A friend purchased this for my daughter as a playdate treat some time ago, and my daughter had great fun with it. The kit works well, but I would advise parental supervision for younger children (5-7) if only because the plastic machine for making the foil beads is not exactly high quality and may break easily if too much pressure is applied. The set comes with 72 pieces of foil in four bright colors - these pieces need to be folded properly before being inserted into the bead maker, so once again, parental supervision or aid might be required, at least until the child gets the hang of it.There's really no complexity to this kit, except perhaps in folding the foil sheets properly and after its loaded into the bead maker, all one needs to do is crank it until the foil is pressed together and voila, a bead is made! The instructions are user-friendly, and all in all, this is a fun craft kit. I was so impressed at how easy and fun it was that I bought a set for my daughter's friend's 9th birthday.I purchased this for my 6 year old daughter. She is a little advanced, when it comes to dexterity and fine motor skills, maybe on par with a 7 or even 8 yr old, so I purchased this without hesitation.I think it is great for fine motor skills at any age. The rolling takes some concentration. The threading is pretty simple, but still, it reinforces working with small things. I watched at my daughter was rolling on the cocktail table, then on her lap, and back to the table. Oh and any bowl or plastic container was a good thing- while having the bead caps on the cocktail table, they either rolled off or she knocked them down before I grabbed a paint cup to place them all in.Also, the piece with the foil and bead caps, only fits into the shaft one way (we put it in wrong way and thought it was broke because we could not close the door). But the side the bead cap comes on and off on, that side goes closest to the crank handle.I definitely think a run-through or two are needed for any 7 yr old or even 8 yr old. Advanced 6 yr olds should be fine. Oh, and if the rolling isn't perfect, tell them not to worry- we looked at it as a surprise- not knowing how they would turn out. One we called mint chocolate chip ice cream, because it was silver with swirls of green, which was really neat looking!I'd give this a full 5 stars but educational value and durability rate 4 stars since they are low. It is well worth a purchase though if you have a daughter, grand daughter or niece that likes to do craft type projects.My brother and his wife both said they thought it was a very cool concept as well, that she was very happy with this gift plus had lots of fun making the beads and jewelry. Sounds like six thumbs up to me....you know 3 people 2 thumbs each. :)If you're looking for a good gift and your recipient like crafty items they will be pleased with this item!My daughter purchased this with her own money after seeing the video. The only problem I see is that we are going to be going through a lot of foil-I'm going to have to find somewhere to buy it in bulk! LOL She absolutely LOVES this thing. She loved doing the paper beads--but I think she enjoys this even more. I personally told her she ought to purchase a different kit, but she was determined this was the one she wanted. She turned out to be smarter than mommy. This is her favorite bead kit by far. Thanks for a great product for a girl who loves to make things!I purchased two of these: one for my niece and one for my granddaughter. My granddaughter (age 10) gives this review: This is a good toy. It is easy to do and makes pretty beads. I can experiment and use different colors and sizes to make new beads. It is a good thing to do while watching a video so I can do two things at once.It takes a moment to figure out how it works, but once she got the hang of it, she put me to work folding the foil and cutting it into the size she wanted. The earring hoops and string for neclaces was great. This is a good item to have on the shelf when the "girls" come over to play!I like this toy. The target age is 7+ but it holds the attention of craft minded kids. It requires some mechanical understanding so adult help is necessary to ease your child through successfully. I liked this toy so much that I bought one just to have around. I would like to see a smaller cartridge for smaller beads and regular paper for plain beads that can be glazed.For my two year old I hold the cartridge while she turns the handle a few times. Her attention span is short so a few turn is what she can do. She loves wearing her bead and is delighted with the bead she made. It is a good toy to help with understanding a craft "process." I have given the bead maker to many children. The parents always comment enthusiastically and are curious about it.Thx!Fun for kids who enjoy crafts and making jewelry, however, make sure you are around to help them as it can be a little difficult for those about 6 or 7 years old. It does make jewelry that kids will wear and the colors that come with it are extremely "loud." Not a bad gift for the money paid for it.Our daughter got this for Christmas 2012 and really loved it. She played with it constantly for about two weeks. As all things go though she got over it and moved on to other things. From time to time she will take it back out and make some more beads.The beads hold up remarkably well for what they are made out of (compressed foil), but they will over time fall apart.We'd buy this again.beads are very large but compacts well.