Find loads of building toys for kids at every age and stage: from soft, safe building toys and wooden building blocks for babies and toddlers; to easy, click-and-stick magnetic building toys for preschoolers; to ever more challenging construction toys for older kids and even adults. You’ll also find cool construction toys: build-and-play toys, ride-on trucks, and fun construction vehicles. Construction play can be open-ended, with kids simply building freestyle using their imaginations; or it can be structured, with instructions for kids to follow to achieve a satisfying resulting model, vehicle, or play set. Both types of construction sets provide hours of fun, help develop problem-solving and fine-motor skills, and hone mathematical thinking.
It all starts with stacking the building blocks
As babies and toddlers develop their hand-eye coordination and pincer skills, they begin with building play: making towers of almost anything. They enjoy simple wooden building blocks or other construction sets that can safely be stacked up – and of course, knocked down! Popular building toys for 3-year-olds and 4-year-olds feature chunky, easy-to-handle blocks and bright colours, like the interconnecting bricks in LEGO, DUPLO, building sets and MEGA Bloks building toys. Often these construction sets are based on kids’ favourite characters or series and often feature vehicles like toy cars, Monster trucks, and toy train sets to add special interest to imaginative play. Other features of popular construction toys include textured surfaces like bristles that stick together and pull apart easily, or click-and-stick magnetic pieces, both of which offer frustration-free building fun for younger builders. Preschoolers’ frequent fascination with heavy machinery and vehicles also makes CAT construction toys – and even ride-on vehicles – popular choices.
From blocks to bricks play toys
As kids gain confidence and dexterity – around 6 years old or 7 years old – they may enjoy both the structure and open-ended nature of interconnected bricks like those in LEGO building sets. This best-selling building toy brand has a vast variety of sets across a range of skill levels, interests, and themes. These include sets based on favourite movies, TV shows and characters, like LEGO Star Wars, LEGO Harry Potter, and LEGO Superheroes sets, as well as the brand’s original series such as LEGO Friends and LEGO NINJAGO sets. These popular building sets run the gamut from small builds of a few dozen pieces to create small vignettes or characters, to massive and sophisticated builds of many hundreds, even thousands, of bricks. Experienced builders and collectors can choose from STEM toys that are focused on mechanical construction kits to create working, remote-controlled cars, and highly detailed models; more artistic sets that function as room décor or display pieces; or fan-focused building sets, like models of iconic supercars, sneakers, guitar brands – even famous works of art.
Building toys make more than just models
Construction toys help even very young kids to build spatial skills, to understand concepts like gravity, and cause-and-effect: building a tower and knocking it down is more than just a fun way to make some noise! Toddlers and preschools who love to see big machines at work can mimic those activities with construction vehicle toys and with their collections of blocks and bricks, developing storytelling and problem-solving skills. Fun, freestyle building from bins of assorted building blocks or bricks – to make a Halloween scene, a Christmas decoration, a party centrepiece – allows kids to use their imaginations, experiment with structures, and exercise their creative muscles. Following the instructions of even a very simple building set or educational model kit teaches kids valuable STEM skills and demands focus and rigour. The more complex and sophisticated the building kit, the greater the challenge as kids explore principles of engineering and physics.
Building blocks FAQs
How do building blocks help a child's development?
Children develop hand-eye coordination and spatial and fine-motor skills as they experiment with stacking building blocks into towers or other structures; they learn about concepts like gravity and cause-and-effect when their creations collapse; they hone their creativity and storytelling skills playing imaginative games with construction` toys; and they deepen their understanding of science, tech, engineering, and math (STEM) concepts with buildings sets and models that are more complex.
What are building blocks?
Building blocks can be as simple as basic 3D shapes made of wood, foam, or other lightweight materials that young kids can stack and arrange; or as complex as attracting magnetic pieces, interconnecting bricks, or components that kids can assemble using tools and fasteners.
What to get a kid who likes to build?
Top rated toy gifts for kids who enjoy building play include everything from basic wooden or foam building blocks; to building toys with interconnecting bricks, like LEGOâ toys, or magnetic shapes like MAGFORMERS; to complex building sets or mechanical models like STEM kits, GraviTrax sets, Meccano sets, or LEGOâ Speed Champions, or Technicä building sets.
What age are blocks good for?
Basic building blocks are a popular gift: soft plush or foam options are good for kids as young as 6 months; classic wooden building blocks are good for toddlers 18 months and older; and interconnecting construction toys are popular choices for kids 3 years old and up, with more complex sets available as kids gain confidence and skill.
Are building blocks safe for children?
Building blocks made from lightweight and non-toxic materials are generally safe for kids aged 6 months and older provided the pieces are large enough that they do not pose a choking hazard.
Why are wooden building blocks good for toddlers?
Wooden building blocks are good construction toys for toddlers because they are simple, sturdy, lightweight, and often brightly coloured, which offers hours of open-ended play for kids; they supply the imagination, and the wooden shapes can become almost anything!
What do kids learn from building blocks?
Building blocks and other construction toys teach kids about concepts like gravity, balance, and cause-and-effect; they teach kids about engineering and problem-solving as they experiment with different building methods; and they offer opportunities for kids to be creative in their builds and the stories they imagine around their creations.
What skills do building blocks develop?
Building blocks and other construction toys help kids develop hand-eye coordination and fine-motor and balance skills; they hone concepts like gravity, balance, and cause-and-effect; they teach kids science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) skills, and about problem-solving as they experiment with different building methods; and they offer opportunities for kids to be creative in their builds and in the stories they imagine around their creations.
How do building blocks help a child’s social development?
Building blocks and other construction toys can help children to develop skills in problem-solving and cooperation when they play alongside or with their other kids; and when children play out pretend scenarios with their building block creations, they develop skills in storytelling and empathy.
Why do kids love building blocks?
Kids love building blocks and other construction toys because these sets are so versatile: simple wooden blocks, magnetic pieces, and interconnecting bricks can become anything when kids build freestyle; and when they choose more complex or sophisticated building sets or construction kits, kids enjoy the challenge of following instructions and the satisfaction of a successful build.