Design & Drill® Socket to Me {Review}

If you have followed my Tot School with Bo posts, the Design & Drill name should be familiar to you!

Bo has {and loves!} the Design & Drill Take Along Tool Kit, and we used it throughout our ABC Tot School. So I knew he would love the Design & Drill® Socket to Me set from Educational Insights.

What is neat about the Socket to Me set is that is like a real socket wrench that works and even clicks as you turn it. It even has a forward and a reverse switch. And it does not require batteries!

It looks and acts so real, that it took Bo a bit to figure it out. He had to concentrate hard and you can tell by the looks on his face that this was real work for him!

What's neat is that you can't screw the bolts in by hand - you have to use the socket wrench. So realistic! But it does require a bit of effort and coordination to make it work, and he often asked for my help to finish screwing a bolt in.

Bo played with the rocket ship this day, but the set comes with 4 fun shapes to play with: a rocket, a robot, a race car, and a tug boat. The set also comes with 30 brightly colored bolts.

The set is great for developing fine motor skills and lots of creative play!

We read the book Katy No-Pocket and compared the socket wrench to the tools in the story.

I also pulled out a real socket wrench to show Bo. He was so surprised that it looked just like his!

For the next couple weeks, he brought me different shapes to play with and wanted me to screw them all in for him! He chose the colors, and I got them all started and encouraged him to try it some more. He did a few turns, but wanted me to finish.

The Design & Drill® Socket to Me set is priced at $21.99 and geared towards ages 4 and up. Because Bo is not quite 4, it is a little hard for him ~ perfect for developing his fine motor skills! I think he will get a good amount of construction play out of it.

I could see us using it mostly for home play (because I'd be afraid of losing the bolts), but if you took one along with enough bolts (with a bag to store it in), it would be great for use in the car.

I need more toys like this for Bo that serve a function beyond just entertaining my child. I like that it is teaching him a skill that carries on into real life. And I love that he can "play" with his tools (just like his dad). :)

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Disclosure: I received this product for free from Educational Insights in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way. All opinions I have expressed are my own or those of my family. I am disclosing this in accordance with the FTC regulations.