HABA First Fun With Quantities Pegging Game {Review}

There are a lot of great toys out there for kids, there's no denying that. There are games, puzzles, toys for outdoor play and ones for quiet imaginative play, things to play in the water or toys made to travel... it's really a good time to be a kid, isn't it?

But, in my mind, one group of toys that holds a high level of importance has always been the wooden toys. There is something about the classic, elegance of a simple piece of wood that has been turned into something that can inspire creativity, learning and entertainment time and time again.

Around here we know full well that one of the top names that we turn to when we're looking for a toy that will provide all of that and more is the incredible selection of products by HABA. Most recently, this award-winning global toy maker has introduced even more colorful, well-made, unique toys with their recently launched spring items.

Unless this is the first review you've read here (in which case, welcome!), you've seen mentions of the incredibly high quality, eco-friendly children's toys from HABA here before. As the recipients of almost every toy award that exists, they carry everything from furniture to toys to accessories (and more) for children of all ages to help them learn and grow.

Whether you are looking for a way to enjoy bath time with bright and entertaining accessories, think and imagine with educational games, or love and pretend with a gorgeous collection of dolls, HABA has it all... and is continually coming out with more.

While all of their new additions looked endearing, enticing and educational, when the First Fun With Quantities Pegging Game arrived, I knew that it was just the thing to help reinforce all that Little Sister B knows about colors, matching, counting and more.

Opening up all sorts of mathematical possibilities with five boards and 15 colored pegs, the First Fun With Quantities Pegging Game appears perfectly straightforward... yet draws you in to continue playing in various ways time and time again.

The simplicity yet ingenuity of this game is great! Each of the beechwood pieces are smooth and easy to hold, while being decorated with non-toxic water based stain so, as with all of HABA's high quality products, they are completely safe for kids.

I mentioned to Little Sister B that the included booklet had ideas for four different ways to play with these colorful boards and pegs — assigning colors, tower stacking, rolling colors on the die, and finding by touch and counting — and she was immediately clamoring for us to try out each one.

While matching the colored pegs to the boards was a bit too easy for her...

There was some initial concern over why there weren't red pegs to go with the red board and why the yellow pegs went into the orange board, but that ended up not being an issue overall.

...stacking a straight tower did take a little bit of thought. I loved seeing the wheels moving in her head as she realized that the boards needed to go in order from smallest to largest and that they must be turned to fit in a specific way with the pegs that were already there.

After stopping to make a few adjustments and pausing to contemplate what wasn't working correctly...

...she did end up quite proud of herself when the tower was standing and complete.

After taking down her tower, Little Sister B had a great time using the die to practice even more color recognition. By taking turns rolling the die and placing that color peg into the correct hole, we followed the suggestion that the player to fill in the last hole on the board got to "take" that board.

In the end, Little Sister B was pretty happy when she completely beat me by winning all of the boards!

After playing many more rounds with the die, we moved on to the final idea of using these colorful pieces, finding by touch and counting.

While I thought that this method was going to be far too easy, it turned out to be a great sensory activity for Little Sister B that also made her think before each guess. She began by feeling parts of the board with her fingers (while her eyes were closed) and calling out which board she thought it was... but quickly found that if she didn't explore the entire board, she might not be correct!

HABA was already a trusted name in our house for quality wooden toys, but the First Fun With Quantities Pegging Game has enforced that even further! I love that my kids can be creative with both their minds and their hands and that this is a set that could be used by young children and still bring interest and use throughout the rest of childhood. Even at 6 years old, Big Sister E has joined in the fun with these pegs and boards as well!

Retailing for $21.99, the HABA First Fun With Quantities Pegging Game is a great way to provide open-ended, thought-provoking, free play time — something that should definitely be a part of childhood. The quality construction and the bright colors ensure that this is an item that will last decades and bring a smile to the face of kids of all ages. I have no doubt that we'll be playing with these for years to come!

To find out more about this and all of HABA's incredible products, visit them at HABAusa.com and connect with them on Facebook and Twitter.

Other than the First Fun With Quantities Pegging Game that I was provided by HABA in order to facilitate my review, I was not compensated or enticed to do this review in any way. This post is solely my honest opinion of this company and product.