Geometric Stacker product reviews

Made by Melissa and Doug, I knew that this had to be a stacker well worth getting, as I am a huge fan of there products, so when it came to ordering some new toys for my previous daycare this was up the top of my to buy list. I loved how it was so bright and colorful, and that it was made from wooden (sometimes there is such a thing as to much plastic in my opinion). However what stood out for me the most in regards to this product was the fact that it has 3 individual stackers in one, this was intriguing as you will usually find that most stackers only consist of a single stacker.

The stacker comes with 25 wooden pieces to stack on to the 3 wooden stacking rods, with a total of 7 different colours used for each of the 3 different shaped pieces. The pieces go from large to small and are intended to be stacked on in this order and then at the end a red solid shape is placed on the top of them.

However there are so many ways I have found from watching children with this, and also from my own findings that this product can be used for such as matching objects in regards to colours and shape, grouping, and ordering from small to large, they also provide opportunities for children to learn to count and also to learn there colours.

Although we had purchased this for my baby room I have to say that personally I think it would be more suited for older children from about 2 and a half due to the large amount of pieces it contains, it can be a bit overwhelming for younger children to work out as there is just so much happening with it, especially with the square blocks which need to be turned and rotated in order to stack flatly into place.

Overall this was a fantastic stacker which the children really loved, only downfall I found which many people wouldn't probably have if using this at home with there own children is that after lots of washing the shapes loose the colours which I felt was a shame.

This is a wonderful stacker! It has bright colors, good size, and a little twist to one of the the shapes that can add more of a challenge as children gets older....the square blocks are in two pieces that need to be matched up in a certain interlocking way so they fit flat together so they can be stacked....perfect challenge to promote logical thinking.

Using wooden toys at my work centre is preferred as wooden toys are more durable and suitable for younger children. This stacker is a very good educational toy to teach colours, shapes, and hand and eye coordination. Also, toys that have built in storage for their pieces are a super bonus! As the children complete the puzzle it is already packed away and ready to be put back on the shelf.

Personally I love Melissa and Doug products because they are durable and have stood the test of time at my centre and it is still going strong...some of the paint has scratched off but this is through constant and somewhat being mistreated by young children, so in my opinion this stacker puzzle has been a good buy.

The children will also just use the blocks without the stand...they enjoy stacking the blocks on top of each other and making a tall tower. This is great to see because the you can see the children trying to figure out which blocks should go at the bottom so the stack of blocks don't tumble over...they will play with this puzzle for extended periods of time...so a winner in my book.

I would recommend this stacker toy to any parent who has a children that enjoys puzzles, or enjoys playing with blocks. It will keep them happy and occupied for hours!

As a kid I always loved playing "the towers of Hanoi" which was that old stacking-rings puzzle. Moving one ring at a time, and stacking only smaller rings on top of bigger rings, how many moves does it take to move the whole stack form one peg to another? That was always a total time-passer for me. Now its great to be able to use this toy to teach my older nephew that same logical puzzle, and also play simpler games with his little brother. Watching the two of them playing together is just great and this puzzle appeals to them both. The older boy loves the puzzle aspect while the little one just loves the colours and the flight dynamics of the rings. The whole family is impressed with the potential of this puzzle toy. it looks so simple at first glance, but the more we talked and watched, the more possibilities we could see. Counting, sorting, shape matching, all sorts of things. One suggestion my brother came up with that I thought was a winner would have been to have the square pieces with different matching faces. So instead of them all being square-steps, have one where the two halves join at an angle, another where there are curved surfaces, etc. This would have really impressed us. Its impressed my brother so much hes going to make one! For myself, it was worth it just to see the two boys playing together like good happy brothers and to know that their minds are going to be challenged for years to come thanks to the solid sturdy nature of this quality toy. At worst we may have to replace a bit of dowel at some stage.

I like the fact it has 3 stacks on the one toy. You can mix up the pieces and re-sort them, lots of options with some imagination.
It provides several levels of skill with the square stack being the hardest.This will keep the child interested in the toy and they can grow into it.
Good tool to discuss with your child topics like colours, counting, sorting.
It is a good size, my 17 month old daughter carries it around easily.
She can fit the pieces onto the uprights easily and enjoys the satisfaction of completing it even if the pieces are in a random order.
Love the simplicity. I like the colours but would love to see a natural wood or stained version. It would reflect the eco friendly, traditional values that wooden products seem to portray.
I think the price is right as it is something I would keep and pass on.