Learning Resources Kanoodle Jr Review

Reviewed by Alice Dixon

I am already a big fan of Learning Resources as are my children. We have quite a few of their educational toys and games. My sons always find them fun and I like that they are also supporting my children’s development, helping them learn through play.

This week my two boys were eager to play with Kanoodle Jr from Learning Resources when it arrived. With a name like that you could be forgiven for having no idea what Kanoodle Jr is. So basically Kanoodle Jr. is a logic puzzle game for children described as “brainy fun for little Geniuses!”

The puzzle game is neatly packaged in a small plastic case which is also used to play. Inside are six coloured block pieces and a booklet which neatly slides into the bottom. I love how compact and portable this game is, so ideal for travelling, playing on the go and also doesn’t take up too much room when storing at home.

Kanoodle Jr is a collection of fun, logical puzzles especially designed for young children aged 4-7 which it says are great for developing spatial reasoning and critical thinking skills. The booklet contains 60 puzzles for children to attempt to solve. So plenty to keep them busy for many hours. There are three types of puzzles.

Colour match puzzles – all six pieces must be used to solve a colour match puzzle. For example if the booklet page showed a red donut on a particular square then it must be covered with the red block and a colour block must not cover an icon of a different colour.

Path puzzles – use the coloured blocks to make a path between two objects without touching any squares marked in grey.

Wall puzzles – work out how many blocks are needed to create a wall between two objects such as creating a wall to separate dogs from cats

So as you can see the three logic problem games are simple to understand but really get kids’ minds working. My children enjoyed the colour match puzzles the most and even played around with them without the booklet so I definitely think this is a toy they will get lots of enjoyment out of. I like how each puzzle is marked with stars to show its difficulty level. This is great as there is a big difference in the ability of a four year old compared to a seven which it’s recommended for. Young children can start with a one star puzzle whereas older children might enjoy the challenge of a five star puzzle.

With Christmas quickly coming up I’ve been looking for present ideas as I have a lot of children of various ages to buy for in our extended family. I think Kanoodle Jr would make a great extra stocking filler gift especially as it retails at only £14.00. I think that’s reasonably priced as the game is high quality, well made and in my opinion will give hours of entertainment. I think it’s nice for children to receive fun toys but to me it’s also really important for a toy to be educational or help children’s development in some way. I think Learning Resources are excellent at getting the right balance between educational and entertaining with their toys. Kanoodle Jr would be a lovely toy to keep children busy over the Christmas holidays.

Rating: 5/5

RRP: £14.00

This product can be purchased from the Learning Resources website here.