Recently I asked some blogging Twitter followers to review some packs of Hama Beads for me; they each got to choose a set to review and we sent them out. Here is what they thought of them. Being the Pearl of Toys, the feedback was, as you’d expect, pretty good!

Josie, at Sleep is for the Weak, also tried out Maxi Beads. It was raining and Kai needed occupying but Josie really only wanted to knit and drink coffee; the Dinosaur Maxi Hama Set turned out to bring them both lots of joy We are so pleased it did!

Over at Red Ted Art, Maggie got a proper surprise when she discovered that her children really loved My First Hama Beads – she was expecting a messy toy and frustration and was pleasantly surprised to find her two children really enjoyed them.

Stay at Home Daddy for 2 reviewed a Toy Story Hama Bead Kit. Those kits can be a little trickier for young children but they get lots of pleasure from working with a parent – in fact, this blog proves that it is often that which provides them with the greatest joy

My friend Kirsty put together another review for me with her two kids, who are great friends of my own 4 girls. Kirsty is no stranger to Hama beads (not that I force my friends to buy them or anything!) but her kids enjoyed getting the love back. They particularly enjoyed trying out the press pendants in the Red Midi Hama Bead Activity Kit.

At the Madhouse Family Reviews, they’ve used Hama beads before too; Press and Play Hama Beads were a total novelty to them though. I originally persuaded DKL to bring these back into the country a few years ago and they then got reboxed and relaunched. They’ve been really growing in popularity lately, as a single use, 3D craft. 5 out of 5 from the Madhouse is a pretty stirling effort – I’m so pleased they liked them!

I loved the review at Yellow’s Best too; over there they use crafts and toys to help fine motor control through play. We originally came to Hama Beads when our eldest, Fran, was 4. She really struggled to concentrate on anything (still does at times and she’s 13 now!) but Hama really worked well for her. Initially she just filled boards with random beads but she gradually became more confident and still enjoys them now.

L and J had lots of fun with the UFO Glow Hama Bead Kit.

They are already a very crafty bunch over at The Imagination Tree where weekly craft linkys are held to encourage lots of preschool messy play and creativity. Again, Maxi beads were a huge hit with both the small people. The Imagination Tree was recently winner of Blog of the Year at the MADS Awards – a well deserved winner in our opinion.

Adele at Circus Queen had a different take on Hama beading. Since her little girl is only a few months old, she decided to try out Mini Hama Beads and use them to decorate her nursery. Mini Beads are more like cross stitch in some ways, fiddly but detailed and very satisfying when done. Despite intervention from the cat, she was really pleased with her results! (And we salute her; Mini Beads test my patience in a big way!)

We have our own family blog over at Patch of Puddles – the girls still regularly do Hama Beads and all their ideas are collected together in a Hama Beads Category. If you have a blog and you’d be interested in reviewing toys and crafts for us, follow me on Twitter at MerrilyMe