my child has had this toy for 2 months and is now 10 months old. i mounted this toy on the wall so that my child would have something to play with that isn't on the ground as the rest of his toys are. here are the benefits of this toy:
- helped bring his awareness and gaze off the ground where 90% of other toys are (because i mounted it on the wall), strengthening his neck muscles and trunk, helping to bring his arms up and away from his body
- fine motor - helped improve his grasp as the pegs are really easy to hold onto in his hand - helped strengthen his grasp because they take a little effort to tug out
- fine motor - tactile input of the holes helped him learn to use his pointer independently - putting his finger in the holes on the board and the pegs
- oral motor - taught him how to blow through the pegs - some make a slight whistle noise
- cognitive - i lined the pegs on the floor two feet apart from the living room to the bedroom and he followed them
- "kaboom" - stack the pegs up high on the floor and taught him to knock the tower down
- pull apart - improved grasp and shoulder strength by pulling these pegs apart - tries to put them back together but isn't there yet - has learned to twist as he pulls them apart
- can hang other toys like rings on these pegs which serve as hooks when the board is mounted
- can put the pegs in a clear container and teach him "in" and "out"
haven't even gotten to stringing the toys together with the shoelace it comes with, haven't gotten to counting or colors either as he's still too young to really get that. great toy if you have the time and patience to be creative and teach the baby. plus the colors are great and my friends without kids think this is akin to mod art in my living room.