Melissa & Doug lacing beads for toddlers and preschoolers

This is an honest review of Melissa & Doug’s lacing beads in a box. I have not received the product nor any compensation in exchange for a review. These are just our thoughts on a threading beads activity that we enjoy and recommend to others. However, this post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase using one of these links I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.

We have discovered the toys from Melissa&Doug a while ago when I bought my son a puzzle with animal sounds. Since then we have become happy customers and I periodically buy toys from them.

There are a few things that I love about this company besides the high quality of the toys.

The owners, husband and wife, Melissa and Doug, seem like the kind of people you’d like to have a chat with on the street. They really seem very approachable.

They have a big family (I believe that they have six kids) so, for some time, the toys that they created were tested by their kids. I find it strangely reassuring that behind the toys that I buy there is a real family and not some cold, soulless corporation.

I love their mission to

“ignite imagination and a sense of wonder in all children so they can discover themselves, their passions, and their purpose.”

Indeed, looking at their toys, they offer the chance for open play and for the children to make full use of their imagination. Through their toys, they aim to encourage free play, creativity, imagination, learning and discovery. From my point of view, these are not just empty words, they actually succeed in doing all of this.

Another thing that I thought was pretty cool and added a refreshingly personal touch to their toys is that Melissa and Doug added their phone number on the back of their toys. I have checked the toys that we have and indeed it is there, however, I have not used it to see who picks up the phone, hehe.

And one more thing that I appreciate about this company and these people is that they didn’t come from money. They started their business from Doug’s parents’ garage and borrowed their station wagon to fulfil their orders. I like to believe that their humble beginnings made them appreciate every customer that they have today.

Melissa&Doug make wonderful toys and today I wanted to tell you about a great one that we bought a while ago and my son (who is now 4) still plays with it often.

At that time I was looking to refine his fine motor skills so I thought that a threading beads activity type would be beneficial.

So, after considering a few options, I purchased Melissa and Doug Lacing Beads in a Box. Here is why we love this toy so much.

Why we love these wooden lacing beads

They are made of wood– I love wooden toys because they are often more durable than plastic which in turn means that they are cheaper, they are better for the environment, plus wooden toys feel better to the touch than other materials.

Take a look at the Best Wooden Puzzles for Toddlers

The wood is very well finished– I’m sure I’m not the only one who has bought wooden toys only to discover that they weren’t finished very well and were rough to the touch and even worse, had splinters. It is not the case with the Melissa&Doug Lacing Beads. They are very smooth so there is no chance of splinters.

They are durable– We’ve had the lacing beads for two years now and they are still in perfect condition. My son plays with them periodically so these toys have been used quite intensively. Since they are almost like new (the cat got hold of one of the laces), the beads will be “inherited” by my daughter when she’s old enough to play with them.

They are visually beautiful– The beads are vibrantly colourful and beautiful to look at.

So many ways to play with them– They were designed as a threading beads activity but, staying true to the Melissa&Doug aim to promote creativity and free play with their toys, the beads can be used as building blocks, pattern, sorting and sequencing play, to learn numbers, colours, shapes and more. The limit is each child’s imagination.

It comes in a nice wooden crate– which makes storing them much easier and decreases the possibility of misplacing the beads.

There is a decent number of beads– There are 27 wooden beads and two long laces which, in my opinion, is plenty.

Would I improve anything?

The answer is…I really can’t think of anything that would make this toy better.

The only negative thing that I can say about the lacing beads for toddlers is that the wooden box was broken when I opened the pack. However, it was easily solved with some glue. So, I guess, what I’m saying is that the box could be a little bit more sturdy.

Final Thoughts

The Lacing Beads for toddlers (and preschoolers) from Melissa&Doug are an excellent toy for refining those all-important fine motor skills, learning numbers, colours, shapes, building things, playing pattern and sorting games.

This is one of those toy purchases that I congratulate myself for making as it is durable, high-quality, reasonably priced and my kid loves it.

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Love it as well? You can view and purchase these awesome wooden beads by following this link!

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We’ve had this toy for two years now and not only it is still in good shape, my son still enjoys playing with it.

So, if you are looking for a present for your toddler or preschooler or simply a toy that will keep them happily busy while also learning important things, Melissa and Doug Lacing Beads in a Box is the toy that will tick all the boxes.

What do you think of this toy? Is it something that your child would enjoy? What other similar toys does your child love? Let me know in the comments section below.