Farm Lacing Beads

Cheap Farm Lacing Beads Review

As with most Melissa & Doug toys, this toy is solidly constructed. The beads are just the right size for little hands with nicely decorated farm characters. The laces are thick and long. Each lace can hold all the beads without a problem. And, I like that the box it comes in can be used for storage. It's not the best storage box in that the lid can just be slid out easily, but it's still a strong box with a clear cover to see the toy's contents.
My children's speech therapist has this toy. And, my 2-year old boys enjoy every time she brings it out to play with. She uses it to stimulate speech and word comprehension (i.e., naming the characters, singing farm songs, using action words). And, it encourages manipulation by little fingers.
I think younger kids will enjoy the farm lacing beads with adult support.

MELISSA & DOUG WOODEN LACING BEADS

Cheap MELISSA & DOUG WOODEN LACING BEADS Review

Stringing beads is fun even for boys! Don't let a gender stereotype keep your son/nephew from having fun with these beads. I'm a fan of Melissa & Doug products & this one is just as good as the others we have.
These differently shaped, brightly painted beads come in a shallow crate with two long strings for making necklaces, snakes, or just watching the beads slid off the other end. I do wish they came in an enclosed storage box, but I can easily find something for that.
My 2 1/2 yr old son will sit, actually sit!, and string these over & over. He enjoys making necklaces for us & himself or just stacking the beads & exclaiming over the colors & shapes. Because there IS string involved supervision is a must.
This set isn't just for fun though, you can use it to help teach colors & shapes & the child's dexterity improves each time they play with them. Within a couple of weeks my son's manual dexterity improved greatly, along with concentration & his ability to sit still longer than two minutes! Also, he doesn't get as frustrated with this toy as he can with others, this one is pure fun for him!
I've rated the durability of this toy as 3 because we haven't had it longer than a couple of months...the beads do get tossed & banged & there is a little bit of paint chipped off, but so far so good.

Lacing Box Wooden box stores all 4 pieces Melissa & Doug

Cheap Lacing Box Wooden box stores all 4 pieces Melissa & Doug Review

Kaplan Color & Design Lacing Beads

Cheap Kaplan Color & Design Lacing Beads Review