In this article, we will explore the benefits of construction and building block toys for your kids, in addition, we will learn what types of toys out there, how is it all related to STEM, and finally, what are the best construction and building block toys.
Benefits Of Construction And Building Block Toys For Toddlers
Creativity
Everyone at some stage in their life is challenged to think creatively, more often than not, at unexpected moments. By helping a child to think creatively in early years, it helps the brain to look beyond a one directional way of thinking. as shown above, this is where ‘out of the box’ thinking comes into play. If children understand the importance of thinking different when undertaking a task, they will always use this skill in later life. Allowing kids to be creative is a necessity in education.
Problem Solving
Through their constructive play, a child will learn what will work and what will not. Trial-and-error is a great method in which to create structures and modify methods. Moreover, Overcoming problems to build structures in a particular way will always aid creative thinking and problem solving skills.
Fine Motor Skills
As your child or pupil crawls, walks or stretches to build their construction piece, they strengthen their gross motor skills. Developing small muscles in hands and fingers will help to hone fine motor skills and therefore make the body more complete and developed
Cooperative Play
Watching children play nicely together is great to see. Construction play helps children to cooperate with each other in order to complete tasks. For instance, This could be something as simple as passing each other bricks or passing buckets to each other. By doing this children will strengthen their social skills and become better team players.
Hand-Eye coordination
Children use hand-eye coordination whenever they build or construct. As they start building blocks, a child’s eyes send visual information to the brain to tell it where the hand is placed and if it is legible. With this information, the brain generates instructions for how the hand has to move in order to create appropriate shapes.
Moreover, There’s so much more to construction play than meets the eye! That is why this method of play is used everyday by teachers inside and outside of the classroom across the world.
Types of Building Blocks for Kids
Building blocks for kids come in many colors – from bright orange to baby pink to blue and green – that will keep their interest and help them learn new colors as they play and explore. That said, Let’s take a look at the different types of building blocks for kids.
- Educational blocks (Alphabet, numbers etc.)
- Wooden blocks
- Lego & Duplo blocks
- Mega Blocks
- Magnetic blocks
- Foam blocks
- Castle building blocks
- Rainbow blocks
- Bristle blocks
How to choose the right building blocks for your kids
Whether you want to purchase a wooden block set for your child, or you want to introduce them to other building blocks, you will likely be able to find the perfect set for you because there are so many available options. Firstly, It is important to keep in mind that the blocks for kids should not be toys that pose a choking hazard for younger children. Even educational toys can pose a risk to younger children if they are built incorrectly or used incorrectly. This is partly why Duplo blocks are more so for young kids while Lego blocks are meant for older kids; Duplo blocks are bigger and are less of a choking hazard.
Many blocks are built to last and provide safe play for anyone young and old.
This makes them included under the best construction and building block toys and an excellent choice for families who want to provide their kids with something that’ll bring hours of entertainment for years to come. When you factor in the value of the product, the cost of the product, and its ability to provide entertainment during play, you will find that even parents with a lower budget can feel good about purchasing this product.
What Are The Best Construction and Building Block Toys For Toddlers
We have tested, reviewed and order the best construction and building block toys online for you to make the best choice for your baby.
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#1 Melissa & Doug Wooden Building Blocks Set
Best in Wooden
Firstly, This classic wood block set includes 100 solid-wood blocks painted bright red, blue, yellow, and green. Secondly, A versatile variety of shapes are included: rectangular prisms, cubes, cylinders, half circles, arches, and two different sizes of rectangular planks and triangles. A set of wooden blocks provides an opportunity for a child to pass the hours constructing towers, castles, towns, and more; Designed for children ages 2 and up, this set offers the opportunity for younger kids to practice their fine motor skills and experiment with the laws of physics while giving older kids an outlet for their creativity. Parents will appreciate the safe, durable construction.
Though they’re made of solid wood, these blocks are light in weight, which makes them above all, safer for small children.
The blocks have rounded edges and a smooth painted finish that won’t splinter with play. The wooden building blocks set is designed for kids entertainment but also introduces early math concepts, and helps children develop good patience and strong motor skills during the play.
Product Highlights
- Recommended age range: 2 to 8 years
- Includes 100 durable wooden blocks in 4 different colors and 9 shapes
- Blocks are light in weight, which makes them safe for kids
- Blocks have rounded edges and a smooth painted finish
- Pros
- Good price
- Durability
- Value For Money
- Light weight
- Cons
- Not for younger kids
- Smaller than many block sets
Summary:
In conclusion, This favorite collection of 100 wooden blocks comes in four colors and nine shapes. Little builders three and older will find it easy to grasp the approximately 1-inch to 2.25-inch smooth blocks. Kids delight in stacking, building, and knocking them down in countless colorful combinations, while gaining invaluable practice with fine motor skills and dexterity, color and shape recognition, and pre-math skills.
#2 BRIO Builder Starter Set
Best Builders set
Time to put your construction ideas to the test with this Builder Starter Set. A fun way to practice hand/eye coordination and creative idea construction. Comes in a handy plastic toolbox for easy storage.
Start your budding train engineer off on the right track or expand your collection with a Builder Starter Set. It’s the perfect gift at Christmas or over the holiday season for the creative toddler – designed for ages 3 and up.
The Builder Starter Set comes with 49 pieces including nuts, bolts, blocks, a spanner, pliers and more!
Product Highlights
- Recommended age range: 3 Years and above
- 49 pieces including nuts, bolts, blocks, a spanner, pliers and more
- Easy to clean up and store
- Pros
- Easy to clean
- Wide age range
- Giftable
- Comfortable to storage
- Cons
- Wish there were more pieces
Summary:
All things considered, This would be the perfect excuse to treat your little one to an experience of both building and construction, using their ideas and imaginations to design and create their own engineering masterpiece! Alternatively, this would also make for a lovely birthday or Christmas present too!
#3 Battat 113-Piece Set Bristle Blocks
Best in Bristle
Battat is a family-owned toy manufacturer that is 114 years old and has been in North America for over 40 years.
Every Battat toy has an educational value, whether it is didactic or nurturing, or collecting and creating worlds for children playing with them. And above all, Each product is always manufactured to the highest standards under rigorous safety standards.
The Battat Bristle Blocks 113-Piece Basic Building Set is ideal for building hand-eye coordination and stimulating young, curious minds. Bristle blocks feature soft, interlocking bristles that stick together at any angle for frustration-free building. This basic building set includes 113 pieces in assorted sizes and vibrant colors for hours of imaginative play. A family of four figurines and five animal figurines provide additional options for play. The blocks in this set are compatible with Battat Spinaroo and Stackadoo bristle block set
Product Highlights
- Recommended age range: 2 years and up
- Includes 113 pieces in assorted sizes and vibrant colors
- Compatible with Battat Spinaroo and Stackadoo bristle
- Stimulates creativity
- Includes convenient carrying case with handle
- Pros
- Easy
- Portability
- Value for money
- Cons
- Low quality case
- Not very colorful
Summary:
In conclusion, The Bristle Blocks by Battat are a STEM building set that is perfect for toddlers. The pieces are easy to assemble and are made with soft, interlocking bristles that stick together at any angle. The set features 113 pieces in assorted sizes and colors and is worry-free to use because it complies with regulatory phthalates and BPA requirements. The set is easy to store and clean up, and is a fun and developmental toy for toddlers.
#4 Cossy 120 PCs Magnetic Building Blocks
Best in Magnetic Blocks
Building Blocks developing kids creativity. Children can acquire strong sense of color, geometrical shapes including 3D forms numbers counts, magnetic polarities & architectural design at early age.
Product Highlights
- Recommended age range: 3 years and up
- 120 PCs of Magnetic Building Blocks
- Develop Team Building Skills, Patterning, Shape Recognition
- Simulates Creative Thinking, Social Skills, Motor Skills, Problem Solving and more
- Pros
- Easy to construct
- Compatible with other brands
- Colorful
- Cons
- A bit pricy
- Magnets could be stronger
Summary:
To sum up, PicassoTiles magnetic blocks can help children master the basic knowledge of geometry, magnets, structure, 3D form, and develop their imagination, creativity, color and shape recognition.
The magnets are strong enough to build any interesting tall castle. PicassoTiles magnet blocks that inspires both your intuition and your imagination, allowing you to put things into perspective.
Smooth surface design is secure for your children. No sharp edges to protect your little one’s hands
#5 LEGO Classic Large Creative Brick Box
Best For Preschoolers
Product Highlights
- Recommended age range: 4-66
- Build and play with 790 pieces of Lego
- Includes 8 different types of toy windows and toy doors, 2 green baseplates and 6 toy tires and toy wheel rims
- Pros
- Durability
- Sturdiness
- Value for money
- Comes with storage box
- Cons
- Swallow hazard for little kids
- Small pieces can get lost
Summary:
Unleash your kids’ creativity with this building kit full of colorful toys. This 790 piece set contains a variety of colors and pieces for building anything from a toy scooter to a toy house. Kids can build and play for hours with 8 different types of toy windows and toy doors, 2 green baseplates and 6 toy tires and toy wheel rims. It won’t be long before kids are using this creative kit to build a castle or build a figure. In conclusion, The LEGO Classic Large Creative Brick Box is the perfect construction set to complement other LEGO sets or play with on its own!
#6 National Geographic Glowing Marble Run – 150 Piece Construction Set
Unique
This one is without a doubt one of the best construction and building block toys as well as STEM toys out there. The National Geographic 150-Piece Glow-in-the-Dark Marble Run Construction Set has everything kids need to create incredible marble runs that will have their glowing marbles racing toward the finish line!
This Kit Includes: 30 glow-in-the-dark marbles; 1 UV light to help your marbles glow brighter, longer; 85 smooth-run tube pieces; 26 action pieces that fit securely together, so you can be sure that your marble run maze won’t fall apart when you play; 9 sturdy bases to build a stable structure; storage bag; and Learning Guide with instructions.
Configure the pieces in any design you’d like – the possibilities are endless! The detailed learning guide has lots of information about the physics of motion and gravity, so kids can learn while they play! And when they’re all done, a convenient storage bag is included so you can keep all the marble run pieces stored together.
To sum up, The National Geographic 150-Piece Glow-in-the-Dark Marble Run Set is a super-fun way to explore construction, engineering, and physics!
Product Highlights
- Recommended age range: 8 Years and up
- Pieces fit together snuggly, so your marble maze won’t fall apart
- 6 different colors of glow in the dark glass marbles
- A storage bag and marble pouch included
- Includes learning guide about physics of motion and aerodynamics
- Pros
- Easy to storage
- Durability
- Unique teaching features
- Cons
- Pricy
- Not fit for smaller kids
Summary:
The National Geographic STEM series provides kids high-quality educational toys that are a whole lot of fun! This 150-piece marble run set has everything you need to create incredible marble mazes that will have your glowing marbles racing toward the finish line!
In short, This is our most recommended STEM toy for kids above 8 years.
#7 KIDWILL Wooden Toddler Tools Set
Best Construction kit for Toddlers
If your little toddler shows extraordinary hands-on ability when they are growing up, this tool set is the best gift for them to explore the do-it-yourself fun. No matter as a gift for birthday, Thanksgiving or Christmas, this toy set is beneficial to encourage comprehensive development.
Parents would be glad to see their small changes and big achievements they would make, because everything matters if it would make your little angel happy and grow.
This tool kit designed specially for kids comes with all parts and accessories they want, hammer, wrench, pliers, ruler, saw, screwdriver, nuts and bolts etc. In addition, Its is coated with vibrant colors and cute patterns, your little one could use these lovely tools to enjoy amazing pretend play!
Children could build up various models using all pieces, like balance scale, windmill, helicopter, airplane, car and more creative shapes. This encourages imagination of little builders, improves their manual dexterity and problem solving ability.
Product Highlights
- Recommended age range: 24 months and up
- Encourage Imaginative Play
- Variety of Tools for Little Hands
- Toolbox for Storage
- Pros
- Durability
- Age appropriate
- Colorful
- Cons
- Can be more pieces included
Summary:
This tool set encourages imaginative play with building and designing. Kids can build many different fun shapes out of the chunky, smooth-edge wood blocks.
Including a sturdy wooden toolbox, you could keep all the items organized in the box when buildings and repairs are done for the day. It’s also convenient to carry around for a trip.
Sized for little hands, the 8 toddler-safe tools in this set are easy for kids to hold and the cute little faces on the tools are friendly with kids that they will be confident when learning to use different kinds of tools.
#8 LEGO DUPLO Classic Brick Box
Best Lego for Toddlers
This fun-filled developmental toy is packed with bricks and pieces that encourage toddlers to explore hands-on creativity and imaginative play. Familiar objects stimulate young minds and colorful shapes invite free-building fun, making this LEGO DUPLO starter set the perfect way to inspire any young builder. In addition, inside the sturdy storage box, you’ll find a car with moving wheels, a roof, window, flowers, bread, DUPLO people figures and 1,2,3 numbered bricks… along with an assortment of original bricks in a rainbow of inviting colors. As parents share the joy of combining the bricks and pieces into endless imaginative play possibilities, they experience first-hand their little builder’s precious developmental milestones. DUPLO playsets put open-ended play and self-expression into the hands of budding builders. With colorful, easy-to-hold pieces that excite toddlers’ imaginations, they’re safe, clean and easy to take wherever you go.
Product Highlights
- Recommended age range: 18 months and up
- Includes 65 colorful bricks plus familiar pieces to stimulate toddlers' minds
- With simple instructions and safe, easy-to-handle LEGO DUPLO bricks
- Inspire creative construction
- Pros
- Durability
- Easy to handle
- Versatile
- Multicolor
- Cons
- Pricy
Summary:
Build a shiny blue car and drive around the town with this LEGO DUPLO brick box set. Two mini figures accompany you on fun-filled adventures, while the roof, flower, window and colorful brick pieces let you set up a house or park. This 65-piece LEGO DUPLO brick box set includes additional ideas for more hours of play.
To sum up, Totally one of the most popular and best construction and building block toys for toddlers.