One of my favorite things about packing when we sold our house, was being able to go through everything and get rid of the things we no longer used. One of the rooms that took us the longest was the kids' playroom. Over the years they have accumulated a lot of toys..some of which they play with daily, and others that sit on the shelves and barely get touched. As I went through everything I realized that it wasn't the educational talking toys that seem to draw their attention, but most often it's the simple, classic toys like blocks that are open-ended and fun. These are the toys I keep an eye out for, which is why I was happy when introduced to Smarcks Smart Blocks!
As he sat in his family room watching his children play, the inventor of Smarcks realized that it wasn't the talking educational toys that interested were played with most, but things like building blocks that promoted open-ended play. The question of “What if you could combine the educational aspects of all these electronic toys with the creative benefits of building blocks that capture a child’s attention for hours on end?” then came to mind and the idea for Smarcks was born.
Smarcks and 19 different Smart Blocks are now available...teaching children everything from adding, subtracting and counting to spelling, identifying colors and shapes, sing the ABCs, playing music and even manners. These Kids Blocks are produced with the best materials to the highest quality standards which is something every parent will appreciate. With the belief that Smarcks are one of the best educational toys for young children, they even offer a 90 Day Money Back Guarantee.
When I first learned of Smarcks, I was intrigued by the idea of taking a great open-ended toy like blocks and making them even more educational and fun. That's why I couldn't have been happier to learn we were going to have the opportunity to review them.
We were sent the 70 Piece Building Set along with additional talking building blocks to review. When the product arrived, I was immediately impressed by the container Smarcks come in. When it comes to toys with a lot of pieces...one of the things I appreciate most is having a great place to keep them so they don't get lost and can easily be taken out any time the kids want to play. The Smarcks container is perfect for this!
Of course, I couldn't wait to check out the actual product. Upon opening the container and checking out the Smart Blocks, I realized that although they may look similar to traditional building blocks...they are far from it. They are actually Talking Building Blocks...a whole new concept that my kids and I were very excited to experience. I was really happy to see that the batteries were included too...as we were able to get started playing and learning right away!
As the kids began stacking and creating, they were tickled to find that there were blocks that actually talked! Simpley assemble on any block and they begin teaching through play! Unlike some of the educational toys we've had in the past, this one is made for children as young as one. That means my almost 2 year old and almost 4 year old can easily play with and enjoy these together...all while learning important concepts and skills like good manners, singing, math skills, colors and so much more!
A big hit with both of the kids were the Red, Green & Yellow and the Pink, Purple & Orange sets...recommended for ages 1+. When any of these blocks are connected with another block, they begin teaching colors and manners with rhymes and sound effects. For instance, "I'm a Smarck that's green, and I am never mean". It's not only a catchy little rhyme, but also a great lesson for kids to hear on being nice to others as well as learning their colors! Once the kids heard one, they went through each of the colors and enjoyed them immensely!
For ages 2+, there's the Nursery Rhyme Blocks which were just as much fun. Both Kaelyn and Kaden enjoyed building their towers and singing nursery rhymes at the same time. These blocks help children learn 7 different nursery rhymes, including Old MacDonald with real animal sounds, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, and many more! They can be used to simply enjoy the rhymes, or be a bit more challenging for older kids to solve a puzzle of how to stack the blocks to play four of the nursery rhymes one line at a time. For help, there's Puzzle Builder Guide on the Smarcks website.
Next, there's the Counting, Shape & ABC Blocks for ages 3+ which are probably my favorite because they are the most educationally packed Smart Block set. Simply stack them and start learning to spell 26 different words (ex. "M is for Mommy, M-O-M-M-Y, Mommy"), identify 8 shapes (ex. "That's a two block, can you find the star?"), Count forward and backwards, etc. It's pretty amazing to watch as Kaelyn uses these blocks in particular, as she really gets into answering the questions and learning more about numbers and shapes. What a great way to teach important concepts in a fun way that kids will enjoy! Kaelyn has so much fun she doesn't even realizing she's learning!!
There are also Music Blocks for ages 4+. These are another set that the kids grab many times while they're building and creating with Smarcks. Whether it's a younger child who simply loves music like my son Kaden, or an older child who likes a bit more of a challenge and can solve the puzzle of how to stack the blocks to play the song verse by verse, it's truly fun for everyone! Kaden enjoys holding the block right up to his ear and dancing along with the catchy music!
Kaelyn really gets a kick out of the fun music and multicolored dancing lights. What a fun way to incorporate music into learning and play.
Last but certainly not least, is the Math Blocks set for ages 5+. There are a lot of kids who find math intimidating and scary...which is why I love that Smarcks aims to teach them that Math is Fun...a mindset that will stick with them for years to come! These blocks help children learn the concepts of addition and subtraction in an easy and fun way. I can see Kaelyn enjoying these even more as she gets a bit older. It will be fun to see her get excited about learning important math skills.
We have had the opportunity to play with our Smarcks Smart Blocks many times over the last month...in fact, it's one of those things my kids pull out daily. Kaelyn and Kaden play for hours on end, and I enjoy every second of watching them create and learn. Smarcks has brought together a traditional toy like blocks and created into something amazing, educational, and so much fun! With so many ways to use these blocks, I can see this being something that my kids enjoy for years to come. Simply build, listen, learn and have fun!
Buy It: You can purchase the Smarcks 70-Piece Building Set for $29.95 at Amazon.com, as well as the additional sets for $19.95 each at TalkingBuildingBlocks.com.Special Amazon Giveaway Promotion: Smarcks has offered all of my readers a very special promotion. For anyone who orders the Smarcks 70 Piece Building Set from Amazon.com (ARV $29.95), they will receive a set of Smart Blocks for free. All you have to do is place the order on Amazon and send Scott (scott@talkingbuildingblocks.com) an email letting him know you did and saying which Smart Block set you would like. That is equivalent to a 40% discount! Whether it's for a birthday, Christmas or just because...I would definitely recommend checking them out!
**The products for this review was provided for free. All opinions are my own and were not influenced in any way**
Wow these are pretty cool!! My 2yr old daughter is really into blocks right now! She would love these!