Disclosure: We were sent a selection of K’nex for the purposes of review. All thoughts and opinions are our own.
I remember getting K’nex for my eldest when she was younger and she enjoyed it. However I must admit it is not something that Bee was introduced to much apart from the box that was her sisters. However, since playing with the sets she has recently received, I have realised how much she enjoys them and how good they actually are for her.
What is K’nex?
K’nex is a rod and connector building system. Children can follow the directions given in the sets, or let their imagination run wild and make their own creations using the rods and connectors.
Kid K’Nex Safari Mates available at Argos.
Kid K’Nex is perfect as an introduction to K’nex and is recommended for ages 3+. The parts are slightly larger and easier for preschoolers little hands to handle and put together. Included in this set are special parts such as a whipping tail and a foam mane.
The safari mates do not need many pieces to make the creations, so it is less overwhelming for the little ones. However the children can still make 5 builds with the pieces and also make use their imagination to make their own creations.
K’Nex Battle Bow available at The Entertainer
Recommended for ages 8+, the K’Nex K-Force Battle Bow Building Set is more complex than the Kids K’nex with 165 pieces. Again children can follow the step by step instructions to create dart blasters, or make their own creations.
While getting used to K’nex we decided to follow the instructions to make the dart blasters. A handy tip is to separate all the pieces so you are not searching for them. Having them all organised before you start makes it all a bit easier!
The kit includes five soft foam darts that can be fired up to 75 feet, a blaster chamber, a quick-fit grip, a preload ring and two dart holders.
The instructions include images for each step which does make it easier as you can see exactly what the blaster should look like at each stage.
Following the step by step instructions it was relatively simple to create the bow blaster.
Once your blaster is completed you can get playing with the soft foam darts. Once made correctly it feels very sturdy and doesn’t feel like it will break easily. And even if it does, you can simply put it back together again!
The bow even has dart holders which helps you keep them safe and not lose them!
We have only made the one model so far but there are 4 builds you can make with this set. And of course you can create your own.
K’Nex 70 Model Builder available from Amazon
With 705 pieces this is a set that will certainly keep the children occupied. Recommended for ages 7+ there are 70 builds you can make….and of course you can create your own too!
With step by step visual guides for 15 of the models, you can get the instructions for other models on the K’nex website.
With so many pieces we didn’t start of with organising the pieces but just simply got straight into building!
I must admit I did wonder if Bee would get the hang of K’nex and after leaving me to make most of the bow blaster as I wasn’t sure she could do it, she did take more of an interest with this set. And she surprised me as she was totally capable of following the instructions to make the models herself. I should have had more faith in her abilities. She did struggle initially getting some of the pieces to connect as they can be a bit tough and need to be pushed firmly in, but by the end of her second model she had the hang of it and wasn’t asking for too much help from me.
The K’nex has definitely kept her occupied in the evenings after school and has really made her use her skills in following the guides and creating the models.
This set is one that I can see being used over and over again to make all the builds suggested and then perhaps her own creations.