Construction toys for kids are great on so many levels. Does your child get a kick out of building things? If so, you’ll love these cool building kits for kids.
Building toys for kids take concepts such as structural design, Math, physics, mechanics and engineering and turn them into fun learning adventures.
Children get to experiment creatively; building fantastic and imaginative structures which represent how they view the world around them. From simple building bricks to cool geometrical formations, construction toys offer children a sound foundation on which to build their education.
Below I present 15 awesome building toys and great gift ideas for kids of all ages.
Cool Construction Toys for Kids
#1 LEGO
What’s not to love about LEGO toys? They’re colorful, super easy to build with and extremely hard wearing. LEGO allows a child to fine tune gross motor skills and develop the ability to think creativity about problem solving. The building process can either be a solitary affair or inclusive others which then provides a fun social element where children can communicate and brainstorm awesome ideas on which to build on.
In terms of creativity, I don’t actually think there is anything you ‘can’t’ build with LEGO – the only limitations on construction with these toys is how far a child’s mind can stretch.
#2 Duplo
Another hot toy from the LEGO family comes in the shape of Duplo. These toys are fashioned in the same mould as regular LEGO, except they are bigger and brighter; perfect for pre-schoolers with a liking of bright, shiny objects, who are still in the oral stage of development.
Little ones get so much enjoyment out of putting things together, then tearing them apart again. Duplo pieces are very easy to manipulate so pulling them apart will be an easy task for a tiny tot. With these toys you’ll find basic brick sets as well as themed LEGO such as My First Zoo and My First Fire Station, which are great for teaching children about real world concepts.
#3 K’NEX
These construction toys for kids marry technical engineering with sleek building structure. K’NEX sets are characteristically high in educational value; inspiring creativity, confidence and social interaction between children and adults. The most popular K’NEX sets are the super value kits such as the K’NEX 521 Piece Value Tub and the 400 Piece Tub which supply the materials to make numerous building arrangements including the likes of the Ferris Wheel, as pictured above.
#4 Mega Bloks
Here’s another cool building set designed specifically with pre-schoolers in mind. Mega Bloks are often compared to Duplo because of their chunkiness. You can generally start your child off earlier with the Mega Bloks Maxi sets as they are huge and easier to put together and pull apart as compared to Duplo. Mega Bloks are totally suitable for 1 year olds, while the recommended age for Duplo is 1.5 years.
The great thing about Mega Bloks is that they are perfectly compatible with Duplos and you’ll find your child will enjoy building with both types of bricks.
Another thing you’ll like about Mega Bloks is that they come with their own carry bags; making it easier to store, travel and tidy once the kids are done playing with them.
#5 Erector Sets
Erector Sets are really cool metal building kits for kids aged 7 years and up. In the box you’ll find all manner of mechanical parts and accessories such as electric motors, metal beams, pulleys, wheels, gears and an assortment of nut and bolts. These are what I like to call ‘real’ building kits because you have the ability to create something that’s more than just a stationary model. So an Erector racing car, plane, robot or motorbike, will have an element of manoeuvrability, adding an exciting twist to the toys.
Children learn basic concepts of mechanics and get a thrill from seeing their creations come to life. Depending on the level of dexterity of your child, you’ll find that they may need your assistance with assembly, but once the ‘gadget’ has been built it’s simply fun, fun, fun all the way.
#6 Battat Take Apart
Children absolutely love playing with toys which they can snap together, then quickly pull apart and that’s exactly what Battat Take Apart toys are all about.
These brightly colored building toys come with multiple pieces, including a power screwdriver and nuts and bolts. All the parts are designed with small children in mind so they can be picked up and easily manipulated. The toys tend to take the form of vehicles so you’ll see Battat sets featuring trucks, roadsters and aeroplanes.
Battat toys help to develop fine motor skills and make perfect construction toys for kids, particularly toddlers.
#7 Fisher Price TRIO Toys
These easy to build toy sets feature bricks, panels, sticks and other accessories such as eyes, which click together to form a wide variety of neat play structures. You’ll find sets for building a stunt ramp, garage, Batcave, police station and so much more.
Fisher Price TRIO sets are collectable too, so it’s very possible for children to create their own little town with multiple sets; which of course is great for encouraging imaginative play.
#8 Magformers
Magformers are not your typical building toy. Each set features shaped pieces such as triangles and squares, which connect to each other by magnets. Children can build a number of geometric shapes with Magfomers as well as stack and sort them according to color and shape. The educational value children get from playing with these construction toys is top notch; they’ll learn all about geometry, spatial awareness, color and shape recognition.
Magformers have massive appeal to children of all ages, but generally children from the ages 3 and up will enjoy these building toys.
#9 Lincoln Logs
These construction toys for kids are fashioned out of real splinter-free, stain dyed wooden logs. Lincoln Logs have been around for several decades yet still remain a firm favorite for many children (and a few adults too). The logs measure approximately 3 quarters of an inch in diameter and look very similar to those used to build real log cabins.
The sets include multiple pieces, making this a great toy for siblings to share. Aside from the wooden logs, each Lincoln Logs kit contains additional pieces such as doors, windows and roofs, which provide children with all the materials needed to build their own mini wood cabins.
Lincoln Logs are a quality building toy with an old fashioned feel!
#10 Nanoblocks
Nanoblocks are micro building blocks which can be used to create some pretty sophisticated buildings. Because of the tiny size of the blocks, these construction toys require a high level of manual dexterity, making them great toys for older kids who want something a little unique. You’ll find awesome Nanoblock kits featuring a space shuttle, the Eiffel Tower and even the Statute of Liberty.
If you have a budding architect on your hands, this set would make a great Christmas or birthday gift.
#11 Marble Run
This construction kit for children is so much fun. Once the Marble Run has been built, children will then spend hours upon hours, testing it out and tweaking it for performance to make it even better. This kit stimulates creativity, lateral thinking and problem solving as the builders work out what they can do to further improve on their awesome creations. The kits typically consist of track pieces of differing lengths, special building components and of course some marbles.
So what do you reckon? Think your child can create the biggest, baddest Marble Run ever?
#12 Magna-Tiles
Here’s another great building kit for kids which provides high-level mental stimulation in the form of logical thinking, spatial awareness, problem solving and mathematical reasoning. The pieces can be connected to create both 2D and 3D structures, helping children to develop creativity while they grasp advanced geometrical concepts. As well as providing immense educational value, Magna-Tiles are exceptionally well-made, being constructed from toughened plastic. This makes them virtually unbreakable.
Magna-Tiles are hard-wearing construction toys for kids which will last several years.
#13 Zoob
Zoob construction kits are dynamic building toys which are excellent for developing creativity and imagination in young minds. There are 5 main Zoob shapes which simply click and pop together to form Zoob creations. You’ll find a generous number of components in each set which make it possible to build several different and fun Zoobs from a single kit. Because of the unique design of the components, each Zoob creation has a moveable element to it, making these sets even more fun to play with.
Currently, the best selling sets are the ZOOBMobile Car Designer 76 and the ZOOB 125-Piece Set. Well worth checking them out!
#14 Wedgits
Wedgits are award winning 3D building toys which teach children all about geometric concepts, spatial awareness and creative thinking. Each set comes with 5 unique building blocks which can be stacked in so many different ways – it’s pretty much possible to create anything!
These sets offer great play and learning value for children aged 3 years and up. They’ll love sorting, matching and stacking the blocks according to color and size, as well as exploring how the shapes cleverly fit together to create fun models.
#15 Citiblocs
Citiblocs construction toys for kids have won no less than 17 toy industry awards for their unique creativity and high value learning. The pieces in these sets come in the form of Eco-friendly wooden planks. You’ll find a combination of sets which feature natural wood and/or stained wooden pieces.
While each set comes with an instruction manual to show the builder how to create things like houses, butterflies, trains etc, it’s also fairly easy to make other models too. Once again the possibilities to build a variety of creations are endless. The really unique thing about Citiblocs is that all the planks are held together by nothing more than sheer gravity! No messy glue or fiddly connectors to deal with.
Citiblocs are the perfect building toy for teaching kids about concepts in physics, design and Math.
That’s my hot list of construction toys for kids, what do you think? Do your kids have a favorite building toy they just love to play with. If share, share it here.
