.

Overall, this is a great product, but it is definitely more for seat work. It is not as portable as I thought it would be.

Pattern blocks are wonderful manipulatives for preschool- and kindergarden-aged children. They help to develop fine motor skills and mathematical thinking. This set is wonderful in that the magnetic backing on the blocks helps them to stay put, so a child's creations are not so easily skewed by a random bump. The tray which holds the pattern templates seems sturdy and easy to use. Both my two-year-old and five-year-old have a great time playing with this set.

My one complaint about this particular set is the packaging. The plastic carrying case out-gasses horribly for the first several days, and as it airs out, it really stinks! I would highly recommend putting it outside or in the garage while it out-gasses. I'm not sure what kind of plastic this is, but I wish that Melissa and Doug selected a more earth- and child-friendly alternative to use as a travel case. This one issue is enough for me to give this product just 4 stars. Otherwise, I'd give it 5 stars for being a great, open-ended and educational toy.

My son is almost 4. He got this for Christmas along with LOTS of other gifts. It is a nice winding down toy for him when his younger siblings are napping and mom is working. He enjoys this toy.