Some assembly required
Certain things seem hard-wired into kids. We don’t have copies of Popular Mechanics or Car & Driver lying around the house, but both of my kids are fascinated by cars. And they are at least as interested in “how things look inside,” which usually entails taking things apart (occasionally things my husband and I have no idea how to put back together). So it was nice to find a toy that actually encourages this type of behavior but is simple enough to allow us to help out if need be.
Indeed, the company wisely pitches its product as “the virtues of assembly required.” I’m talking about Automoblox, of course — the snappy (literally) little toys that let kids design and build their own cars. With simple designs and kid-friendly sized pieces, the well-crafted cars, vans, and trucks allow for your budding engineer to play around with various permutations on the auto’s look. Also, the pieces are interchangeable, so if you’ve got more than one Automoblox vehicle, you can switch up wheels, front and rear sections, and even the roof.
However, if your child (like mine) is less interested in the design aspect and just wants to race the car around the house, the toy is perfect for speding across your hardwood floors and into the molding.
Of course the designer in me loves the shape of these cars and the feel of the beech wood pieces, which remind me of the classic wooden cars my brothers played with (and kept from me) when we were kids.
Â
I tend to be fairly skeptical whenever someone tries to sell me toys (or television shows) because of their “educational” value, but I have to say that I do think the building and unbuilding of these has challenged my son to develop some better problem solving skills when it comes to fitting things together/taking them apart. His younger sister is like some kind of savant at this stuff and will probably be cracking safes by the time she joins Brownies. If your kids are older, they’ll also enjoy registering their Automoblox online using each car’s own unique VIN number, entitling them to join the Owners Club.
These are not inexpensive toys (the larger Automoblox vehicles retail for around $40) but they are built to last, beautifully crafted, and your kids will love them.
 Picture: C9 sportscar, courtesy of automoblox.com
Filed under: Uncategorized