Toys, toys, everywhere

In typical first grandchild fashion, my son was showered in gifts for his first two holidays. While some of the toys looked cute, some ended up enjoyed quite a bit more than others. One of the wise selections was the Punch-N-Drop made by the company Plan Toys. The concept of this toy was fairly simple - it was simply a wooden box (made of recycled rubberwood) with three balls that could be hammered into the box. Great for hand-eye coordination, that natural need to hit things children seemed to have, and it was in attractive basic colours to aid in learning names of colours.

The Punch-N-Drop, while rated for 18 months was given to my son the week before he turned one. There were no pieces that would have posed as choking hazards to young children, and it seemed to me the age recommendation was simply because older toddlers would have better hand-eye coordination. The three balls were just about 6" in diameter each and brightly coloured in red, blue, or green. The wooden box measured about 6" wide by 6" deep by 4" high and the hammer was about 6.5" long with a 1.5" flat surface on either side of the hammer head to hit the balls. The balls fit snugly into the three rubber lined holes on the lid of the box. When they were hammered (or pushed by hand) through the holes into the box, they’d slide down the slanted bottom and out the large round hole in the side of the box. Two oval cutouts on either side of the box made for great handles for the young child who couldn’t easily pick up the whole box.

The best part of this toy looked to be the quality. While my parents paid just under $16 for the Punch-N-Drop by Plan Toys, it was extremely sturdy and well constructed. All of the wood was perfectly smooth and the pieces were all cut perfectly. Unlike cheaply made wooden toys, the box and hammer weren’t simply put together with glue - the pieces fit into one another to avoid them coming apart with use.

We have a winner!

Right from the start, this Punch-N-Drop was a hit. Despite not really having any other toys that worked with his hand-eye coordination, our son had no trouble hammering the balls into the box. Each time one would drop into the box with a satisfying little clunk, he’d laugh and clap his hands. Occasionally, he’d put the hammer down and simply push the balls down by hand. The balls were a perfect size for him to easily grab and while the whole box was wood, the rubberwood used was light enough so that he could easily pick up the box to play with in another location.

I’d initially had concerns with the painted lid and balls chipping with repeated hammering, but in the 5 months of heavy use, that was never an issue. All pieces of the toy looked almost brand new, much to my surprise. Even the edges around the top showed no signs of the intense hammering they’ve taken when my son just wanted to bang on something to hear it make noise. Despite the box itself being dropped many times from the table to a hardwood floor, it remained firmly intact, with no signs of coming apart.

While the Punch-N-Drop was well designed, we’ve come across two design issues that perhaps simply couldn’t have been avoided. When my son would go through a “wild spurt” (just like a dog, go figure!) he would bang in all three balls relatively quickly, before they all had a chance to go out the hole in the side. This would result in a ball or two being caught by each other, neither able to go out the hole unless one physically pushed the lower ball out of the way. While this issue was easily resolvable for an adult, it did lead to some frustrating moments with my young toddler.

Like the stuck ball issue, the other design issue also dealt with the inside of the box. Occasionally when the ball was pushed into the box just right, instead of simply rolling out of the side hole as it should, it would get wedged into the corner. My son would then try to shove his hand inside the box and start screaming in frustration when he couldn’t get the ball out. The problem could be easily solved by simply moving the box, but again, for younger toddlers presented a frustrating problem. Thankfully, the hole in the side was not small enough that I was ever concerned about a stuck hand. I could easily fit my own hand inside without getting stuck, and with a toddlers small hands, it would likely have been impossible.

Still a Favourite

Even though most of our others toys go unused, our son still adores his Plan Toys Punch-N-Drop and regularly drags it out to play with. Not only helping him with hand-eye coordination, but also giving the important lesson of hitting things that were meant to be hit (as opposed to mommy, daddy, and the kitties), this great wooden toy is a bargain for the enjoyment it gives toddlers.

Recommended:
Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 15.95
Type of Toy: Educational
Age Range of Child: 12 to 36 Months