11 Select Educational Building Toys
You could say kids, educational building toys and creativity are almost inseparable. Problem is, this is a lesson that we often forget while teaching our kids. We are often so narrow and then make the mistake of telling them to color within the lines, draw in a particular way or even build according to a certain plan.
Many times unknowingly, we stifle the very creativity that we hope to instill in our children. While there are certain rules that we all have to follow, there are certain areas where children must be left on their own to create according to their whim and fancy. This is where the toys listed below come into play.
Tabletop Building Blocks
With 87 hardwood building blocks, this toy is a gem in its own way. The toy allows kids
(about 2 years and older) to experiment with the building styles of the Gothic, Roman and Baroque times. The fascinating world of architecture that these blocks expose the child to is not something other toys have been able to do very well.
I really liked the fact that the blocks retain their natural wood color... a child doesn't get distracted by the colors.
The 16 different shapes of this educational building toy seem to come alive when combined with a kid's imagination. The blocks are great for building your child's tactile abilities and stimulates imagination fully. The toy comes with a plastic bucket that makes storage easy too.
TRIO Building Set
The typical age group for this one is from about
2 years to 5 years. This
educational building toy by Fisher-Price offers 100 pieces. There are about 15 designs suggested by the manufacturers, while the kids are free to use their own imagination too. The colorful pieces are
strong and durable... and have convenient slots to fit into each other.
Children learn to free their imagination and create everything from a house to an airplane and much more. The blocks snap together and stay intact even if it tumbles... which is a huge advantage.
This is a popular toy for take-along times. It also works well to promote color recognition and also a few great building concepts.
Mag-Neatos 144-Piece Set
This
educational building toy is meant for kids
3 years and older. It comprises of
144 pieces of jumbo sized pieces with magnetic connective ends. The 2" and 5" connectors are
specifically designed for easy grip by the tiny hands of kids... which, of
course, is great from eye-hand coordination.
The magnetic connectors are very effective to hold a structure, thus allowing your child to be creative and build almost anything s/he likes. The connectors come in four primary colors for added color scheme stimulation. However, do keep caution since the toy is not to be used with kids younger than 3 years, since it may hold a potential choking hazard.
Architectural Unit Block Set
Built for kids 3 years and older, this is another
absolute gem from Melissa & Doug. There are 44 solid wood blocks
in this set that comes in 11 different shapes. Each block has been
perfectly smoothened... no chance of an injury!
These educational building blocks are designed to fit effortlessly into the tiny grip of your child. Tactical movement is of course encouraged by these building blocks, but it is the joy of creation that these toys give to the child, which is its most valuable aspect. This one is universally popular!
Original Wooden Building Block Set
Again an educational building toy for kids
3 years and above - this one is an
assortment of 200 blocks each made from light weight pine wood. Right from the laws of physics,
math, science, architecture to even aesthetic beauty, the toy works well to expose the kid to it all.
This set has served kids to adults well to give concrete shape to imaginations.
The appeal of the set lies in the fact that the blocks can be used to make almost anything and one is not limited to a certain type of figure.
While the younger kids often use the set in order to gain more experience in the hand eye co-ordination field, this set is used by the older kids to create without hindrances or limitations.
Tall Stacker Pegs Building Set
A wonderful
educational building toy for 3 years and above... even up to 13 year olds love
it. Kids just need to push in the colorful pegs and go on adding levels to their building. The 100 tall stacker pegs, the 17 crepe rubber shapes and the 1 large crepe rubber pegboard, all combine to help the child learn not only about colors, shapes and math concepts, but also teaches them tactical expertise and most importantly the concept of planning ahead.
The best part about this toy is that even if it topples, it does not come apart, which prevents your child from getting too frustrated.
Twig Building Block Set
Another marvelous
educational building toy designed for kids
3 years and older... this one is known for it's interestingly cut 72 pieces. The pieces are nicely colored and easily fit into each other, which makes building with these blocks a fun activity.
There are so many possibilities with this toy and it really sparks
children's imagination.
These interconnective blocks are so stimulating that I think it works for
a wide age range, making this a great value for money buy. They'd probably
do well on conference tables for meetings as even adults are more productive
brainstormers when they have something interesting to play with
And of
course they would be great in any classroom.
Dado Squares
Having won seven awards; this
educational building toy by Fat Brain Toys consists of 35, 3" square pieces in different colors and made of
quality plastic. The set allows the kids (about
3-9 years old) to explore their creativity by opening out a whole endless world of building concepts for them.
What I specifically like about these squares is that
children can create any
number of three-dimensional structures and explore visual spatial
concepts and challenges with this simple toy.
The squares break down quite small. And when you travel a lot you can easily take these along for much entertainment... even for girls who often end up making little "houses" and "offices" for their dolls.
Quercetti Tecno Building Toy
Targeting kids who are 4 years or older, this educational building toy is complete with tools, nut, bolts, screws and even a huge number of shapes. The toy
comes from Italy, uses very good
quality plastic
and is very safe for children. Kids' creativity are encouraged by building fascinating structures
through screwing the shapes onto the main board.
Apart from developing fine motor skills and stimulating creativity, the toy also exposes your child to the world of tools and shapes... and even allows understanding several cause and effect concepts.
Lego Road Construction Set
This one is for kids from
4 years to 12 years and exposes their world to road construction. Children can use parts of the 300 pieces that the set offers to make everything right from a road roller or a truck.
The instructions are typical Lego picture-based and lend themselves toward teaching kids the basics of following a plan, looking for visible patterns, and counting dimensions of Lego bricks.
Of course, making the vehicles on the box is enjoyable, but the real fun begins when your child begins creating new ones right from his/her own mind. Note: There are many small pieces which can pose as a chocking hazard for small kids.
Overall. this educational building toy by Lego is great in every aspect.
One of the biggest advantages I've seen with all Lego sets is that even if your child should lose a few pieces, s/he will continue to spend countless hours building all kinds of creative structures.
Technic Go Kart
Designed for kids from 8 years to 14 years, this one is especially popular with the boys. The set contains 144 pieces in all and these can be put together to create a go-kart which is about 6" in length.
The same pieces can be used to build a lawn mower too.
While
not an exceptionally accurate representation of an actual car, there's more than
enough here to help illustrate such things as steering, axles, power
transmission, and engine function. The highlight is the engine as it includes a
piston moving in the cylinder on a crankshaft.
With extremely real life functions, the kart is great in driving home many complex theories of physics and engineering, not to mention math.
All-in-all a fantastic product that delivers a great bang for the buck (function and technical principles vs. cost).
Being able to build their own stuff gives kids a sense of power, which works wonders for their confidence. Of course there are advantages in other areas too, but the strength they draw from seeing themselves as creators, is the huge benefit of this kind of educational building toys.
Go from Educational Building Toys >> Toy Recommendations
