I purchesed this toy from an educational store looking for something to travel with and something without batteries. We bought it 2 months ago when my son was 14 months old and he liked it right away. It only took him several hours to figure out how to stack them. He plays with them every day and his color preferences are showing up while he plays with the pegs (he picks out all the orange ones first). He works both hands on his own when trying to stack the pegs. I think it has helped him in learning how to hold crayons. The only dislikes I have with this toy is the foam mat and the thin plastic wall in the center of the pegs. My son is still at that age were he bites everything and sometimes I think that if he worked at it enough he could chew a corner of the mat. We had one of the center hole walls break the other day and found the piece on the floor. So I would inspect them every so often. Also, try to teach your kids to hold the pegs down low as to not poke themselves in the eye when trying to stack the pegs with out the mat. It happened to our son--nothing severe just alot of crying. Overall it's a great toy and worth the money. I would definately purchase it as a gift for other children as well. Our son gets very excited when I ask him if he wants to play with his pegs. :)

My 21-month-old loves stacking things and sticking things into other things. So this toy was perfect for him, except that the base should be made of something a little more sturdy. It's rather flimsy rubberized material. He can't play with it in his crib or on my bed. He has to place it on a table or something else with a hard surface. Other than that, he seems to really like it.

I bought this because my son used to play this in OT sessions. He loved it and it really helps him to concentrate, use both hands (motor skills).

I will recommend this to everyone (1+year kids)

My daughter is 6 months old and has Down Syndrome. Her physical therapist introduced us to this toy and it has done wonders for her fine motor skills. She loves the colors and the texture of the mat. Look beyond the original inention of this toy and see its many possibilities. Just a little side note: Our therapist has had the same one for a year now and uses it with 5 or 6 kids a day. So far, it has held up wonderfully. Don't let the foam mat fool you...

This is a great educational and fun toy. I bought it when my daughter was 14 months, because at the time she was really into pegs and putting things of the sort into holes, and of course she loves to stack. I thought this would be the perfect toy to keep her busy and her mind expanding while playing and learning. She absolutely loves to stack the pegs and fit them into the holes, even though that part was a little tricky for her at first. She is now 15 months old and pretty much has it down. Soon we will be stacking and sorting the pegs by color. My only gripe on this toy is that the foam bottom is flimsy. It would have made a much nicer item for the money if it were all wood - but of course the pegs are plastic and the bottom is made of foam. One positive note however about the bottom being foam, is that this is a great travel toy! Throw the pegs into a plastic baggy and the foam bottom is thin enough to travel in a tote. It may not look like much, but someone took the time to design a toy/game for busy little minds, and knows what kids love! I wish there were more items of this sort; building, creating, etc. for young children - great job!