Thames & KosmosKids First: Intro to Tools & Building STEM Experiment Kit for Ages 3+ | Build 6 Models, Learn Basic Mechanical Engineering Principles | Make Your Own Workbench with Durable Parts

My 4 year old loves this toy! Good quality.

All kids love this building set. My grandkids, ages 2-8 love playing w this. It's fun, sturdy and a great value. It's very easy to use with nice size parts that fit together nicely.

This review is for the THAMES and KOSMOS Kids First: Intro to Tools & Building Kit. I received a free taxable sample of this kit to review in my search for STEM type kits that would engage my kids during school breaks.The kit arrived in a nicely decorated and branded cardboard box with pictures of the contents, possible builds, and detailed descriptions of the STEM-related skills and concepts that could be covered. This set can be gifted within the box wrapped in giftwrap or placed within a gift bag.Not including the instruction manual, there are 47 pieces across 16 different types in this set with varying lengths and widths, but around the same 3/4" to 1" thickness. Most of the pieces are made out of a lightweight but durable "soft" plastic that reminds me of a plastic play kitchen and play food. I like that the instruction manual starts off with a checklist of the kit contents, which are: 25-hole base plate (7 7/8" square, 155 grams); hammer (6 7/8" x 2 3/4", 50 grams); wrench (6 1/4" x 2 3/8", 20 grams); screwdriver (7 1/4" x 1 1/2", 20 grams); 8x dowel blocks (1 1/2" x 3/4", 5.25 grams); 3x bolts (3" x 1 1/2", 10.6 grams); 3x nuts (1 1/2" square, 6 grams); 7x nails (2" x 1 1/2", 8.5 grams); 4x wheels (1 7/8" diameter, 15.25 grams); 2x short dowels (1 5/8", 2 grams); 2x medium dowels (3", 4 grams); long dowel (6 1/4", 8 grams); 4x 2-hole rods (4 1/2" x 1 1/2", 23 grams); 2x 3-hole rods (5 3/8" x 1 1/2", 18 grams); 5x 4-hole rods (7 5/8" x 1 1/2", 27 grams); and 2x 5-hole rods (8 1/2" x 1 1/2", 27.5 grams).In terms of use and safety, the pieces in the set are kid safe and the tools are mainly there for aesthetics and to provide a little extra help as most everything can be constructed by pushing nails or rounded ends into holes. In a way it's reminiscent of a slightly advanced version of the workbench toy where you pound pegs or shapes into holes. There are some instances where the tools do provide a little extra assistance and I like how the wrench fits nicely around the nut to help hold things in place and how the screwdriver with its wide rounded (safe) tip fits into the head of the bolt. One of the younger testers commented that sometimes it's a bit difficult to remove the wheels, so that might also be an opportunity to leverage the wrench or screwdriver.The instruction manual with instructions for various builds is colorful and fairly easy to follow. The set is rated for 3+ which sounds about right and will most likely require parent involvement up until age 5. Even at age 5 you'll want to keep in mind that most kids might not have the reading or mental capacity to read through the instruction manual and understand concepts such as simple machines, wedges, and levers. The beauty of this kit is that it encourages hands-on experimentation and learning through "practical" building experiences. In fact, my favorite part of the instruction manual was the back with pictures of other possible builds but no instructions on how to create those builds. Even though this kit is geared towards younger children, some of the older elementary testers enjoyed this as a tangram-type challenge - to construct without instruction what was shown in the pictures. In the future it might be nice to have more examples of what you could build.Side notes: as per the box, these pieces are compatible with pieces from other kits from the same manufacturer. I like that the instruction booklet included the part numbers for these pieces in this kit so they could be easily ordered for replacement or expansion.All in all, this tools & building kit is nicely constructed, safe, and easy to use. I recommend this as a good option for a starter hands-on building kit that helps younger kids learn through experiential hands-on experience.

My son loves playing with this set as there are nails for him to hammer in and wheels for him to build cars. He has lots of fun trying to build the images within the booklet and on the back of it, but after the initial few seconds, he will just build random stuff. His favorite one so far is the trolley and the instructions are quite clear in the book which allows both of us to build it. Usually I will need to help him set up the pieces and he uses the hammer to smash the nails in. The pieces usually are pretty solidly connected which does require me to pull them apart when he is unable to, but some come out with a little less effort. It does feel like a quality set as he plays with it pretty rough and none of the pieces have broken yet probably since they are made from durable plastics. Overall I'm very happy with the set as he's able to build random stuff and seems to be enjoying himself.

This set is a high quality stem learning and building toy, perfect for a toddler, but it will also age up nicely. My three-year-old instantly wanted to play with the colorful pieces and enjoyed fitting them together. The box comes with a booklet of ideas for different things you can build with the included parts, but it is also fun to come up with your own creations. It comes with nuts and bolts and screws, which are all great for fine motor skills. It also comes with a toy screwdriver, wrench, and hammer, which my little boy was very excited about. All of the parts are nicely rounded and safe for a toddler to play with. There are some smaller pieces which wouldn’t be safe for a baby, but that explains why this is marked for ages three and older. This would make a great birthday gift or holiday gift and is something a child can get multiple uses out of over several years.

The pieces does have a high quality and shiny colors ,it will attract the kid to play with , need some guidance in beginning to show how to put pieces together, but after that your kid can continue on his own, not a complicated to put together

I ordered this for my 4 year old daughter, who loves to build and be creative. She has spent many hours playing with this building set. The pieces are sturdy and fit small hand very nicely. Excellent toy for this price point. I do with that it came with a few more of the nails and bolts/nuts. The small quantity of these does limit the creativity that you can have when playing. The quality is better that I expected for the price and I would consider purchasing other building kits from this company.

I can easily see why they say this kit is meant for 3-year-olds and older, but beware that even 3-year-olds are a little young when it comes to keeping everything together and not spreading the many parts and tools all over the house! But if you can confine them to a particular place while they build the projects described in the kit, even three-year-olds can do a good job and begin to learn some basic skills. I think this kit is an excellent start for learning not just the handling of the tools and how to put the parts together, but the “reading” of instructions (all done through illustrations) and figuring things out for themselves. If you find that someone gets frustrated and flustered, you know he’s not quite ready for this set. But with patience, all little ones will master it and have a great deal of fun in the process.