Building Toys

If you shop for toys at all, you will know that they vary from age to gender and from popularity to preference. With all that the toy companies offer these days, a person can get delirious just walking into the average store. Building toys are no exception. Stores are stocked with a variety of these endlessly creative play items. The different types of these hands-on pre-engineer training tools can seem infinite. With such a selection, it makes it hard for parents to choose between them. This article will provide a simple but clear parents’ guide to the many differences and benefits of the many building toy choices. In addition, this article will give parents that extra help in deciding which ones they should buy for their child based on age, price, and creative ability.

LEGO

What it is: Lego bricks are interchanging pieces of durable plastic material that can be connected to each other. These building toys are great for keeping children busy all day. Each product that they offer has a theme. Each theme has different products that are represented by numbers. Although they are sold as sets to create what is printed on the box, kids can also create houses, cars, ships, helicopters, motorcycles, garages, and buildings with these sets. The list is as endless as the child’s imagination.

Age: The age range for Lego toys is from ages 6 to 12. This is the company’s recommendation. However, you should use your own judgment as well. You may have a younger child that is more mentally and physically developed and can handle the use of these small pieces.

Safety issues: The concern of swallowing some of the smaller pieces that Lego creates for their sets is real. Keep these pieces out of the reach of small children. Even children of recommended age can be sucking on small pieces for fun and accidentally ingest them. In addition, there is a potential risk of pinching fingers with these connectable pieces.

Where to buy it: These building toy products can be bought at most toy stores. Having the number of the particular Lego set is the key to getting the right product for your child. Most stores do not carry all of Lego’s products because of the vast amount of them. Ordering online at Lego.com and searching by product number is sometimes just plain easier and less time-consuming.

Price: The price for these products ranges from a few dollars to over $100. If your child takes a liking to Lego toys, you may want to build his or her collection over time.

LEGO – Top 6

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Duplo

What it is: Duplo is the Lego company’s answer to safety concerns for smaller children. These are enlarged versions of Lego bricks. These pieces lock together and interchange as regular Lego bricks do but on a larger scale. These construction toys keep smaller children busy making towers and endless creations. Some products come with their own carrying bag, which is helpful when storing away or traveling to Grandma’s house.

Age: The age range for these constructive toys is between 18 months to 5 years of age.

Safety issues: Because the pieces that make up these building toy products are larger, the concern is not in swallowing the pieces. Sharp edges may be a concern. However, since this product is designed for smaller children, you can be assured that safety was built in when designing it.

Where to buy it: Duplo blocks can be bought in most stores but also online. Purchasing online can be easier when locating specific styles of this building toy.

Price: The price for these products ranges from between $12.00 to $80.00.

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K’NEX

What it is: K’nex is a line of fairly new products that allow the child to imagine, build, and play. The possibilities of creativity are endless. K’nex toys snap together in a broad array of directions, allowing the creator to design pretty much anything.

Age: K’nex offers products for children as young as 2 years and as old as 9. Even older children like to use these building toys because of the motor included in some of the products.

Safety issues: Safety around young children is an issue with regard to swallowing smaller pieces. Another safety concern is that some of the K’nex pieces are long and stick-like. You should keep an eye on your child when he or she is playing with others so he or she doesn’t get poked in the eye.

Where to buy it: You will find K’nex in most toy stores and also online. Purchasing online is convenient and will give you a broader choice of products to choose from.

Price: The price for this product ranges from less than $10 to over $70. It will depend upon which product you choose.

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MagNext

What it is: MagNext connector kits contain pieces that hold each other together by magnetic force. Kids love the flexibility of these pieces. These creative building toys produce hours of fun for kids. They will love creating a design as well as smashing and redesigning it.

Age: The recommended age group for MagNext products is ages 6 and up.

Safety issues: While swallowing small pieces is always a safety issue, swallowing more than one is a major issue with these building toy products. On their website, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission states, “If a child swallows more than one tiny, powerful magnet detached from the plastic building pieces or one such magnet and a metallic object, the objects can attract to each other inside the intestines and cause perforations and/or blockage, which can be fatal if not treated immediately.”

Where to buy it: You will find MagNext in most toy stores and also online. Purchasing online is convenient and will give you a broader choice of products to choose from.

Price: The average price for MagNext is around $10. However, they can range up to $90 for the larger sets.

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Thomas & Friends

What it is: Thomas & Friends building blocks are designed to stack up and line up. They come in a set of twenty-four colorful blocks. Each block measures about 1.75”. In addition, each block contains a picture of a letter of the alphabet and a picture of either Thomas the Tank Engine or one of his friends. This allows for fun play for the younger child. Younger children love to stack and line up toys. This action helps with brain development.

Age: Thomas & Friends building toys are designed with the younger child in mind. Children as young as 1 year old can use these colorful blocks to explore their world visually while playing.

Safety issues: You will not have any worries about small children swallowing these blocks. However, they are square in form and therefore pose a risk of sharp edges. Playing with the blocks will not pose any safety issues. However, you may want to consider that the child could get hurt if he or she steps on one without shoes or lands on one when falling. This is another good reason to pick up toys when they are not in use.

Where to buy it: Thomas & Friends building blocks can be bought in toy stores or online. Again, for convenience and availability, it may be just easier to purchase them online.

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Price: The price for this product is just under $20.

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Mega Bloks

What it is: Mega Bloks are fun and colorful stacking blocks that provide mentally active and challenging activities that stimulate reasoning and problem-solving. These blocks stack like their competitor Duplo but utilize a different shape. Mega Bloks come in convenient carrying cases, so children can tote these building toys to Grandma’s house.

Age: Mega Bloks are designed for children ages 1 and up. Older children (ages 6 and up) may prefer playing with smaller blocks such as Lego brand items.

Safety issues: The safety concerns with these blocks are pinching and being hurt from stepping on them. Again, picking up toys when they are not in use is the best way to help keep children from getting hurt.

Where to buy it: You can purchase these products in toy stores or online. On their website, you will be able to determine if a particular item is only available online, and if it is not, then clicking on “Where to buy” will reveal the stores that have that particular item.

Price: The price for these products ranges from $10to $50 dollars.

Mega Bloks – Top 6

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Erector

What it is: Erector sets have been around for quite a long time. Children from many generations have enjoyed spending hours putting these engineered creations together. Erector sets have Popsicle stick-like frames that have various holes in them. They are connected with nuts and bolts. Because of their design, a child can either stick with the original design the creators intended or create something new. This stimulates the child’s imagination and allows him or her to be the engineer.

Age: Erector sets are recommended for ages 8 and up, although Erector now has kits designed for children as young as age 4. These younger versions are designed with bendable plastic.

Safety issues: There may be small pieces that younger children could attempt to swallow. Also, the versions intended for older children that are made of metal may pose a risk due to sharp edges.

Where to buy it: You may not find many toy stores that carry these products, but you can purchase them at Amazon.com and FatBrainToys.com for sure.

Price: Erector sets can range from $10 to over $100 or more.

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Lincoln Logs

What it is: If you haven’t heard of Lincoln Logs, then you don’t know that they have been around since 1916. Made of real wood and enjoyed by over four generations of kids, Lincoln Logs provide a great way to create and have fun. These wooden pieces come in different sizes but all have an indentation that allows each piece to fit perfectly on top of another. Each package includes plastic pieces that are designed to fit nicely over the top of a house or building. These pieces are shaped nicely to imitate a real roof. Many of their kits are created with history in mind, so your child will learn as he or she plays.

Age: Children as young as 3 years old will enjoy playing with these durable pieces of connectable wood.

Safety issues: There isn’t much of a safety concern with Lincoln Logs, with exception of the roof parts. The plastic roof pieces have a jagged underside which allows them to stay firmly planted on the top of the buildings you design. However, this jagged underside can be sharp and hurt a child’s foot if he or she steps on it with bare feet.

Where to buy it: While most toy stores supply some Lincoln Log sets, they are very limited. Online, however, you can not only buy updated versions, but the classics and even nostalgia versions are available, as well.

Price: Lincoln Logs can be purchased for as low as $12 and as much as over $100. They sell individual parts for as low as $0.20.

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Tinker Toys

What it is: Tinker Toys have been a favorite construction toy product for generations. Since 1913, they have been enjoyed by children around the world. These building toys include a variety of sizes of wooden sticks. Also, they come with circular wooden pieces that have holes around their entirety as well as one right through the middle. In addition, they include plastic connectors that allow the child to connect each piece to other ones. Children can follow the simple design that is included in each set or use their imagination to create something themselves.

Age: Tinker Toys offers kits for ages 3 and up as well as for ages 6 through 8.

Safety issues: The safety issue with these products is the sticks. There is a real risk of children poking their eyes or a playmate’s eye. Keep a watch on children while they are playing with these.

Where to buy it: Some of the major offline stores that you can purchase Tinker Toys from include Wal-Mart, Toys R Us, Target, and K-mart. Nearly every online store offers them as well.

Price: A 102 piece set will run about $28. Other sets will vary depending upon their sizes.

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Wooden Blocks

What it is: From alphabet stacking blocks to geometrically shaped blocks, wooden blocks allow a child’s full imagination to expand. With nothing but shapes, a child needs to think what he or she is to do with these smoothly sanded, differently shaped pieces. This encourages the child to use the most thoughtful part of his or her cognitive skills while playing. Children can make houses, roads, and bridges, or they can simply see how many they can balance on top of each other without causing them to fall down.

Age: Children as young as 1 year old can start playing with these smooth blocks. Children up to age 10 love to play with these durable blocks as well.

Safety issues: If crawlers are handling them, be wary when they craw with them in their hands. They can pinch their hands between them and the floor depending up on how they hold the blocks. Also, be careful with heavier blocks when stacking them. They can fall on the child and cause some pain.

Where to buy it: You will find that you can buy wooden blocks at any toy store. However, some wooden block companies are different. Barclay Blocks is one of these companies. They have been making playing blocks since 1943. Made from American hard Maple, their premium product will last for generations. They assure the safety of their products by making sure that they do not have any chemical coating on them. You can find their products at barclaywoods.com.

Price: Store prices of average building blocks can be as low as $15. However, because of quality, Barclay Blocks can range from $36 for an infant kit to over $600 for large 340 piece kits.

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Magna-Tiles

What it is: Magna-Tile items are geometrically shaped and magnetically charged connecting pieces that allow a child to use his or her creativity. In addition, Magna-Tiles were designed to help children understand basic math and science concepts while having fun. Whether using this product to teach or allowing a child to explore on his or her own, they will learn several key math and science principals. These colorful shapes are attractive and interesting to the child’s eye.

Age: The age range for this toy is from ages 5 to 8.

Safety issues: There are no safety issues other than some smaller pieces that are attached to the small vehicles they sell. As with all small parts, keep these away from small children.

Where to buy it: Magna-Tiles are not easily accessible in offline stores. However, they can be ordered from their online stores at magnatiles.com.

Price: You will pay about $50 for a 32 piece set and just over $100 for the larger 100 piece value pack.

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Quadrilla

What it is: A Quadrilla set is a combination of tracks, blocks, and other pieces that allow marbles to travel in paths you design yourself.  Colorful blocks and sturdy wooden tracks each have their own function. Children can create endless creations of marble drops that push the marble through blocks, over tracks, and through funnels. Quadrilla’s design allows a child to not just enjoy playing with it but enjoy the process of building it.

Age: Quadrilla’s age recommendation starts at age 4.

Safety issues: Since there are marbles involved in Quadrilla’s products, you need to be cautious when playing around smaller children. Swallowing is always a concern.

Where to buy it: There are many offline retail stores to purchase these products at. A full listing is located on Educo.com under “retailers.” You may also purchase them online at this same website.

Price: The price ranges from $50 for a “try me set” to $174 for a full twist set.

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Wedgits

What it is: A Wedgits construction set is a fun, geometrical, and symmetrical toy set that actually is a teaching device in disguise. This product stimulates the child with endless multi-dimensional creations. Your child will create everything from creatures to spacecrafts. Colorful parts attract the eye and keep the child’s attention.

Age: This is a building toy recommended for all ages. However, they are marketed towards the 8 to 12 year old age group as well as toddlers and teachers.

Safety issues: No safety issues to worry about with this construction toy.

Where to buy it: These products are purchased through dealers. To find a dealer near you, log on to their website at Wedgits.com and click on “Dealers”.

Price: Prices range from $16 to over $100 depending upon the size and complexity of the item purchased.

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ZOOB

What it is: What’s so great about ZOOB? What is great is that the pieces move once you put them together. This gives the creator a lot of mobility and flexibility with his or her creation. ZOOB has five pieces that snap together in twenty different ways. This means that you won’t have any trouble finding the pieces you need. Unlike with other items — where you can run out of essential pieces – you’ll never run out of what you need with ZOOB. In case you run out of ideas on what to make with ZOOB, just log on to their website infinitoy.com, and under “ZOOB Creations,” they display pictures of creations to help you out.

Age: ZOOB construction toys’ recommended age range is from 6 to 10 years old.

Safety issues: ZOOB products are made of plastic that does not contain magnets or paint. Although there is no real safety issue, some pieces may be able to be ingested by small children. Therefore, instruct your child not to place any pieces in his or her mouth. In addition, keep a watchful eye on your child when he or she is playing.

Where to buy it: To find a location to purchased ZOOB building toy products, click “find ZOOB” on their website at infinitoy.com.

Price: The price range for these items is $4 for a small 15 piece kit to $78 for a 500 piece kit.

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