Experts agree educational toys or fun STEM activities benefit your growth, development, and mindset. Specifically, building toys for kids kicks playtime up a notch to help a child in several ways:
- Improve learning
- Encourage fine motor skills
- Inspire creativity
- Enhance the imagination
With that said, here are our top 10 recommended building toys for kids 2 years and up.
Be sure to stick around until the end for inspiring building ideas including your BONUS resource. 🙂
Brain Flakes Interlocking Plastic Disc Set
For Ages: 3 years and up
Best For: Spatial intelligence, Fine motor skills
What Makes It Good?
The Spruce company shares, “Brain Flakes interlocking discs are highly rated by parents for being a great way to keep an entire house full of people entertained while introducing STEM concepts to little ones.”
So if you need a great STEM activity for your precious one, this set may be the one for you.
It comes with a plethora of building pieces to make A LOT of fun creations.
Just click the pieces together to start building, it’s that easy!
Key Features
- Easy to use
- Safe tool to teach kids imaginative play
- Safe and non-toxic
- It is super easy to use
What’s Included?
- 500 interconnecting discs
- Plastic jar for storage
- An idea booklet with instructions on how to build a Brain Flakes ball
Some Things to Consider…
Pros
- Durable
- Inexpensive
- Easy to put together
- Educational toy to improve a child’s color recognition, math skills, and shapes
- A great solo or collaborative group activity for the home, classrooms, daycare, or therapy
Cons
- Pieces may be difficult to disassemble
Final Verdict: This toy is made for aspiring engineers.
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Bristle Blocks
For Ages: 2 years and up
Best For: Motor skills, Hand-eye coordination, Tactile stimulation, Sensory issues
What Makes It Good?
Inspire your kiddo’s curious mind!
The tactile stimulation you feel from the bristly blocks makes you want to keep playing with them because it’s soft to touch.
Simply stick the blocks together at any angle, making it super easy for toddlers to play with.
Key Features
- Endless creations (car, truck, tank, rolling castle, plane)
- Easy to assemble
- Easy to build
- 112 pieces (includes 8 wheels to add motion to objects)
Some Things to Consider…
Pros
- Wonderful toy for toddlers
- A fun learning tool to keep kids ENGAGED
- Budget-friendly
- High-quality product
- Provides a great sensory experience
Cons
- No storage bag is included to store the pieces
Final Verdict: A perfect beginner set for young builders.
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Cossy Kids Magnetic Tiles
For Ages: 3 years to 12 years
Best For: Creative building, Exploring geometrical shapes
What Makes It Good?
This set has been kicked UP a notch, to say the least!
It is similar to the PicassoTiles magnetic set below, but here are the key differences…
- This set has 60 MORE pieces
- MORE geometrical shapes to get creative with
- MORE magnetic force (hold two or more pieces together)
Combine numerous building tiles to construct things like cars, animals, houses, shapes, and buildings.
Key Features
- Durable
- Material is odorless and nontoxic
- Smooth surface with no risky sharp edges
- Beautiful transparent hues in seven vibrant colors
What’s Included?
A total of 120 pieces…
- 48 squares (big and small)
- 50 triangles (big and small)
- 12 UNIQUE designs like windows, doors, fences, and gates
- 8 rectangles
- 2 car bases
Some Things to Consider…
Pros
- An excellent gift choice for kids
- Safe
- High-quality
Cons
- Magnetic strength is stronger with smaller designs but if you build a larger design, it may be more wobbly
Final Verdict: An excellent educational activity designed to boost intelligence and engage the imagination.
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Hydropower Energy Science Kit
For Ages: 8 years and up
Best For: STEM activity challenges
What Makes It Good?
Does your kid like science or playing in the water?
Nowadays, Hydropower is a promising source of energy.
This kit reiterates that lesson by teaching you how to turn water into power.
Key Features
- Generate power to light up an LED
- Learn physics about water turbines
- Construct up to 12 different experiments and building designs (like making a water tower, water fountain, or power station)
What’s Included?
- 105 building pieces
- A simple full-color 32-page manual
Final Verdict: One of the best educational STEM toys to teach kids about hydropower energy. It’s a parents’ choice recommended award winner.
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Klutz Lego Gear Bots
For Ages: 8 to 12 years
Best For: Inspirational building, Open-ended creativity
What Makes It Good?
Build STEM action-driven models to move with one of the most popular kids’ toys...LEGO!
Create cool monsters like DJ Bubbles (an octopus spinning records).
Each monster you build moves in its own unique way.
Key Features
- Build up to 8 different creatures
- The set includes 62 LEGO pieces
- 64-page activity book with clear step-by-step instructions
How It Works
These mechanically engineered toys move immediately when you crank the side handle.
The monsters maneuver through an array of axles, cams, and cranks that work like the cylinders in a motor.
Plus, each model comes with a papercraft character that you may fold and link with the LEGO pieces.
Final Verdict: A fun STEM activity for LEGO fans.
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Minecraft Light-Up Building Blocks
For Ages: 7 years and up
Best For: Hand-eye coordination, Sensory challenges
What Makes It Good?
Is your kiddo a Minecraft fan?
If you answered yes, this is a multi-functional toy that may win your heart.
It’s a sensory building toy and mood light all in one.
This is something your child can be proud of putting together while viewing their masterpiece on a nightstand, desk, or dresser.
Key Features
- Includes 16 light-up blocks of the popular collection (grass, TNT, diamond ore, Redstone, gold, furnace, crafting table, jack o lantern, watermelon)
- Freedom to reconfigure the blocks at any time to make different designs
How It Works
Arrange the 16 blocks any way you’d like on the bedrock base provided.
Final Verdict: A unique building tool that provides a soothing sensory experience to construct things freely.
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Obuby Kids Fort Building Kit
For Ages: 5 years and up
Best For: Imaginary play, Social skills, Problem-solving
What Makes It Good?
Does your child like to build forts with you?
Here are kid-friendly tools for you to dive into a fort frenzy, literally!
Construct your perfect fortress or experiment with different shapes and sizes.
Simply insert and twist the rods into the construction balls to begin building.
Key Features
- Build indoors or outdoors
- Easy to use
- Durable
- Construct unique designs (cave, house, rocket, igloo, tunnel, tepee, pirate ship, or a princess castle)
What’s Included?
A total of 120 building pieces…
- 23 blue connector balls
- 22 green connector balls
- 75 reinforced sticks
- Portable storage bag
- Easy to use instructions
- Color gift box
Some Things to Consider …
Pros
- Disassembling is straightforward
- Seamless storage
- Fantastic group activity (more than 3 kids) to use during parties, playdates, family gatherings, or one-on-one bonding time
- Convenient toy to take on the go or to travel with
Cons
- Ideally, requires more than one person to construct the fort
- Not made for kids under 36 months due to small parts
- Do not climb or stand on the fort pieces to avoid injury
- Manufacturer highly recommends adult supervision
Final Verdict: This building set is a dream come true for the kiddo who enjoys hiding or constructing fortresses.
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PicassoTiles Magnet Building Tiles
PicassoTiles Magnet Building TilesFor Ages: 3 years and up
Best For: Fine motor, Imaginary playtime, Color recognition
What Makes It Good?
Magnet building tiles have been a kid-hit phenomenon for over 20 years.
No doubt about it, they are here to stay because of how crazy popular they are and a blast to play with.
The PicassoTiles are clear magnetic 3D building blocks with construction play boards.
Build as big as you want and add as many pieces as you want!
The sky’s the limit to the masterpiece you choose to create.
Key Features
- Easy to build
- Simple to store
- Hassle-free to take apart
- Beginner STEM toy
What’s Included?
- 60 Magnetic building tiles
- Tiles come in five shape sizes
Some Things to Consider…
Pros
- Makes a wonderful educational present for school-aged kids
- A fantastic activity to promote parent-to-child bonding
- The tiles come in colossal styles with no limitations on how big you want to build them
- Entertaining to do solo or with a group
Cons
- Tiles may not stay sturdy if built too tall or high
- You may need additional pieces (over the 60 included) to really build large or big designs
- These tiles are a cheaper alternative compared to their competitors so they may lack quality
Final Verdict: To stretch a child’s creativity and imagination, these magnetic tiles are your answer. This toy set is educational, conventional, and entertaining.
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Tip: If you want to build big or tall designs, the “Magna Tiles” may be your best bet because they are known to be sturdier, but do cost more. Keep in mind with a higher price usually comes better quality.
ThinkFun Gravity Maze
For Ages: 8 years and up
Best For: Challenging your thinking
What Makes It Good?
When it comes to mind-challenging brain puzzles, the manufacturer Think Fun, is a world-leading toymaker selling over 50 million toys worldwide.
Gravity Maze won the toy of the year award.
This game puts your mind and fingers to the test with 60 challenging activities to keep you learning!
What’s Included?
Keep in mind the activities and items included range from beginner to expert level to keep engagement high.
- Game grid
- 9 towers
- 3 marbles
- 1 target piece
- Simple and easy to follow instructions with clean high-quality images
Some Things to Consider…
Pros
- Numerous multi-level challenges to keep you focused and engaged
- A game that grows with your child
- A fantastic learning tool for home school curriculum
- Straightforward instruction manual
- Quick and easy to learn
Cons
- The pieces are relatively tiny
Final Verdict: If you need the ultimate brain game and mental challenge for your child, this one has you covered.
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ELONGDI Magnetic Building Stick Block Toys
For Ages: 6 years and up
Best For: Fine motor skills, Spatial thinking, Sensory challenges
What Makes It Good?
Get rough building, tearing down, and starting all over again!
This vibrant set comes with a ton of magnetic sticks for you to stay busy building.
Explore putting together cool 3D creations safely.
Key Features
- Non-toxic
- Long-lasting
- Durable
- Environmentally-friendly
- Safe
- Easy to use
What’s Included?
A total of 130 pieces…
- 100 Magnetic sticks
- 30 Non-magnetic steel balls
- Storage bag
Some Things to Consider…
Pros
- An educational tool for the home, classroom, or therapy sessions
- Learn colors, numbers, and shapes
- Boost bonding time between you and your child
- Take on-the-go
- Fun team-building activity
- Help sensory issues or relieve stress
Cons
- To finish the complex graphics in the user manual, you will need two or more sets of this STEM toy
- The small non-magnetic balls are a choking hazard so it is not recommended for kids under 6 years
Final Verdict: If you need an educational STEM toy to use at home or in school settings, this is a wonderful choice. It enhances your ability to distinguish colors and shapes in addition to challenging your mindset to think creatively.
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Thank You!
We want to wrap up by extending our gratitude to thank you for stopping by today!
What other building toys for kids do you recommend?
Let us know in the comments below. ♥
Was this information helpful? If so, you’d make our day by sharing it! 🙂
►► BONUS RESOURCE: Here is a list of free resources by The Toy Insider to keep your kiddo busy at home or learning virtually. ◄◄
About the Author
Lindsey is the co-founder of The LENN Foundation and content creator of the Intensive Therapy for Kids blog.
When she isn’t busy playing Godzilla with her son or chasing around her mischievous Rottweiler pup, she loves creating experiences and memories with her loved ones (traveling, watching a good flick, trying new n’ yummy restaurants). Speaking of restaurants, one of her favs is Taco Bell!
Most of all, she is grateful for her supportive circle of family, friends, and to live out her passion for helping kids with Cerebral Palsy (like her sweet nephew Lenny).
If you’re curious about The LENN Foundation, you may see the kids’ helped and feel-good content here. ♥
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The contents of the Intensive Therapy for Kids Site, such as text, graphics, images, and other material contained on the Intensive Therapy for Kids Site (“Content”) are for informational purposes only. The Content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health providers with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.
People who have children want to make sure that they have a ton of fun, but at the same time, they want to make sure that their children are also learning as they grow up, not only in the classroom, but also at home too. With that in mind, this post does a great job of not only recommending specific toys designed for both play and education, but also goes into detail about each one of them. That way, both parents and children will know what to expect from each of these toys.
I appreciate your thoughts Michael, thanks!
I have a toddler and a 9 years old kids. I think it’s really important to have educational toys for our kids, and I think your article have provided very good options on educational kids toys. I like that you have given review on the pros and cons on them. I’m very interested about PicassoTiles Magnet Building Tiles which is quite different to the traditional blocks toys. Thanks for sharing and keep up the great work!
Thanks for sharing your thoughts! Agree. I love how the Picasso Tiles are budget-friendly and easy for kids to build with.
When it comes to kids toys, I think spending isn’t much of an option when you have money. You just have to get what’s best for your kids. And ThinkFun’s gravity maze is pretty much a good toy for kids, considering it comes with 60 challenges and can be played by both parents and kids. Not only is it entertaining to kids but also improves their think capacity.
Thanks for sharing!
I am so happy I have found your site. Sometimes, it’s so difficult to find a gift for a kid. It seems that nothing comes to your mind; no inspiration. Building toys. What a great idea! I’m particularly interested in the Brain Flakes Interlocking Plastic Disc Set because it leaves so much place to your imagination. I have seen a girl who used the flakes to build a hat and a
big flower. Great article.
Thank you! 🙂
Hi,
I love your list of toys for special needs kids. I would say that most of these would make great gifts for ANY child of an appropriate age.
I have seen most of these before with the exception of the magnetic tiles and I really like them. I’ll be keeping a note of these for the next birthday present I need to get.
thanks to Lindsey and Alycia for a great article.
Thanks for your input! We appreciate hearing what you thought.