We all know Legos and K’Nex when it comes to building toys but there are so many other great building toys out there and that is what I am going to share in this holiday gift guide. I wish I had known more about the importance and value of open-ended building materials when my daughter was younger. While we had the blocks and MagnaTiles, I don’t feel like I encouraged her to use them enough. Building toys can be pricey, especially the ones that will last forever. I tried to include building toys at all different price points but have to tell you that spending the money on good wooden building blocks, MagnaTiles and Brio Builder is completely worth it. There are so many benefits of building and construction toys, including encouraging creativity, imagination and play skills. They are also great for working on executive functioning skills such as focus, attention, planning and organizational skills, problem solving and critical thinking. Manipulating and putting the pieces together is a great way to work on increasing grasp strength and improves fine motor, grasping and manipulation skills. Below, I share a handful of my favorite building and construction toys but there are SO many other fabulous sets out there that I could recommend. If you don’t see something just right for your kiddo, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me at otmeghan@gmail.com for other suggestions. I am always happy to help people find the perfect gifts for their little ones.
1. Beblox Building Toy-these are something new that I discovered and thought were really cool, especially for some of the older kids that I work with. The unique design of the block, almost like a tile, is great for working on improving fine motor, grasping and manipulation skills as they click the pieces together. This set comes with 500 building tiles in a variety of colors and a detailed idea booklet and encourages creativity, imagination and play skills. Kids can work on improving hand-eye and bilateral coordination skills, work on improving visual motor and visual perceptual skills and work on improving executive functioning skills such as focus, attention, following directions, planning and organizational skills. Kids can build stuff on their own or try and create something with a friend in order to work on social skills such as being flexible, working cooperatively and taking ideas from a friend.
2. Roll and Bounce Tower-marble runs have always been a big hit with my preschoolers and school age kids and the little ones always have so much fun watching them and even putting the marbles in but the pieces are always too small for them to be able to participate in the building. The Roll and Bounce tower is a great early version of a marble run for toddlers because the pieces are bigger and easier to manage and they use larger balls so you don’t have to worry about them putting the marbles in their mouths. This 27-piece set comes oversized track and tower pieces that easily fit into each other. There are fun pieces included such as a twirly track, a funnel and a trampoline piece that the ball bounces off of it. This toy is great for working on developing fine motor, grasping and manipulation skills, encourages hand-eye and bilateral coordination and is a good way to work on problem solving, organizational skills and spatial awareness. Lastly, building toys are a great way to encourage social skills such as turn-taking, being a flexible thinker, making compromises and working as a team. Below, you will find a handful of my favorite building toys and kits from this year but there are so many more out there and if you don’t see something that seems right for your kiddo, please don’t hesitate reaching out to me at otmeghan@gmail.com if you need some other ideas.
3. MagnaCraft Blocks-these are for your Minecraft loving kids. MagnaCraft magnetic blocks were inspired by Minecraft and encourage creativity and imagination skills. There are several sets to choose from and they include magnetic blocks in all different colors such as bricks, trees, water, stone and grass. MagnaCraft blocks were created with the intention of encouraging kids to build different 3-D scenes. Each set comes with 100 magnetic blocks. MagnaCraft blocks are a great tool for working on improving fine motor, grasping and manipulation skills, improves hand-eye and bilateral coordination skills, works on visual motor and visual perceptual skills and works on executive functioning skills such as focus, attention and planning skills. This is a great building block to play with independently or use in a small group to work on improving social skills such as flexible thinking, cooperative play, accepting feedback and taking turns.
4. Basic Wooden Building Blocks-I think one of the most important toys for toddlers is the old-fashioned wooden blocks. There is a reason you will find them in every preschool classroom. Building blocks encourage creativity, imagination and play skills while also working on developing fine motor and gross motor skills. Kids can learn about shapes, sizes and other concepts when building with blocks. It also works on developing hand-eye and bilateral coordination skills and visual motor and visual perceptual skills. Toddlers can start to explore problem-solving skills at a young age, identifying problems while building and working to find solutions, whether it be on their own or if they are building with their friends or siblings. There are also a lot of social benefits of building with blocks including flexible thinking, cooperative play, taking feedback, taking turns putting blocks on and so much more. The set that I have shared is from Haba contains 60 different sized and shaped blocks made from solid, natural, untreated beech wood and comes with a sturdy fabric carrying case.
5. Playstix-another new building toy I discovered this year that encourages creativity, imagination and play skills. Playstix are a plastic open-ended construction toy that has grooves that interlock when placed on top of each other. They come in different sizes and colors so kids can build all kinds of structures. The linked set comes with 105 Playstix and an idea booklet to help kids begin creating. Playstix are great for working on improving fine motor, grasping and manipulation skills, improves hand-eye and bilateral coordination skills, improves visual motor and visual perceptual skills, encourages creativity, imagination and play skills and works on executive functioning skills such as focus, attention, planning, organizational skills and following directions.
6. MagnaTiles Classic Starter Sets-I will never not recommend MagnaTiles as a beginner building toy for kids. I know that there are a lot of budget magnetic tiles out there but I really suggest spending the money because these are an investment and will last you forever. We still have our whole collection of MagnaTiles from when my now 14 year old daughter was little and pull them out whenever we have young guests. There are 4-classic sets to choose from starting at 32-pieces and up to 100-pieces. The classic sets come with the original colors and shapes and are compatible with all of the other MagnaTiles sets. MagnaTiles are one of the most versatile building toys and have so many benefits. They are a great tool to introduce colors and shapes and sorting skills to little ones. MagnaTiles also work on improving fine motor, grasping and manipulation skills, works on hand-eye and bilateral coordination skills, encourages creativity and imagination skills, encourage problem solving, critical thinking and work on planning and organizational skills.
7. Roller Coaster Engineering Kit-some of my older kids are really into engineering, science and building things but want something more than just Legos. If you have a kid in your life like this, I recommend this roller coaster building set. It comes with over 300 pieces and a step-by-step illustrated instruction manual for 20 experiments to try. This is a great building kit to work on improving executive functioning skills such as focus and attention, following directions, planning and organizational skills, problem solving and dealing with frustration tolerance. Additionally, it is great for working on improving fine motor, grasping and manipulation skills, improves hand-eye and bilateral coordination skills and improves visual motor and visual perceptual skills.
8. Trestle Tracks Pro-I recommended the smaller set in my Small Gifts and Stocking Stuffers Gift Guide (for school age kids) but if you have the space and have a kid who’s really into building and creating, this is a great building kit for them. Marble runs are great for working on spatial awareness, problem solving, cause and effect, motor planning and organizational skills. It is also great for working on improving fine motor, grasping and manipulation skills, encourages hand-eye and bilateral coordination skills and works on executive functioning skills such as focus and attention. Trestle Tracks Pro includes 26 basic tracks, whirlpool track, stairs track, bouncer track, plinko track, switcher track, 200 risers, 4 catchers, 4 toppers, 20 steel balls, 4 bases, catch-and-release track, combiner track, ski jump track, wait-your-turn track, fill-and-spill track, 5 tall risers, long-run track and a detailed instruction manual with ideas for builds. This can be played with independently or is a great building toy to do with friends or siblings to work on social skills.
9. SmartMax Roboflex Plus-another great open-ended building toy for the younger builder in your life. The set comes with 20 different pieces and an inspirational poster to help kids start building. All of the pieces are chunky and connect via magnets which makes it perfect for those developing toddler hands. What I really love is that there is also a pop-tube component to this building toy which is one of my favorite therapeutic toys. In this fun set, kids can create silly robots using the rolling wheels, spinning propellers and all the extendable pop-tubes. Kids work on improving fine motor, grasping and manipulation skills, encourages creativity, imagination and play skills, works on developing hand-eye and bilateral coordination skills and can work on improving executive functioning skills such as focus, attention, planning and organizational skills.
10. Brio Builder Creative Set-this is a great building set if you have a kid who really loves to use tools to create and build. This open-ended construction set comes with over 250 construction pieces that includes nuts, bolts, a hammer, wrench and other tools. The wooden pieces are made from certified wood from well-managed forests and recycled materials and the perfect size for little hands. The Brio Builder Creative set is great for working on improving fine motor, grasping and manipulation skills, improves hand-eye and bilateral coordination skills, encourages creativity, imagination and play skills and works on executive functioning skills such as focus, attention, critical thinking and problem solving skills.
11. Clixo Rainbow Pack-I discovered Clixo recently and wish they had been around when my daughter was younger. Clixo is a magnetic building toy for children that comes in a variety of shapes and colors. The pieces are thin and flexible and can be bent, folded and moved around to snap to each other in order to create 3D structures. One of the things I love about Clixo is that they are flat, super thin and lightweight making them great for on-the-go entertainment. This Rainbow Pack is the perfect starter set if you have a little one who loves to build. It comes with 42 pieces in a variety of colors and unique Clixo shapes, including 3 spinner pieces. Clixo are great for working on improving fine motor, grasping and manipulation skills, improves hand-eye and bilateral coordination skills, works on visual motor and visual perceptual skills, encourages imagination and creativity and works on executive functioning skills such as focus, attention, planning and organizational skills.
12. Bristle Block Stackadoos-I have always loved bristle blocks, especially for little ones or those kids who have fine motor delays or decreased grasp strength. Bristle blocks feature soft, interlocking bristles that stick together at any angle without having to use too much energy which makes them less frustrating for your little ones. This 68-piece set from B.Toys is one of my favorites because it not only has the traditional shapes, but also comes with a handful of unique shapes and pieces to add some fun details to your child’s creations. Building with bristle blocks is a great way to encourage creativity and imagination while also working on improving fine motor skills, increases grasp strength and manipulation skills, works on developing hand-eye and bilateral coordination skills, and works on improving visual motor and visual perceptual skills. They also work on improving spatial awareness and problem solving skills as they figure out how pieces go together while building. It also provides a nice tactile experience for sensory seeking kiddos!