My 5 year old daughter manages this fine by herself but wouldn't reccommend for any younger as bead patterns a bit fiddly. She loves picking up the beads with pen but they have got stuck a few times. Beware- if you have younger children, they break easily once made. Could have done with some more templates to create patterns on as there are only about 5. Overall, she enjoys it and has educational value in terms of creative development and encouraging fine motor skills. However, for a plastic pen and beads, I think they should retail it at least half the price.