Building toy sets?

[Kerrio929]

My DD7 loves to build...she loves the Lego Friends and she loves blocks. I want to get her some other building sets for Christmas but am not sure what to get. Any opinions? I've considered Lincoln Logs but wasn't sure if that's what I wanted. I would appreciate any ideas.

 

[ColoradoDisneyFreaks]

There's also Connects (Connex?). We got my son a set, it has gears, motors, and instructions to build all sorts of cool things. He's also got Magnetix, but the little magnet balls aren't good if you've got little kiddos on the house to put them in their mouths.

 

[diznygirl]

Find some old Imaginext sets on ebay. The new ones have no builidng whatsoever involved - but the old ones can be configured tons of ways. My son has played with these for years!

 

[PrincessShmoo]

There's also Connects (Connex?). We got my son a set, it has gears, motors, and instructions to build all sorts of cool things. He's also got Magnetix, but the little magnet balls aren't good if you've got little kiddos on the house to put them in their mouths.

Our youngest (whose mantra when young was "I'll never know how to build anything!!!!!") inherited the massive Lego box from his older brother & sister, then moved on to K'nex. He is currently building a 5' tall crane in the middle of the living room. He previously has built various roller coasters and a 6' tall ferris wheel.

I agree about the set that has the little magnet balls - a real pain in the neck. Or a pain the the foot when they get lost and you wind up stepping on them.

 

[NotUrsula]

If you already have Duplos in the house, a big set of Block n' Roll parts and a jar of marbles will be endless fun.

The blocks are the same size as Duplos and compatible with them, only they have channels in them that allow them to be used to construct marble runs. Our whole family loves to play with these things, and it means that all of our Duplos are still used years after the kids move on to regular Lego.

 

[Ephany]

It's not building blocks per se, but my DD10 who loves legos also really enjoys her Snap Circuits. They're different sized kits that allows kids to build their own circuits. We started with the small set a few years ago and it still gets used all the time. Her dad really likes it too.
http://www.amazon.com/Elenco-SC-100...&qid=1352928515&sr=8-2&keywords=snap+circuits

 

[merryweather20]

It's not building blocks per se, but my DD10 who loves legos also really enjoys her Snap Circuits. They're different sized kits that allows kids to build their own circuits. We started with the small set a few years ago and it still gets used all the time. Her dad really likes it too.
http://www.amazon.com/Elenco-SC-100...&qid=1352928515&sr=8-2&keywords=snap+circuits

I was just about to suggest Littlebits

http://www.adafruit.com/category/products/745

I'll have to look into Snap Circuits too.

 

[cassandrap83]

Magna Tiles are the best. Kids 2+ love them.

Expensive, but totally worth it.

 

[LJSquishy]

How about the Erector Sets? Do they still make those?

 

[TanyaS]

They do still make erector sets, but the little nuts and bolts are better suited for older kids.

K'Nex are great - my kids love them - like legos, you can build according to the directions, or make up your own design.

Or she might like a real hammer, nails, and wood - perhaps a birdhouse building kit with her own hammer to go with?

 

[cej214499]

Hey There,

If your kids like blocks but want to build up and out then check out bionicblox (bionicblox dot com)

We saw them at a science musuem--totally open ended, they build like little engineers and both my daughter (10) and son (8) loved them. What they make can then be used for other play like with cars or figures or dolls--whatever.

Best.

 

[SpecialK]

My kids had a marble run game that they loved. You could build a lot of different runs and then pour the marbles in a hopper and watch them go.

 

[Janepod]

My son is a fanatic for building. He loves all these:

Lego
K'nex
Laser Pegs
Quadrilla wooden marble run
Quercetti marble run (kinda babyish though)
Chaos Tower
Snap Circuits
Stacker Pegs
and another building set with lots of blue rods and tiles. Can't remember what it's called but everything ends up looking like a parking garage IMO.

 

[PollyannaMom]

My son loved a set called Contraptions. It just looks like a bunch of planks, but you can build the most fabulous "marble" runs with it! (The balls are actually bigger than marbles, so they don't get lost as easily.)