For a 3+ year old child, this set is a little too babyish, though it's suggested age is 3+. We let our 1.5 year old play on them & he had an absolute ball! Since there are small parts on it (wooden balls used as latches), I don't feel comfortable keeping it in his reach, unless I'm sitting with him and watching him directly though. Our 3 year old played them a few times & lost interest... & Our 5 year old likes them, but gets frustrated when the cymbols slide off.
My suggestions to Play Toys:
1) Make the drums stationary. They shouldn't be flopping around.
2) The peices should be more secure. Some of the parents are noting that they like that it is a sort of "puzzle drum"--but I didn't buy a puzzle drum, I bought a drum & expect it to at least stay together long enough for it to be played.
3) It should also be a bit bigger for a 3+ age range. It's the perfect size for my 1.5 year old, but not intended for him.
I do like that it's a wooden drumset (that's a rarity!), eco-friendly & safe, and features a modern looking design, but my cons outweight my pros, so I wouldn't recommend this toy without some changes being made to the design first.
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When we first got this toy, I played with it a lot. I noticed right away that the drums would start popping off if your drumsticks hit the outside edges of the drums too much. Since I have a toddler, I knew this would be an issue. A few days after he received it, his friends came over and completely took it apart in a matter of seconds. That's when one of the other mothers got a brainstorm...The drum parts attach to the base by small wooden pegs on elastic. You're supposed to push the pegs in so they're in a vertical position in the holes. This clearly DOES NOT work well, even though it's what is directed and is also done this way in the photo on the box. However, if you push the wood pegs ENTIRELY through the hole, they turn horizontal and act like a button so the drums don't pop off.
Once they were in, we didn't have any other problems with the structure, except that my preschooler LOVES to take the other items off all the time. It's more of a puzzle to him than a drum set, but that could just be his level of development.
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I love Plan Toys for their eco-friendly products and durability, so when I saw this drum set, I purchased asap. However, when the box came my husband and I laughed! It's tiny! This set is only about a foot off of the ground! Our 3 year old has to sit indian style to play it! It's great quality and has a great design, I would just warn that it's not the somewhat "fullsized" drum set that the picture makes it look like.Honest reviews on PlanToys Musical Band
After seeing more authentic-looking toy drum sets (trap cymbal, ride cymbal, snares) priced below a hundred, I suddenly had reservations about this one for my percussively-minded 3-year-old grandchild. Then I realized that the reservations were mine, not his. The "realistic" drum sets may satisfy the parent's, grand-parent's, and giver's criteria (and even serve as a sort of vicarious wish-fullfilment for Buddy Rich wannabe's) while being completely removed from what the child has in mind. The pictured toy proved the perfect percussive outlet for its delighted recipient. I had already given him a Suzuki violin, only to see him insist on plucking it like a banjo. Why give him a drum set along with saddling him with premature, gratuitous instructions about working the hi-hat with his left foot, playing 4/4 with his right hand on the ride cymbal, and keeping his left hand in readiness for snare and tom punctuations?This gizmo is a perfect toy--for any kid who's got "rhythm in 'im" and who just wants to express some thunder and/or creativity (his steady "beating" nicely complements his 5-year-old sister's dancing), and if the interest should become "serious," a beginner's drum kit like this will certainly inflict less damage on the child's development than a kid's kit built-to-scale along with some older coach's authoritative pronouncements and admonitions about proper and improper ways of holding a stick or coordinating feet and hands. After the preliminary moment of indecision, I no longer have the least regret about selecting this toy over a set of "fake" Gretsch or Sonor drums (is Slingerland still in business?). My grandson's gravitation to the toy was immediate, uncoached, and remains spontaneous and more creative each day. Only the very best players know that music is, far more than most people realize, about "play"--which this toy makes demonstratively clear at a most critical juncture in a child's development.
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Some of the other reviewers have an issue with the how easily this set comes apart. And it is true it does, but it I think it is an advantage and not a design flaw.My 2 year old is extremely rough with his toys and if the pieces didn't come off on their own he would have ripped them off minutes after getting it out of the box. Part of the products beauty is that it can be put together and taken apart easily. Putting the set together has become part of our playing with it. My son has learned where the pieces go and basically how to assemble it (with a little help.)
I think this is a wonderful toy and I highly recommend it. If you are looking to set your child down in front of it and walk away, then it is not the toy for you. But if you want to be involved with your child's playtime and can think of it as a puzzle drum set, then this set is great!
Oh and other than the cymbal it is not very loud.
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