Melissa And Doug Deluxe Stamp Set Fairy Tale Review

Reviewed by C. Hill

As a family who limits screen time to the bare minimum, the Melissa and Doug deluxe wooden stamp set was perfect for us.  The set comes in a very attractive and sturdy wooden tray which houses the stamps, felt tip pens and ink trays. It is so beautiful it would make a perfect gift for any young crafter, I do believe it is aimed more at girls rather than boys due to the colour of the background and the stamps themselves. The tray can be used as a lovely craft storage tray if you remove the plastic insert, or it can remain a tray just for the stamp set making it very easy to get out and put away with minimal effort. The stamps themselves are of a very high quality, the only ink that goes on your paper/card is that of the design, not from the border or background rubber which has happened with other stamps we have used in the past. This is an excellent set that has withstood a two year old and four year old playing with it lots. The stamps, 30 in total, have lasted well, this set is a fairy tale one so you have stamps of princesses, castles, mermaids, fairies, ballerinas, flowers, fish and stars. I like how they can all be used together to create a diverse story or they can be used separately to create a specific card such as an under the sea theme or fairy princesses or ballet etc. The washable ink is perfect but it would have been good to have had more ink sets; possibly in the place of the six felt tip pens as they could have been better quality and we used our own in the end.

The set has been used for art projects, making cards for friends and family and within general craft play as well. The set is aimed at children between the age of four and 12, my two year old absolutely loved it so I would be happy to recommend it for younger children as well. At first I didn’t see how the felt markers fitted into the set but as my daughters played with it I saw how they instinctively went to colour in their stamp creations.

It’s so important for children to have a balance between gross motor and fine motor activities, as a mother of two girls who excel at gross motor activities I know I have to utilise these activities more. This set encourages those fine motor skills and development; it promotes colour recognition, patterning (repeating), memory skills, creative thinking and story telling. On a rainy morning this is a go to product, it gets extra points because there have been zero arguments between my children when we have had this out.

I adore the brand Melissa & Doug, their mission statement is to “ignite imagination and a sense of wonder in all children so they can discover themselves, their passions, and their purpose.” With these people behind this product you can see why it is such an open ended activity, they believe with children being over stimulated and over scheduled, children require products to inspire creative thinking. The American Academy of Paediatrics chose to join forces with the company to champion the health benefits of open ended play, what an endorsement!

Melissa & Doug – Deluxe Wooden Stamp Set – Fairy Tale.

Rating: 4/5

RRP: £22.99

This product can be purchased from Amazon here.