7 Building Toys to Keep Your Toddler Entertained and Learning

Both my boys have really enjoyed lots of construction toys from as young as 1 year old. There are tons of construction toys aimed at toddlers and this article looks at 10 that my boys have played with from a young age at home, playgroups, toddler groups and friend's houses. It looks at what's great about each toy and how we have played with them. 

As a parent I'm a fan of building toys for toddlers too. They're quiet - so no flashing lights or annoying music! They also harness creativity and imagination as well as helping to develop fine motor skills and hand / eye co-ordnations. They can be great for developing social skills if you work together or with siblings on building a construction. They often require problem solving skills (how will this piece connect to that piece). I'm sure there are lot more educational value that I've forgotton too! 

Lego Duplo

Lego duplo is perhaps the most well known construction toy for younger builders. The blocks are bigger than normal legos so easier for smaller toddler hands to manipulate. 

We started off with a big starter set. My eldest son just loved building towers, farms, space rockets, houses, villages and lots more. It's a great way to get encourage their imagination and creativity. 

You can also get some themed lego duplo sets from lego duplo cars to princess castles to batman themed sets. There is something for every toddler and preschooler. 

Megabloks

Megabloks are another great toddler building toy. The bloks are even bigger than lego duplos. This is particularly great for younger toddlers. The bigger bloks also make megabloks great for building bigger towers to knock down. My sons and I used to build huge towers and space rockets. We also used megabloks to play toddler bowling. First you build three towers. Then get a soft ball and see if you can roll it to knock the three towers over. Great fun! 

Cardboard Blocks

You can get huge cardboard blocks which are great for toddlers to build walls as high as themselves or even higher. Construct huge towers, forts to play in, bridges, walls, chairs and more. 

Wooden Blocks

Sometimes the simple toys are the best as they encourage lots of creativity and imagination and wooden blocks are one of those toys. They are great to just build towers and big structures. But perhaps the best thing about wooden blocks is that they are so versatile that they can last a whole childhood. 

Stackadoos Bristle Blocks

I remember loving these blocks when I was a kid but I think they were called stickle bricks at my home! But these are really fun building blocks. There are son at my son's nursery and he loves them. 
The chunky soft pieces are easy to connect and build structures with. 
They come in a sturdy carry case so are easy to take to friends houses and play with. 
They are great for building robots, cars, houses, planes, boats and lots more. 

Magneatos

These are another toy my son has played with at a toddler art and craft group we go to. They always have a toy with a building element on the groups and this is one that we particularly like. The set is made up of magnetic rods and metal balls that stick together. The jumbo sized pieces are perfect for little hands to play with and the magnets are embedded deep inside the rods, so you don't have to worry about that. For some reason, kids are fascinated by the magnet properties of the toy.  They are great for buidling shapes and lots of different structures. 

Nesting and Stacking Blocks

These are great for the younger children. If possible look for wooden ones. You can get cardboard ones and wooden ones. Which ones are better.  Well, for obvious reasons the wooden ones can withstand a toddler's play better. However if your toddler is prone to throwing things, cardboard ones may be better!!

Whichever ones you decide to get, toddlers will love playing with these. They are great for building huge towers, toddlers love nesting them too and seeing how they fit into each other.