Melissa & Doug Deluxe 50-piece Wooden ABC/123 Blocks Set

It doesn't bother me that the block letters don't match the subsequent pictures displayed on each cube; I like the freestyle approach. I also don't plan for him to play with these for the rest of his life; I figure by the time he's really learning his letters and sounds he'll have moved on to more challenging toys. So my current expectation for these little blocks is being met.

He loves to stack them (and knock them back down again), clang them together, skip them across the hardwood floors, suck on them (haven't noticed any problem with the wood or paint either), and fill pots and pans with them. He loves to put them in the clear case as well, and to dump them back out again.

Overall, for the ten bucks this is a great basic toy that my son has gotten a lot of mileage from already. I have noticed a big improvement in his gross and fine motor skills already, as he's already stacking them six high and sometimes able to pick up two at a time.

I'd recommend this toy to anyone with a child a year or so and older. I think the 2 year minimum age is a bit old, actually, and have encountered no safety problems whatsoever in giving them to my 1 year old.


Just like you used to have!   May 29, 2003
Page Turner (California)
34 out of 38 found this review helpful

These blocks are classic and very sturdy. Of the 50 in the set, 38 are letter blocks. There is a different letter on both sides: the "A" block has "N" on the bottom, etc. Of the 38 there are
5 A/N blocks
4 B/O blocks
2 C/P blocks
2 D/Q blocks
5 E/R blocks
3 F/S blocks
3 G/T blocks
2 H/U blocks
4 I/V blocks
2 J/W blocks
2 K/X blocks
2 L/Y blocks
and 2 M/Z blocks.

The other 12 are blocks bearing numbers and the +, -, and = symbols. Happy spelling/building!


GREAT   September 23, 2004
Wendy A. Painter (Rome, GA USA)
7 out of 7 found this review helpful

I purchased these blocks for my first son for his 1st Christmas. I now have two boys ages 4 and 2. They both play with these all the time. They have held up great and are not hard to balance when trying to build things. They are great for motor skills and other learning as well.


These are the good kind   April 3, 2005
Dan
5 out of 5 found this review helpful

All alphabet blocks are good, but these are much better than the Imaginarium brand ones. The MYKIDS brand blocks are good too, but the color contrast is better on these. The most crucial characteristic is that a block has different letters on opposite sides, so you have at least two of each letter. There are a lot of words you can't spell when you only have one of most letters, and even if you have enough sets of blocks to compensate, it's still unnecessarily many blocks to look through. And if you aren't spelling words yet, there's still the same-versus-different play, which is sabotaged when you don't have any same. Then there's the spatial-skills aspect: if you turn the H block one way you get the 8, another way you get the U, and so on. These have it right on all criteria.


Looked everywhere for these blocks   August 29, 2005
Tanya Cox (Texas)
4 out of 4 found this review helpful

I searched everywhere for some wooden blocks for my son. I was unable to find them until I looked here. The blocks are great!! My 2 year old loves them and so does my 8 month old. After ordering these blocks I found the exact same set at a store but they were $5 more!! What a buy!!!