Customer Reviews

Melissa & Doug Gleeful Garden Wooden Bead Set

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

 

 

I bought this set for my 3.5 year old for Christmas. She has been doing beadwork in her preschool class, working with beads that are much tinier than the ones in this set, so her fine motor skills are pretty decent. She enjoys playing with the set, but it's not what I thought it would be. On the back of the box, there are instructions for making jewelry--how long to cut the string, etc. When we opened the set we were planning to make a bracelet for my daughter and maybe some for her friends. First, we found that the string provided is very slippery and does not knot easily or stay knotted very well. Also, after we cut a piece the appropriate length, we had cut off the stiff end of the lacing thread and the rest of the thread begin fraying, making it difficult to string the bead on the thread provided. Ultimately I decided that the jewelry making wasn't going to work with the materials given and it was better to use this kit as a "practice set." In the end, my daughter did enjoy making a long string of beads and then taking them off and putting them back in the box. She wasn't terribly concerned with the fact that we weren't making wearable jewelry. I might buy some other thread so that she can use the beads to make some jewelry one day, though, as I think the novelty of stringing beads on the same long string over and over again might wear off after a while.

I got this for my daughters 4th birthday. I was very happy to see that the beads are much more colorful than pictured. The 'string' has very stiff ends so my daughter does not become frustrated when trying to put the beads on. The beads were a little smaller than I thought they would be, but ok size for a 4 year old. Overall,we are very pleased with this toy.

Fast shipping and lots of fun that stimulates the creative side of children. It helps with pattern recognition as well.

Let's start off with the only down side I have: price. It seems to me that Melissa & Doug (and maybe Amazon) are marking this price up unreasonably high. BUT... after forking over the money, both my kids (2 and 4 year old boys) absolutely love this set! Bracelets, necklaces for mommy, designs for grandpa, very inspirational and I can truly see the kids' fine motor skills being put to the test and improving! Definitely recommended!

I bought this as a b-day present for my daughter's preschool friend. Everyone loved it so we decided that Santa should bring one for my 4 year old girl. She loves it and can play with it for a long time. I am glad that box has top so all parts stay inside. Great gift for 4 year old girls.

I bought 3 of these for my nieces at Christmas last year. After all the gifts were unwrapped, these were the first ones opened and played with. They enjoyed making all the different necklaces and bracelets and even were nice enough to share with each other and trade (which usually DOESN'T happen!). Beware if there are little ones running around b/c the peices are very small and swallowable. Great for ages 3+.