Disclaimer: I received these V-Tech toys in exchange for an honest review. I was not required to blog about them, but thought I would share. This post contains affiliate links. Thanks for your support!
I was really excited to get an email asking if i would be able to test try & review some V-Tech toys before Black Friday. Several years ago, I was blessed to be able to review a V-Tech toy and my kids love playing with them & I love their quality! When I found out what they’d be sending, I was ecstatic. I was literally drooling over the Go! Go! Smart Wheels Sets the week prior!
Go! Go! Smart Wheels Construction Playset – $34.99
From V-Tech:
- The whistle has blown…time to get to work! The Go! Go! Smart Wheels Construction Playset provides hours of entertainment for even the littlest construction worker.
- Featuring a tall, rotating crane with working claw, four different shaped pieces can be sorted, picked up and dropped into the included Go! Go! Smart Wheels dump truck or cargo loader.
- A conveyor ramp and weight station also add to the role-playing fun. Watch the dump truck or other Go! Go! Smart Wheels™ vehicles (each sold separately) respond to six SmartPoint™ locations with different phrases, music or fun sound effects.
Our Thoughts
The Go! Go! Smart Wheels Construction Playset has an age range of 1-5. I would say that’s probably a pretty accurate age. My 5 month old was obviously too young — he’s still in the eat & drool stage. My five year old played with it the most as it was intended. She enjoyed figuring out how to lay the tracks. My three year old? Well, her specialty was destroying it after sister put it together. She loved playing with it but enjoyed torturing her sister more.
The pieces are really high quality and fit together well. I like that there are so many “smart points” in this set where the truck talks as it goes over it. It made it interesting to play with. The included dump truck is a lot of fun and I like that it has an off switch :).
If you are looking to give this particular Go! Go! Smart Wheels set, I might wait until closer to 3 or 4. Too young and they could get frustrated when they can’t put it together on their own since it comes apart and goes together fairly easily. Too old & they may get bored. Our 5 year old is nearly 6 and since we don’t have a lot of “boy” toys, it was novel. A week in, though, and she kind of lost interest.
Go! Go! Smart Wheels 2-in-1Race Track – $39.99
From V-Tech
- Little ones can race into learning fun with the Go! Go! Smart Wheels 2-in-1 Race Track. The set allows children to race the two included vehicles on a circular track or on a straight jump track.
- To get the race started, simply place the cars at the starting line and push the flag handle to launch the vehicles into action!
- As the child races, they can go to the pit stop, where they can learn about tools. The Race Track even recognizes other Go! Go! Smart Wheels play vehicles (sold separately).
Our Thoughts:
The Go! Go! Smart Wheels 2-in-1 Race Track also has an age range of 1-5 years old. This one will be much more fun at an earlier age because there are fewer track pieces that are less complicated to put together. There are really only two options–a circular track or a straight track with a ditch to jump. It has a car elevator & a car switch thingy which is fun.
The best part is, unfortunately, the biggest let down. There is a flag you can use to launch the two cars. They get stuck nearly every time on the circular track instead of each following their respective path around the track. On the straight track, they get stuck before hitting the end of the track because they are neck & neck when it narrows. When used manually, it’s fun, but this could REALLY frustrate a lot of kids, I think.
I love how the cars can interact with the other sets. For instance, if you put a dump truck on the race track, it says “Dump trucks aren’t made to race!” The race cars themselves don’t talk so they don’t do anything on other sets, that I can tell. Overall the cars are REALLY heavy duty as are the race track pieces. I’m not saying it would tolerate a kid jumping in it, but it would definitely hold up to some falling on & rough play!
Grow & Discover Tree House – $79.99
From V-Tech:
- The Grow & Discover Tree House features four sides of learning fun from crawling to standing. Five numbered buttons introduce numbers and play cheerful melodies and the colorful, spinning gears develop fine motor skills.
- The tree house also recognizes balls and shape pieces and introduces colors, shapes and animals. Window and fabric sides encourage crawling and peek-a-boo fun. Plays 90+ sing-along songs, melodies, sounds and phrases to keep little ones engaged.
Our Thoughts:
The Grow & Discover Tree House is intended for ages 6-36 months and that’s really pretty spot on. My 5 month old, who sits up pretty well, really enjoyed sitting in front of it and touching all the pieces. He figured out several of the features on his own. On the upper end, my just turned three year old loves it too. It’s just big enough for her to sit inside and she can perfectly manipulate everything to make it fun. I would probably not buy it at age 2.5 or 3 because it would get old quick, I think. If you bought it by 18 months you could get some fabulous use out if it, especially if you put it away for a while & brought it back out.
Like the other V-Tech toys I’ve reviewed, this one is really high quality & sturdy. I’m not worried about it falling over or breaking with a little rough play. The songs & sounds are catchy and appealing though I may intermittently take the batteries out ;). I love the different feature elements — shapes, colors, letters, numbers, balls, doors, tunnels, etc. it really provides a lot of play in a little space. It takes up a little more than 2 ft x 2 ft. of floor space. It does break down for long-term storage but not real easily–I wouldn’t bother for short-term.
In terms of assembly, it was pretty easy. Or would have been without the 3 year old who cannot sit and cannot help touching, the 5 year old who tries to read my mind & help and the 5 month old who was indignant that I wouldn’t let him play with it until I finished. The nerve! Even with all that “help” it only took about 15-25 minutes. There is one screw that required a LONG skinny screwdriver that I never did get in, but I don’t think anyone will notice :).
Do you have many electronic toys in your house?
