Alphablocks Phonics Fun Review

Reviewed by H Chan

As a parent, I understand how much we want our children to excel, but most importantly learn through play and exploring the world around them. I am also guilty, when thinking of Christmas and birthdays, of wanting not just to purchase an appealing gift but something that might get their brains engaged. This phonics toy, I believe, helps them to do just that!

I can see how it would sit very well in the educational toy market! Alphablocks were a phenomenon. What started as a short children’s program for Cbeebies very quickly became a learning tool shown not just by parents but by schools and nurseries, to help little ones grasp the basics of phonics through fun and song. Children are naturally drawn to the program and even though I don’t see it on TV very often anymore, the Cbeebies website and their website have some fantastic accompanying learning resources.

This is an interactive, fun, yet educational toy aimed at children aged three and over, although I don’t see why younger ones who are ready wouldn’t be able to play with it too. It is a great way to learn letter sounds and shapes through play and song.

Each of the eight character pieces is robust and well made, fitting into the main part of the toy well.  The toy uses songs from the TV series, along with quotes and fun, easy to remember phrases, to help children to remember the letter sounds and shapes. Each button on the console part of the toy has a different function. It has four game modes and two volumes.

My nephew in particular enjoyed the hide and seek button, in which the toy made a letter sound and you have to find the letter block which makes this sound! You can also spell out many three letter words which the game recognizes.

You can play with this toy straight from the box, which I absolutely love in a toy! It saves so much time and energy, if like me you have a very eager and excited child who wants to get stuck straight in. Just pull the little tab from the battery pack and it’s on! It comes with the batteries you need and is very easy to get out of the box because it uses cardboard, a little tape and plastic screws not those twiddly bits of wire.

I had my young nephew over to play, he’s just turned four, so at that perfect age for this toy. He loved the sounds and songs, singing along. I did find that the toy kept him entertained for about twenty minutes at a time which seems about right for that age. The blocks then became part of his own game involving characters from the TV show, which makes the toy more accessible to little ones. Even though the game has a handy pause and play mode, which gives you a little extra time in the games to find pieces, it is hard for a younger one to remember and the game does switch off after inactivity. This can be a little annoying as it really doesn’t give you long at all (we timed it at about 40-45 seconds – which to a three/four year old looking for a letter they don’t yet know isn’t long) and when you start the game again it gives you a different letter. This did cause my nephew to switch off from it a few times.
Saying that though, this product would make a lovely gift for a birthday or Christmas, it is bright and colourful, educational and grabs the child’s attention. My nephew loved it despite its few flaws. Plus, he’s been singing *I need you* constantly since it arrived and now it’s stuck in my head too! So, I know those letter sounds and rhymes are being committed to memory.

I find it would also make a perfect addition to the classroom in EYFS or year 1. It is a fun learning tool. It is very light and easy to carry, which means it is fab for taking to other places and can be a big help on trips out if you don’t lose any of the pieces. I love that it’s light enough for pre-schoolers to carry round by themselves too.

The only thing I did find was that it did get stuck on a loop more than a few times, when it does this none of the other buttons work even when the song loop it’s stuck on is finished which can be a little frustrating for little ones. Luckily though turning it off and back on again does fix this very easily.

It only comes with the right amount of blocks to make the sounds, there are no spares and after a quick google I couldn’t see anywhere to purchase spares, I think an additional pack might be a fab idea just in case a little one loses one of those blocks.

You can find the Alphablocks phonics fun here at the recommended retail price of £24.99.

Rating: I give this toy a 4 out of 5 stars overall.

It lost a star because it got stuck on repeat a few too many times and for the cost I thought it might do a little more. Gameplay is limited which makes it a fab toy for temporary use or for those who like repetition. Sometimes the voices are a little hard to understand and it is easy to get the letters mixed up, for example the b and p sound very similar. We also had instances of putting on the correct block, but the console said it was incorrect which was also a bit frustrating. Also with the small issues of the in-built shut off timer and the getting stuck on a loop. After a few tweaks though it would be amazing as overall it has a lot of potential and keeps a child’s focus for a short period of time.