I am partial to these plain heavy-duty wooden blocks from Community Playthings that look like the Amish made them. Our Co-op preschool had many, many sets of them in each classroom and the kids had endless fun with them. Come to think of it, I think every preschool we attended had some version of these blocks; they seemed like they’d last forever.
One summer I bought two sets when my kids were toddlers, budgeting the hefty expense as “daycare.” It was how I was going to get through the summer with them and no babysitting help. We still have those blocks and my kids have played with them for nearly 7 years — not a bad investment, all told.
We tried out other block sets and found anything with a magnetic “snap” was well utilized though also expensive. For inexpensive fun, the cardboard blocks are also wonderful! I’ve gathered up blocks of every sort and price point that we’ve used or drooled over.
What are your favorite blocks? Please share!
p.s. My Holiday Gift Guides are all here. Popular ones include:
Gift Guide: Best Toys for Math and Science
Gift Guide: Best Toys for Arty Kids
Gift Guide: Toys to Get Kids Reading More
Top 10: Best Fun and Educational Board Games
Gift Guide: Musical Toys for Kids
Best Blocks for Kids
Dado Cubes from Fat Brain Toys, $32
The stacking cubes is great because now kids can line up cubes diagonally not just vertically or horizontally. I also like the bright colors. We never had this when my kids were young, but they used to love stacking blocks and cups. This has an additional twist that makes it even more versatile.
BionicBlox, $49
My son started playing with this block set immediately when he discovered it which is always a good sign. I like how it’s an open-ended toy. There are wooden slats and plastic holders which allow for an endless combination of building.
First, my son made Minecraft tools: a pick axe, a sword, and a shield. Then he made an “Eiffel Tower” which immediately morphed into a weapon — a kind of robotic laser shooter. Then, this building emerged:
The beauty of this set is that it is great for those kids who like to build structures of any kind. Those kids who might tend towards engineering or architecture will love it. My son’s only complaint was getting the wooden slats exactly lined up. You have to push hard to get them all the way into the plastic holders. It’s not difficult, but after doing it for a while, he said his hand hurt. Still, he’s been playing with these for days. It fits nicely into the carry case too!
Wedgits, $25
My kids loved this toy so much at preschool that I ended up getting two sets of them. They stack into pyramid shapes in a rather mesmerizing way. They also have a plastic stand which they don’t show in the video. It’s amazing how many shapes you can get from these stacking plastic shapes. I’m sure there is a mathematical component to it but we are having too much fun stacking them to notice!
p.s. After watching this video, I can now see that we barely scratched the surface of how we played with the Wedgits. That’s ok, this is actually one of the very few toys we kept when we purged the playroom! I guess we can build the water molecule using Wedgits after all!
Tegu Magnetic Blocks, Original Set, $72
My kids love anything magnetic. It’s that magnetic “snap” that has them fascinated. The Tegu blocks come in different sets and colors. My only concern would be swallowing a small block … just make sure younger siblings are not going to put these blocks in their mouths.
Citiblocks Little Builder Rattle Blocks, $35
The Citiblocks sets seem to win tons of accolades and awards. This set is perfect for younger kids. With 22 assorted blocks, it includes blocks that rattle, stairs, and roofs in various colors to build cities. Perfect for a budding architect or city planner or just a kid who likes blocks that make noise.
Citiblocs, $79
Citiblocs are an open-ended educational toy made from sustainable wood. These simple, basic blocks teach concepts like structural engineering basics, pattern recognition, cause-and-effect, collaboration, problem-solving, creative thinking, and small motor skills. It’s old-fashioned blocks but with new color schemes.
Uncle Goose Wooden Blocks in Foreign Languages, $45
Uncle Goose Blocks exposes young kids to foreign languages including Mandarin Chinese, Spanish Korean, French, Arabic, Persian, Greek, Ukrainian, American Sign Language, Phases of the Moon, and more.
Other subjects too!
Cardboard Blocks, $40
These are just like those cardboard blocks at preschools! Light yet durable, they are easy to build with and perfect for a playroom! This set is from Melissa and Doug Cardboard Building Bricks from Educational Insights and has 40 assorted blocks.
HABA Architecture Basic Building Blocks, $129
The basic building blocks are an extra large set with solid natural untreated beech wood blocks for just playing or building an architect’s dream. It has a 102-piece selection of block pieces in domes, rectangles, squares, arches, and many more shapes.
The Haba Starter Set, $49
This smaller starter set is a great way to try out these blocks.
Magna Tiles, $50 for 32 tiles
I learned about these gems on a playdate: Translucent Magna Tiles. You can buy them online at Amazon or find them in a local toy store. They are pricey at around $120 for the 100 tile set, and sadly, 100 tiles aren’t quite enough. Two sets are much more versatile. But this toy is amazing. The tiles snap together magnetically to create anything from a castle to a disco floor. My preschool uses them with a light table so that kids can stack tiles to learn about combining colors. That’s fun but a light table is NOT coming into my house!
Nanoblock Musical Instruments, $44
Lego-like building blocks that make these four instruments: piano, violin, guitar, and drums. The pieces are quite small. The smallest piece is 4mm by 5mm. Each instrument has between 150-180 pieces required to build it.
Ninjago Fire Temple Set, $120
My son has a mild obsession with Ninjago Legos. I’m not sure which came first, the TV show or the Legos. I don’t mind because it keeps him off screens. This is a pretty extensive set but I think of it as less expensive than buying what amounts to three smaller sets. Apparently, the temple splits into two.
Community Playthings Wooden Blocks, Introductory 17 Piece Set of Large Hollow Blocks, $435; 19 Piece Half Nursery Mini Hollow Blocks, $365
This is my “go to” source for large, heavy blocks that can be turned into anything your child imagines. I bought two sets of blocks (hollow blocks and mini-hollow) and we got really great use out of them. They are expensive and I’m keeping my sets for future grandkids!
Best Play Structures for the Playroom
Cardboard House, $45
What I like about a cardboard house is that it is easy to store, provides a blank canvas as well as a playhouse, and is great for imaginative play. We somehow bought this cardboard house on sale at the local drugstore and it was endlessly entertaining for at least a month. When you get sick of it, it’s easy to collapse and store away as well.
It’s very easy to set up with just a few folds too and fairly sturdy!
Cottage Tent, $35
We had a tent similar to this one but not as nice and there is just something about setting up a play structure that kids gravitate towards.
Safari Tent and Tunnel, $36
Tippee, $43
A tippee would be fun too!
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Mia
Another great list! I love that I can add my favorites to my amazon cart and buy when ready 🙂 I especially love the Tegu magnetic blocks and I know the kids will as well.
My favorite for the toddler age was the Chicco Maxi building blocks. The are approx 4 in x 4 in so could for little fingers.
Rajka
Hi ExPatDoctorMom,
Thanks so much for your great recommendation! The Tengu blocks look great. My kids love that magnetic snap action on anything! And blocks would be fun because I bet the magnetic thing will make them want to play with it even though they are not in preschool anymore.
Let me rewrite that last sentence… They are approx 4 x4 so GOOD for little fingers.
Hi ExPatDoctorMom,
You are so nice to edit! You must be racing like I am … I make so many typos too!
This is an amazing list! I have never seen some of these and I really like the magnetic wooden ones. Thanks for sharing!
Hi Tulip,
Thank you so much for your kind words! I had so much fun researching blocks (I love blocks!). About half of them, we owned at some point (and still have hung on to some of them) but half were new to me. My kids still will play with blocks (ages 12, 10 and 8) so I am going to get a few more sets this Christmas now that the basement is cleaned out! They really do need space for some of the larger block sets like the cardboard ones I have my eye on!
Great list,thank you.Those musical instruments are very interesting.I didn’t know about them.My kids would adore them.
Hi Isil,
My kids loved the toy drum kit and the ukeleles. We also got years and years of use out of the smaller musical instruments like egg shakers, rhythm sticks and little drums. It was always popular with playdate kids too, especially the toy drum kit!
OMG I LOVE the Uncle Goose Foreign language blocks! I didn’t know these existed. I am so going to have to buy the Italian ones for my LO… Thanks for an awesome blog 🙂
Hi Dee,
My mom friend Lynn discovered the Uncle Goose blocks. I was so excited to find them in every foreign language possible. I guess that makes sense because they sell them as ABC blocks in those countries speaking those languages but for kids learning a 2nd or 3rd language, it’s great fun!
Give them some toys related to Math, and they will surely excel in that subject. It helps them to analyze the geometrical shapes and they could relate Math theory with real life situations. The puzzles made from wood are also a perfect gift for kids, and they will definitely love to play with them.
Hi Playmats,
I love toys that relate to math! My son especially did too. Great idea!
Great list of blocks . I really like Tegu Magnetic Blocks.