We have an almost-3 boy who builds, constructs and destructs everything he touches. We have acres of Duplo, some Wedgits, and I have been looking at Zoob, which looks hella cool.
I’m wondering if there are other awesome building toys we’re missing out on through ignorance.
We have a baby who’s just starting to crawl, so choking hazard is a concern, but smallish pieces aren’t totally verboten. We’ll just try to tidy up vigilantly.
Brio sets are awesome. Unlike other “here are some tools, kid” toys, they can actually make stuff. It’s like an oversized erector set.
Only drawback - they’re not sold at U.S. Retail shops anymore. I bought a bunch on eBay.
K’Nex was our boy’s favorite. He’s had about all of 'em, as he’s always had a building sort of mind, and K’Nex saw more use than any of the others, including Lego (which would be the runner up.)
Two options for kids that age are Duplo and Kid K’Nex.
The big advantage of Duplo is that it works the same way as, and fits well with, Lego – and Lego will keep them going at least until the teenage years. There is a Kid K’NEX that works like the K’Nex for older kids, but I don’t think you can fit the pieces together, so when they get to age 5 or so they need to start again.
And normal K’Nex blocks and Lego blocks do fit together, even if Lego is better at building some things (like houses) while K’Nex is better at others (like rollercoasters). So you can buy a bucket of each, at about $20 or so, and see which they prefer.
We actually have about five cubic yards of Duplo. I agree- it’s awesome. I’ve thought about K’Nex and I think we will get some, but it looks better for kids 4 and up or so- I’ll take a look at sets when I’m out shopping.
Man, I wish you were my parents when I was that age… 
I got my first Lego when I was around 4, but it was the standard Lego, not Duplo. It didn’t have the really small pieces though.
Have you considered those trains with the wooden segmented tracks?
My kids loved Imaginext. It bridges the gap between fantasy/role-playing and building. This makes it great for kids that are too young for Legos, and gets them building stuff as well as play acting.
The pieces are made to standard dimensions, so it’s easy to mix sets and make something that’s both original and good looking. At some point, our kids were building entire fortress cities using parts from the pirate, dinosaur and castle kits, and there was probably some Harry Potter stuff in there as well.
On edit: five cubic yards of Duplo? Seriously??? If so, then you guys rock! What you really need is a second den where everyone can build something *really *big!
We also have trains. We have a little Thomas the Tank Engine nut. So far we’ve only got the cheap Ikea type, but I’m sure someone’s going to get him the Thomas originals for Christmas.
I’m not just shopping for Christmas- his birthday is January 15th.
Okay, five cubic yards was a slight exaggeration. I’m thinking about getting some more with fun shaped pieces. We have trains, but you can get trees, and castle stuff, and probably lots of cool weird pieces.
Brio are great at that age. Plain old wood blocks are pretty sweet too. My dad made me a set out of maple and I played with 'em for years. They’re pretty easy to make if you’ve got a basic shop (or a relative who likes to give out woodworking projects as gifts).
Keva planks are da bomb.
Those keva planks look like mega fun, i bet they make a great clacking sound when stacked quickly too!
We still have a bag of hardwood blocks, much like theseold fashioned blocks. And Lincoln logs, and brio trains and wood tracks…
Maybe not a building set per se, but - TinkerToys! My kids had them from toddlerhood and still used them regularly into their teens - even for a high-school biology project to build a DNA model.
How about some big old cardboard boxes?
We have about 5 of them (mostly washer/dryer boxes) that we’ve had for 3-4 years. A couple have doors and windows cut in them some are just open on top and bottom. Initially our kids (2 and 3~4) liked having their own box and visiting the other one. Then they moved to recreating their own houses in them with pillow couches and small box tables, now they are doll houses and auto-mechanic shops. They are markered and crayoned and have stickers galore
We just fold up the boxes and store them in the garage (or just against a wall in the living room for overnight)- the kids know that if they “break them” they are gone so even their friends have enjoyed them over the years. They have so much fun with them that we let them stay out a week or two at a time as long as all of their play stuff is contained in them by bedtime. I think that the double thick walls of the cardboard have allowed the long life, but I can’t imagine a toy that two kids would enjoy as much (even together!) at your kids’ ages. And you can get them for FREE from Home Depot/Sears/etc. and recycle them when you need new ones or are done!
That’s a fantastic idea, and we do play with boxes, but we have two cats who are dumb as toast and pee in boxes and bags left on the ground. We might be able to do one box in Gnat’s room because it’s sort of off-limits.
The keva planks look amazing, but I’m wondering how much screaming there would be when baby inevitably knocks something over. I’m going to keep them in the back of my mind for a year or two from now.
I got a Kid’s K’Nex set that will work with our Duplo, and he’s getting some more Ikea train tracks and probably a Thomas train from his grandparents- I think it’s all compatible. My husband said No One-Off Toys for Christmas and he’s probably right- they don’t get played with anywhere as much as the building stuff. Which is why we have tons of (mostly yard-saled) building toys.
I got a Rubbermaid bin full of blocks and Duplo at Valu Village two years ago for $8 and I think it will be with us until we hand it down to our grandchildren.