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Little Tikes 3-in-1 Sports Zone Honest Review
Lately I have been seeing the Little Tikes 3-in-1 Sports Zone Toy in nearly every store I’ve entered (digital and brick and mortar). It was a Toy of the Year Finalist in 2018, so we wanted to give it a shot and test it out to see if it really is everything that it is hyped up to be.
Description – Little Tikes 3-in-1 Sports Zone
This toy includes 3 separate sports within one activity center: basketball, soccer and bowling. The basketball hoop is adjustable to accommodate your growing child, and the backboard lights up and emits sounds when shots are made. The toy has 3 modes that it can be set in based on your child’s age:
- Learn Mode for teaching colors, shapes and numbers
- Move Mode for encouraging your child to engage and move
- Games Mode for teaching your child to follow simple instructions
There are over 75 phrases and sounds stored that will be played based on these modes. The Toy Center can be folded up for easy storage when you are not using it. The toy weighs in at about 10 pounds, and does require 3 AA batteries that are not included. The recommended age range is from 12 months up to 3 years. The toy retails for $59.99, although you can usually find it for less online or with a coupon in a store.
Here is a picture of the toy folded up:
Pros:
- Very Engaging Toy – the lights and sound after scoring keep children engaged and entertained for long periods. The Basketball and Bowling games are both exceptionally entertaining for a child.
- I love that the bowling pins are attached, so you don’t have to pick them up individually to reset them, you simply push down on the buttons to bring them upright and “reset” the pins.
- Easy Assembly and Storage – simple to put together and to hold up and put away. I really appreciate this as toys have taken over our house.
- Durable – this toy has held up well to both of my kids hanging on it and throwing all 3 balls at it over and over again.
Cons:
- Relatively Small – this may just be us because we have tall children, but I wish this expanded more and became even larger. My son likes it so much, I wish he could continue to use it past the recommended age range, but I think he will be too tall. They should really make a larger size for older children!
- The soccer aspect could be better designed. The net will sometimes come off and this part isn’t nearly as entertaining as the Basketball and Bowling components.
Final Verdict
Ultimately, I do think whether you will get use out of the toy depends on your child’s interests. My little girl couldn’t care less about playing with sports-based toys. She is much more interested in pretend makeup and artistic toys. However my son loves playing with balls and anything sports related, and he has from since the time he turned 1. He absolutely loves playing with this sports center so much that he will even get my daughter to join in for short periods. He really does play with this toy every single day. If you have a child who is naturally drawn to sports or loves chasing around balls, I think this is a winner for them. So much so, you may be wishing they make a bigger size like I do!
Thanks for stopping by. If you enjoyed this review, you may also want to check out my review on the best baby learning walkers.