Toys.  No matter how hard we try, we end up with tons of them, it seems like.  We’ve gotten a little better at our rotation game around here though.  We’re careful to notice the things that Little plays with more often than not – which helps us know which toys to keep out and which can be rotated or put away for some time.

It is incredible to me how quickly kids can outgrow toys or grow bored with them after just a few plays.  So, whenever we bring new toys into our home, there are a few things we look for.

• Can the boys play with it on their own?
  • Does it involve much set-up, instruction, or supervision from an adult?
• Does it encourage the use of imagination?
• Is it helpful for the development of motor skills?  Critical thinking and problem solving skills?
• Is it noisy?
• Will it last?
• Is it safe?

One of our family’s big things is learning through play, so while I try to keep a handle on the toy situation around here, I’m always glad to learn about new toys that our boys will be able to enjoy.

I received these toys free of charge from Mommy’s Promise in exchange for an honest review.  All opinions and experiences expressed are my own.

So when Mommy’s Promise asked if we would review some of their wooden, Montessori toys, we were excited to give them a try.  So today, I’d like to share a little bit of what I’ve learned about Mommy’s Promise and Montessori toys in general and to show you the toys that we got to try out.

Also, as a treat for my readers, Mommy’s Promise has agreed to give one lucky winner a $50 credit to spend with Mommy’s Promise, so be sure to read to the bottom of the post for your chance to win!

About Mommy’s Promise

At Mommy’s Promise, they focus on offering a wide range of wooden Montessori toys for kids from birth through early elementary ages.  Their goal is to provide safe, durable, sustainable toys that will last.

Not only are the wooden toys more sustainable and eco-friendly that their plastic counter-parts, but Mommy’s Promise goes one step further by partnering with One Tree Planted to plant a tree for each purchase from their store.

What are Montessori Toys?

By definition, Montessori is a way of learning that encourages children to develop their natural interests – often through the use of simple toys or tools that encourage children to use imagination and exploring the world around them.

Montessori toys then come without the flashing lights and noises.  They’re simple in design and easy for kids to play with on their own.  (And all the Mamas said, “Amen!”)

Our Review

For this review, we picked two toys – the Wooden Barnyard Jigsaw Puzzle and the Customizable Wooden Ring Toss Game for Toddlers.

I decided to include Little in choosing which toys we would review.  He is really into animals right now, so he picked the barnyard puzzle himself.  I picked the ring toss game too because I wanted to get two different kinds of toys to review and we don’t have a ring toss game, or anything similar already at our house.

As I guessed both toys were a big hit in our house.

Below, I’ll share our first impressions along with the things we loved about each toy and what we’d change.

Wooden Barnyard Jigsaw Puzzle

Since he picked this one, Little was waiting patiently for this to arrive in the mail.  It might as well have been his birthday when it arrived.  He immediately opened it up and started to play with it.

First Impression

Upon first impression, I was happy with this puzzle.  It appeared just as it looks on the website.  The picture was bright and clear and we loved the farm scene.

I did notice that the pieces were a little stiff and hard to separate at first, although I think that’s probably par for the course when it comes to wooden puzzles like that.  I preferred that to them being loose.

This puzzle has 24 pieces, all of which are about 3 inches long – perfect for little hands working on developing those fine motor skills.

What we Loved About It

When I say that we have played with this puzzle almost daily since we got it, that is no exaggeration.  We love that it has an inset wooden frame to keep the pieces in place while putting the puzzle together.  (This also makes it really easy to store the puzzle on our shelf.)

We also really like the matching farmyard scene that is inside the frame.  This was really helpful to allow Little to put the puzzle together independently and learn how to look for matching pieces.  He better understands now when he sees an individual piece that it contains “part of the pig!” of “part of the farmer!”  This has been really fun to watch him put together (pun intended).

This puzzle is perfect for toddlers who have mastered chunky puzzles are are ready to start working on more complex puzzles, but not quite ready for really large puzzles with tons of pieces.

What we’d Change About It

Overall, we have loved this puzzle.  It has held up mostly well with lots and lots of play.  That said, the picture on the puzzle is printed on paper material and affixed to the wooden pieces.

After a bit of play, some of the edges have started to show wear as if they are pulling up.  This has not affected our play, but I wish that the puzzle had a protective layer over the paper just for longevity.

Customizable Wooden Ring Toss Game

This was the toy that I picked and I’m glad I did.  It’s really versatile and has been something new and fun to work on with Little.

First Impression

My first impression of the ring toss game was that it seemed really small.  The size wasn’t listed on the site, so I just expected it to be bigger.  Now that I have it though, I’m actually thankful for it’s size.  It’s perfect for toddlers and it’s small enough that we can travel with it as one of our travel games when we are vacationing this summer.

Unlike the puzzle, the colored parts of the ring toss game are painted on.  There are 5 pieces that interlock in lots of configurations, 5 wooden sticks that correspond to the colors on the base parts, and 5 rings made from rope that are also color coded.

What We Loved About It

Little had never played a ring toss game before, so this has been a fun thing to teach him.  We loved the different ways that you can put the game together – such that it’s almost a new game each time we play.  The back of the box includes some configuration suggestions that include, .  Little enjoys picking out the configuration he want and then we work together to create it.

I also really like that the rings are made out of soft, but durable rope that doesn’t stretch or bounce.  This makes me feel way more comfortable having it around our youngest, too.

We’ve been playing with the ring toss game for a while now and it still looks brand new.  I know it’s something that will hold up for a very long time.

Finally, this is a tiny thing, but all the game pieces fit really easily right back into the box so clean up is easy.  You know when you get a toy with lots of parts, but it doesn’t fit back in the box and you always end up losing the pieces?  Not with this one.  (And all the mamas said, “Amen!”)

What We’d Change About It

The only thing I can really think of that I might change about the wooden ring toss game would be to include more pieces.  We really liked building all the configurations with this game, and I think it would be even better with more pieces.

But as it is, I thought this was a really fun game and seems really durable and fun for little ones.

Final Thoughts

Overall, I really enjoyed the toys that we got from Mommy’s Promise.  Both items were delivered quickly and were as they appeared on the website.  Mommy’s Promise is easy to contact with really helpful customer service, which is important to me when I’m shopping online.

The wooden toys from Mommy’s Promise aren’t the cheapest toys, but they are right on track with other wooden toys on the market and feel durable and long lasting.  I’m sure that our youngest will get plenty of playing with them when he’s old enough, too.

I appreciate the fact that these toys encourage the use of imagination and don’t make tons of noise or require batteries.

And finally, it’s nice that Mommy’s Promise partners to plant trees for each purchase.

If you’re looking for fun, wooden toys for your little ones, I definitely recommend checking them out.

GIVEAWAY

As I mentioned earlier, I’m really excited that Mommy’s Promise has agreed to partner with me to give one lucky reader $50 to spend on your own wooden toys from their shop.  This giveaway will run from June through June at 11:59 PM.  The winner will be selected randomly and contacted via email.  The winner will have 48 hours to respond.  Store credit will be emailed to the winner by Mommy’s Promise and may be used by the winner to purchase products.  Gift credit may not be redeemed for cash.

You may enter below.  Each action counts as one entry.

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