Construction toys: from wooden blocks to technical building sets

Few toys stay in use as long as something to build with. A tower of three blocks that falls over, a house with a roof that does not quite fit, a spaceship from an eighty-page instruction booklet: it is the same activity every time, at a different level.

Blocks first, then bricks

The first building experience is stacking and knocking down, in that order and preferably often. Wooden blocks in large, simple shapes are made for it: they sit well in a small hand and stay standing as long as nobody bumps them. Then come the large click-together bricks, such as LEGO DUPLO, which let a building stay in one piece even when it is lifted and carried into the next room. See wooden toys and 0 to 2 years.

Building from instructions

From around six, many children follow an instruction booklet on their own: step by step, with a drawing per step and hardly any text. That is a skill in itself, and a set with a clear end result is the most enjoyable way to practise it. The piece count says less about it than you might think. A set with lots of small parts in the same colour is harder than a bigger set with clear, colourful steps.

A tip for home: a flat tray to lay out the pieces for the next step saves a lot of searching under the sofa.

More than one model from one box

If you worry that a set will end up on the shelf after being built once, look for sets that allow more than one model. The LEGO Creator 3-in-1 sets are a well-known example: the same bricks, three different builds. There are also technical construction sets with gears and axles, with which a child builds different vehicles or machines and sees how they move. You will find them under building and construction, and the full LEGO range on the LEGO brand page.

Building is not just for children

A set of several thousand pieces makes just as good a present for an adult. A building project that takes a few evenings is a hobby in its own right, and a set a parent and child build together is a present for two. If you are unsure about the level, look at the age on the box and at what the child has built before; for older builders, 9 to 12 years is a good place to start.