Toyologist Review: My First Painting by numbers

Review by The Beesley Buzz.



What's in the box:



This Painting by numbers set contains two numbered painting boards featuring a jungle design on each, one paint brush, 7 acrylic paints, and the back of the carboard packaging is designed to be pushed out as a paint organiser to place your paint pots onto the corresponding number.

I didn't have high hopes for this product as I am a firm beleiver that children should be encouraged to use their own creativity and imagination when drawing and painting and not be too restricted by pre-printed pictures and where the colours are decided through a paint by numbers system. However, as soon as my sons started to work on their paintings with such a sense of care, attention to detail and pride, my mind was transported back to my childhood and I remembered just how much I used to love painting by numbers.

Instead of seeing it as a way of restricting their creativity, I suddenly remembered that wonderful sense of acheivement of ending up with a painting that looks really good and the challenge of making sure the colours had been filled in correctly and neatly.



It is aimed at children aged 5 and over and I think it would be too fiddly for children younger than this. Even Daniel (aged 6) got a little fed up half way through and has saved the rest of his picture to finish another day. But for Joshua (aged 8) it was a perfect activity to pass an afternoon during half-term.

The positives:

• 2 numbered boards included - so we just added another brush so that both children could do the activity together.
• High quality product - the boards are made of cardboard and have a gloss to them so any accidental spills can be wiped off.
• The paints are good quality acrylic paints and offer good coverage both in terms of looking bright and thick, and there is sufficient paint included to cover both the boards with a little spare.

The one piece of feedback I would give to the manufacturer is that the paints cover the picture so well, that they also cover the black outline of the pictures so the pictures don't end up exactly as portrayed (unless your children have an extremely steady hand and manage not to paint on any of the outlines).

Overall, I found this to be a great product and it would make a lovely Christmas stocking filler.


Henri Rousseau eat your heart out!

Available soon from Toys R Us.