Melissa & DougMelissa & Doug Magnetic Wooden Fishing Game and Puzzle With Wooden Ocean Animal Magnets

I gave this toy to my nearly 2 year old grandson for Christmas and he got the gist of it within a very short time, smiling happily at his achievement. He quickly learned where each piece fitted and the names of each bug. He proudly presented everyone with a piece and afterwards replaced them all carefully, though not all in their right places for a minute or two! Enough difficulty to keep up interest! The board is lovely to look at, having a good variety and number of bugs, and will be something he will likely return to for a while. The lifting of each piece with the magnet requires careful manipulation and provides a lot of satisfaction. A pleasant update of the "old fish tank", providing shape recognition as well. Well done Melissa & Doug!

Bought for my 22 month old daughter. She is obviously a bit younger than the 3 year age guideline, but we always play it together, so she always has me supervising her.The rod we were supplied with looks a bit different to the one in the picture, with a red plastic tube holding the magnet on the end – see photo – but otherwise it is the same as the Amazon picture. It seems well made and sturdy and hopefully being wooden it will last.My daughter picked the game up very quickly and enjoys catching the creatures on the fishing pole and returning them to the correct slots afterwards. It’s great for her hand-eye co-ordination as well as problem solving, when working out which shape goes where. We’ve only had the puzzle for a month or so, but in that time she has learned the names of many of the sea creatures featured. Although she knew a couple already, I don’t think I’d have ever thought to have taught her what a squid or a jellyfish was before we owned this! Knowing the names has added a new element, as I can say for example, ‘can you catch the octopus?’ and she can try to select that one.She asks to play with this game several times a day, so I am already considering buying another similar set for her birthday. I would definitely recommend this, it’s fantastic!

This is a nice little item, colourful and fun for little ones.

Ok

My toddler loves this, and took no time at all to work out how to 'fish' the shapes out. Nice range of sea creatures. My initial thought that it would have been better if there were pictures under the shapes (making putting the puzzle back together easier) was unfounded, as my two year old worked it out pretty quickly anyway. Would be nice if there were two fishing rods so we could start a turn based game with it, but that's a minor point. As always with Melissa and Doug products it's finished to a good standard and is a well thought out toy. My toddler is happy getting all the pieces out (naming them as she goes), putting them back in then starting again - so definitely keeps her interested.

this product is recommended for ages 3+ but i bought it for my daughter at 23 months and she plays with it all the time. its brilliant. a great education game, helps with co'ordination, understanding about magnets and of course the 'sea theme'. a really nice present and a great toy. only thing i find a bit annoying is that she is too young to put the pieces back because she can't tell which goes where as she can't recognise 'shape' yet. we have wooden puzzles with a picture painted on so she can see where they should go. i hate that she has to wait for me to put the pieces back... but anyway i'm sure she will learn with time - i guess this is why its recommended for older children.

Still going strong years later.Good quality item

The set that arrived is slightly different to the picture - the fishing rod now has a red longer cylinder shape magnet section which I assume makes it easier to pick up the fish pieces and also makes it less of a swallowing or choking hazard with the internal magnets securely enclosed.The wooden rod and board are very high quality and it is a fun game with the added bonus of being a puzzle to fit pieces back in the board. It could have been even better if the button metal bits on the jigsaw pieces stood proud (instead they are flush, tack head style buttons) so you could take the pieces out by hand as well and use it as a conventional toddlers jigsaw. It's impossible to take the pieces out by hand without the rod unless you tip them out.Highly recommended.