For parents, nothing can be more satisfying than watching their little ones engrossed in doing something productive.
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It's good for children to learn how to grip and grasp fine motor skills early. Wood building kits are essential STEM toys that teach the basics of working with your hands. Learning to construct things is one of the building blocks of Mathematics, Engineering, and Science.
Children learn many concepts through hands-on building. These toys challenge their creativity, perseverance, and hand-eye coordination. They also get to pick up excellent problem-solving skills, logical reasoning, and improve spatial awareness (source). There is even evidence that these toys help children pick up language skills (at a very early age) (source).
Learning from experimentation and observation is the bedrock of the scientific method. Wooden blocks are a great way to do that. Wood building toys can play a vital role in the overall cognitive development of children.
In this post, we will talk about some of the best wood building kits for kids.
OUR TOP PICK
Melissa and Doug are among the most famous brands of toys and crafts for children for more than 30 years. Their toys are renowned for sparking creativity and imagination among children. This 100 blocks wooden construction kit set is an excellent example of that legacy.
The wooden building blocks set has 100 blocks. These blocks come in 9 shapes and four colors. The shapes include rectangular prisms, cubes, cylinders, arches, half-circles, and rectangular planks and triangles in two sizes. They give an easy introduction to a variety of shapes for young children. The bright and attractive colors help younger children take an interest in the wooden blocks.
There are enough permutations and combinations in the kit to give hours of fun for your young one. Plus, it's pure screen-free learning time.
The blocks are made out of solid wood, making them super durable. However, you don't have to worry about your kids' safety either! The blocks are very light in weight. The edges are rounded on the blocks. There is a smooth paint finish on the blocks that don't easily come off.
The kit is perfect for kids' entertainment. But it's not all fun either! Children can learn early concepts of math from the blocks. They also develop strong motor skills while making different shapes.
Even the building's simple activity, knocking over the blocks and then building again, teaches them resilience and endurance. It teaches the virtues of patience and perseverance, which are very important in today's world.
Pros:
- 100 blocks.
- Nine shapes and four colors.
- Many beautiful combinations.
- Lightweight and safe for children.
- Teaches basics of maths, shapes, cognitive skills, fine motor skills, and perseverance.
Cons:
- The blocks are a bit small in size.
EDITORS' CHOICE
LINCOLN LOGS Tin - 111 Pieces is a fantastic construction and engineering block game kit designed with an educational objective to improve your little one's hand-eye coordination.
This wood building block set consists of 111 pieces made of high-quality maple wood with well-chamfered edges so that your little one doesn't get hurt while playing.
It offers three building ideas, including a tall tower, two small houses with a bonfire, and a large cabin.
The package includes pieces for the roof, roof facade, walls, chimney, porch, fences, bonfire, and bonfire seats.
Each piece has the required indentation for connecting to the other components.
The overall motive is to engender a proper grip and creativity in the kids. This building game can be easily played by kids ages three and up.
Your child will be interested in analyzing where each part fits. The colorful design is eye-catchy, and the detailing on the roof and fences evoke a sense of nostalgia for childhood. Each piece is crafted, keeping in mind the color and finish that a little kid may search.
This wood building kit comes with a detailed instruction manual that is easy to understand and implement. You will never face the problem of your room getting messed up with these blocks as they are effortless to clean up.
Pros:
- Three types of building ideas.
- Enhances creativity and hand-eye coordination.
- Clear instructions.
- Easy to clean up.
Cons:
- Wooden logs are very small in size.
BEST VALUE
Horizon Group brings you its ultimate range of DIY woodcraft kits, which are thoughtfully designed to teach your little one creativity and patience.
This craft kit essentially consists of wooden pieces that can make cars of various designs and sizes. You can build and decorate up to 3 wooden race cars. The kit includes 42 pre-cut and sanded wood pieces.
The kit also contains:
- Sandpaper
- Two paintbrushes
- Twelve pots of acrylic paint
- Three jars of glue
- Sticker sheets to make the cars look dashing and funky
Each car can be designed to have moving wheels as special axle-spins are provided.
The instructions will help build the race car quickly, which will enhance your kids' creativity and open up their imagination and visualization power.
Such DIY kits aim to improve problem-solving skills, strengthen motor skills, and also promote storytelling. They are an excellent way of self-expression of all the unrealistic yet realistic ideas that keep popping up in kids' minds.
This kit is just a perfect present to surprise your loved ones. It has a recommended age of 6 years and up.
Pros:
- Contains 42 cut pieces along with colors, brushes, sandpaper, and stickers.
- Three race cars can be built and decorated.
- Highly affordable.
- Enhances creativity.
- Opens up imagination.
- Perfect gift.
Cons:
- Difficult to assemble.
- Tiny paintbrushes.
RUNNER UP
This DIY Arts and Crafts House will never fail to impress your little kids and will keep them engaged for long hours. Kids always get fascinated with the ideas of birds and their houses. This is something which will make all their imaginations come true.
The kit includes wood pieces, a chain for hanging, nails, glue, four paint pots, and a paintbrush. All the details are made from high-quality woods to ensure soft edges and corners. One can easily design and build a classic 6 inches tall birdhouse using these parts. Upon painting this birdhouse, your backyard will surely brighten up with its vibrant colors.
It is an excellent way to make kids learn painting and connecting pieces together. It improves their concentration and enhances their grip and motor skills. This kit also aims at developing and inclining kids towards gardening and encouraging them to cultivate and grow green.
Pros:
- Build up to 6 inches tall birdhouse.
- Includes wood pieces, paints, and brushes.
- Enhances concentration.
- Develops a liking towards gardening.
- Five years and up.
- Clear instructions.
Cons:
- Not sturdy.
RUNNER UP
A catapult is a ballistic device that is used to launch a projectile without propelling. Leonardo Da Vinci Catapult Kit is made for kids to get involved in and enjoy model making.
The kit contains all the pieces made of high-quality wood and is well-cut. The instruction manual includes clear instructions about how to proceed before gluing anything together. For some parts which might be challenging to fit, the kit also has sandpaper, which can be used in such cases. The three tension strings can be attached upon complete assembly of the physical structure.
The entire process will help in making your kid confident and proud about what he has accomplished. It will enhance their concentration and hand-eye coordination. It will keep them engaged for long hours at a stretch.
The kids will enjoy launching different things such as small marshmallows, tiny paper balls, candies, etc.
The instructions make sure your kids will be able to obtain the model as shown in the picture.
Pros:
- High-quality wood pieces.
- Three tension strings.
- Enhances hand-eye coordination.
- It keeps the kids engaged for hours.
- Helps in launching exciting new things.
- Easy to understand instructions.
Cons:
- The adhesive doesn't stick.
- Instructions were difficult to understand.
RUNNER UP
Nothing excites kids more than trains and tracks. Kids are always fascinated with the entire idea of trains running on tracks, taking turns, and stopping at the signals.
Gift your little kid with this all-new exciting Crane Train Set, which consists of wooden tracks, a magnetic crane, trucks, and two train cars which have removable cargo to make the game enjoyable. This set contains 60 pieces that can produce different railway circles, including the curved and sloppy ones. All the parts are hand sanded for safety purposes.
The set is easy to assemble and doesn't require any adult supervision. The kids can easily read the instructions and take reference from the pictures given in the instruction manual. The assembled dimensions are 32 x 20 inches. The kids in different orientations can use the 135 inches track.
This Crane Train Set is highly versatile. It is compatible with almost all the popular brands related to the toys, including Thomas, Brio, Melissa & Doug, IKEA, Chuggington, and many more. The 2-way tracks are highly versatile and flexible with which your kid can expand the setup in the future while growing up.
This set is perfect for a birthday or holiday presents. Apart from your kids having fun, they will have improved social-skills and spatial, logical thinking. This will also stimulate pattern recognition and early-learning aptitudes. The multiple connection layouts will broaden their horizon and inspire their imagination and creativity to the next level.
Pros:
- Includes 60 pieces.
- Easy to assemble tracks, including curved tracks.
- Highly versatile and compatible.
- Allows multiple connection layouts.
- Stimulates pattern recognition.
- Opens up imagination.
- Suitable for ages three and up.
Cons:
- Train doesn't fit the bridge.
- It doesn’t fit IKEA tracks.
RUNNER UP
From cars to trains and from ducks to houses, the sky's the limit if you have this wooden building block set. All you need to do is keep stacking the cubes and watch where your imagination might take you to.
This set consists of 72 blocks comprised of hand wood, which can make a wood castle. Kids can use these blocks in different orientations and patterns to create and build other things such as airplanes, cars, trains, houses, and ducks. This classic wooden block set contains 13 different shapes that can be used in multiple ways. All the figures are of perfect sizes for your little ones to handle, including square, rectangle, circle, half-circle, triangle, cylinder, arch, and many more.
All these blocks are made of high-quality hardwood and have smooth sanded edges, which ensure proper safety. The blocks are reliable and give rise to sturdy structures. Your kid can enjoy playing it indoors as well as outdoors and build their dream castle wherever they want.
This building block set is an ideal choice for the kids of ages three and up as it promotes independent play and stimulates team spirit, thereby enabling a cooperative game. Your kids can use their wildest imaginations to build these masterpieces. Apart from this, this set enhances creativity, motor skills, and hand-eye coordination. Given various shapes, sizes, and symmetry, the kids are bound to learn multiple patterns and explore different combinations.
This building block will never fail to impress your little ones. It is perfect for holiday gifts and other occasional gifts as well. It keeps the kids engaged and excited even after days of opening the package.
Pros:
- Includes 72 pieces of high-quality hardwood.
- It contains 13 different shapes.
- It is an indoor as well as an outdoor toy.
- Great gift for preschoolers.
- Enhances motor skills and creativity.
- Early cultivation of various concepts.
- Conducive for childs' imagination.
Cons:
- Pieces are small.
Best Wood Building Kits For Kids - Buyers Guide
There are a few points that you should always consider before choosing building kits for kids. After all, no parent would want to indulge their kids in something which isn't productive or useful.
Have a look at the following points:
Enhances Creativity
Look for the games and toys which allow your kid to expand their imagination and make them think out of the box. The building kits should have a primary motive of enhancing creativity and motor skills to learn to glue up pieces, balance structures, paint the models, etc. All these skills play a vital role in the overall cognitive development of the child.
Opens Up Imagination
Usually, kids tend to have a limited thought process about everything. These building blocks should support multiple constructions and layouts so that your kids make efforts to explore and run their wildest imaginations. This makes them explore, learn, and innovate something and develop a sense of confidence from a tender age.
Pattern And Shape Recognition
It is crucial to introduce the kids to different shapes, sizes, and patterns. But they tend to learn better while participating in fun activities. The building block sets should have various shapes and designs to grasp and recognize newer concepts quickly.
Clear Instructions
It is not always possible for a parent to sit and monitor their childs' activities. These DIY kits or building block sets should have a detailed instruction manual which should contain easy to understand instruction for the kids.
FAQs
What Is The Purpose Of Building Blocks?
Building blocks are one of the best ways to enhance creativity and gross motor skills. It develops an individual confidence and also promotes cooperative play.
What Age Is Right For Building Blocks?
Building blocks are ideal for ages of 3 to 7 years. They aim to develop a child's personality holistically from a tender age by enhancing their problem-solving skills, creativity, motor skills, and more.
What Can I Build With Blocks?
Practically it depends on the type of building block set you have. Generally, these building blocks help design and build towers, houses, castles, cars, etc.
Wrap Up
Wooden toy building kits are an excellent way to teach many necessary skills for children. They help develop fine motor skills, enhance their grasp of the concepts of engineering and technology. They even give them a basic understanding of math, including shapes and numbers.
If we were to pick one top choice for the best building kits for kids, The Melissa & Doug 100-Piece Wood Blocks Set is our favorite, simply because of the quality and the variety of pieces.
Perhaps the most exciting and unique wooden toy kit is the Leonardo da Vinci Catapult. Not only do you get to teach your children about building wooden models, but you can also teach them a bit about the history of ancient Greece and a bit about one of the greatest polymaths of all times - Leonardo Da Vinci.
As a parent of a five-year-old inquisitive boy, I have gained a lot of experience finding fun activities and toys to help him understand science and understanding our world in general. On this blog, you’ll find an extensive amount of tutorials, guides, and toys about Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math based on my personal experience to help your child develop critical STEM skills.
