Smarcks Smart Blocks are definitely smarter than the average block!
I have been reviewing the Smarcks Blocks at home and on some of my home visits the past few months and I can’t even begin to describe to you how smart the technology in these blocks really is! Wait, did I just say blocks and technology in the same sentence, you got that right!
These 70 plastic blocks arrived in a nice, big, blue storage container. For all extents and purposes, these look like ordinary stacking blocks (similar to a Mega Blok), except that they have unique imprints on the top of each block. When I say technology, there are booster block packs that you can purchase that will bring the blocks to life through sound. The are 6 different booster packs that can be purchased and each pack comes with three blocks. There are Nursery Rhyme Blocks, ABC Shape & Counting Blocks, Music & Dancing Light Blocks, Math Blocks, and two packs (Purple, Pink, Orange & Red, Yellow, Green) that encourage color recognition and manners through the use of rhyming.
Some of these special blocks in the booster packs have LED lights and special chips that allow for numerous possibilities when stacking them. You have to see the SMARCKS website to really appreciate the amount of technology that has gone into creating these blocks, honestly I was completely amazed and I will admit, slightly overwhelmed at first! For all you tech savvy people and engineers, a lot of love and dedication has gone into the process and development of this product, there is no doubt they will intrigue parents too.
I am a huge fan of products that stand the test of time and I love that young children can initially use them as young as one like regular stacking blocks while their older siblings and parents will be baffled trying to figure out all the possible puzzles and combinations that will also make these blocks laugh, count, sing, rhyme, light up, add and subtract.
My son and some of the children that I work with, in true toddler fashion, have enjoyed the old classic songs included in the Nursery Rhyme Blocks like Pat-a-Cake, Itsy Bitsy Spider and Old MacDonald Had a Farm. Gavin can open the container himself and knows how to stack them on top of each other. When I give him the nursery rhyme block, he will even start to sing-a-long with some of the songs in his own way (usually Ya-Yo, Ya-Yo is his version of requesting EI-EI-O!). He loves it if I start singing along with the block, too! He does a few little sways and bounces to dance along with the songs! I would definitely suggest, choosing only a few of the special blocks to incorporate at a time with the younger kids. If you activate to many of them at the same time, you can’t differentiate the sounds and it doesn’t do the blocks justice, it just makes for a lot of noise.
If you have multiple children in your household these blocks have entertainment value for everyone. Definitely go online, download and print out the Puzzle Building Guides, older children can follow the step by step building instructions to unlock the secrets of these special blocks by placing the block in different locations in sequence to sing an entire song.
Ways to help your children use all the functions these blocks have to offer:
– If you are using the puzzle guide, depending on their age you may need to help them sort out only the blocks they will need for that specific puzzle and place the remaining blocks back in the storage container
– The puzzle building guides go in all sorts of paths like left to right, right to left and circular, which is great for attention, memory and the visual tracking skills that are helpful to develop when children learn to read
– After they have completed the puzzle a few times using the guide, see if they can remember the sequence required to play the song themselves as this works on their visual memory
– These blocks are great for older children to work collaboratively together at home or at school to learn how to share, take turns and communicate with each other if you have more than one child following the puzzle guide together
Guess what! ToyQueen.com is giving away a set of the Learning Special Smarcks valued at $76.95! Here is what the giveaway includes: 
The original blue container, housing 70 Smarcks Smart Blocks, along with the talking blue block. Included in the Learning Special set are the Math and Counting Blocks which provide children a way to see, touch, and hear what they are counting and adding. The Learning Special also includes the Spelling, Shape, and all 7 Color Blocks.
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Giveaway ends April 13th, 11:59 p.m. EST.
Smarcks Smart Blocks provided these blocks free to facilitate a review. The opinions expressed in this post are my own.