Early Learning Centre Click Clack Track > Reviews (10)

A quite simple but beautiful and classic wooden toy.
Four slim curved tracks are held together one on top of the other by posts at either end. When one of the four little cars supplied is placed on the top track, it will race down and drop to the track below and so on until the car zig zags it's way to the bottom. The smooth wooden track is constructed from a light beech coloured wood with some subtle colouring on the edge of each track (blue at the top, then green, orange and finally red). The four inch long cars are constructed from wood too, but are coloured to reflect each track, their wheels are black with silver 'alloys'.

Cars can race down the track one by one or one straight after another. They can go faster or slower, how far will they race off of the end? Different coloured cars can race each other or start off on separate tracks. However this toy is played with, it can become quite addictive. My little boy enjoys watching me racing the cars and tries to grab them before they can reach the end. He is also able to drop the cars onto the track himself and sometimes just enjoys playing with the cars separately on our wooden floor. I think that he likes the repetitiveness of the click clack sound and enjoys the simplicity of the toy.

The Click Clack Track is designed for children aged from 18 months right through to four years. I will add now that my 11 year old has enjoyed the odd go, not to mention several adults passing through. This toy encourages hand to eye co ordination as placing the cars correctly onto the track can be quite tricky. Toddlers can also gain confidence as well as exercise their thinking ability while playing. The colours of the four cars can easily be taught and it can be interesting to see which one is your child's favourite. I must confess to the fact that this was a present for my one year olds birthday, but even he is able to randomly place a car so that it does what it is supposed to some of the time.

You can buy yourself a Click Clack Track for fifteen pounds from Early Learning Centre stores and also on their website www.elc.co.uk . So what does fifteen pound get you?
Well, I would say an attractive, sturdy, lovable little toy. It looks like it has been built well and feels like it will withstand a bit of brutal play (ours has already survived several crashes and bangs). This well packaged toy needs no batteries yet offers great simple and imaginative fun. A timeless toy that should last any toddler quite a few years to come. The Click Clack Track takes up hardly any room and being not much bigger but a lot lighter than a 'Next' catalogue, can easily be stored on a shelf of a bookcase.
So, excellent quality and outstanding value!
The Early Learning Centre also sell a Click Clack Caterpillar Toy, which works on the same principle. It is slightly bigger and a bit more expensive, but in my opinion, not so nice. It is very colourful and very plasticky. What I like about our version, is the wood, the attractiveness and the simplicity.

The only possible down side to the Click Clack Track, is the likelihood of the cars being lost. Others could be used if they were not too big but probably would not fit as well into the grooves. We haven't permanently lost any of the cars yet, but they do race their way underneath the sofas quite easily.

I think that a giant Click Clack Track would be fun in the garden … watch this space!