# Did you ever enjoy playing with regular wood building blocks? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 23, 2012, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-ever-enjoy-playing-with-regular-wood-building-blocks/638668 "2012-10-23T21:40:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![chappachula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d2c977/32.png) [@chappachula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chappachula)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2012, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-ever-enjoy-playing-with-regular-wood-building-blocks/638668/41 "2012-10-24T05:26:07Z")
I dont want to de-rail the thread, but I have a related question: For those who loved their blocks–how many were boys, and how many girls? It seems to me that blocks are mostly a “boy” thing. Especially the fond memories of building towers and then **destroying** them. Of course, gender roles were defined differently 30 years ago, so that’s part of the explanation. But I’d like to know if today’s parents have noticed differences between the level of interest in playing with blocks between boys and girls. (anecdotes welcome!) ---
**Author:** ![AngelSoft](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/angelsoft/32/440_2.png) [@AngelSoft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AngelSoft)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2012, 6:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-ever-enjoy-playing-with-regular-wood-building-blocks/638668/42 "2012-10-24T06:07:07Z")
My daughter is four and has just recently stopped playing with the wood ones. I got them for her when she was 2 and she played with them CONSTANTLY. Just endless hours of stacking them up and making pyramids and houses for her toys. She’s moved on to the big Legos now, but she still is obsessed with building things. I’d definitely recommend them. ---
**Author:** ![chizzuk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e36b37/32.png) [@chizzuk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chizzuk)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2012, 6:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-ever-enjoy-playing-with-regular-wood-building-blocks/638668/43 "2012-10-24T06:44:44Z")
Of course I played with wooden blocks! My brother and I had all kinds of elaborate designs going with those things. We also had the cardboard bricks, and Legos, and Lincoln Logs, and Tinker Toys, and those big plastic “waffle blocks” that you could build really large things out of. My parents hated electronic toys and were much happier to buy us that kind of stuff. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2012, 11:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-ever-enjoy-playing-with-regular-wood-building-blocks/638668/44 "2012-10-24T11:39:54Z")
> [@chappachula](#): > > I dont want to de-rail the thread, but I have a related question: > For those who loved their blocks–how many were boys, and how many girls? > > It seems to me that blocks are mostly a “boy” thing… Blocks, building, and all sorts of pre-math skills tend to be done more by boys. The question of how much of that is biologic predisposition versus cultural (even at a subconscious level) would be a contentious debate I am sure. FWIW my experience is that the girl toddlers and preschoolers who are into blocks, building, and puzzles, tend to have quite strong math skills in the family and grow into kids who excel at math by late Middle School (early math is often more a verbal skill). > [@salinqmind](#): > > one of the few ultra-clear memories of my early childhood is playing with plain old wooden blocks. > nothing, not the E-Z Bake oven, the tinker toys, the dolls and games - nothing was so intriguing and fun as those plain old wooden blocks. And given the other toys mentioned, I suspect you are female. As you got to Middle School and beyond did you enjoy and do well at math? (Meaning pre-algebra and beyond, not just times tables.) ---
**Author:** ![MandaJo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac91a4/32.png) [@MandaJo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MandaJo)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2012, 12:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-ever-enjoy-playing-with-regular-wood-building-blocks/638668/45 "2012-10-24T12:08:54Z")
> [@Sattua](#): > > See, those are small ones, right? The small-scale Melissa & Doug blocks are only $15. The poster above you has recommended the BIG building blocks and that’s why they’re expensive. > > I’m torn. I understand the appeal of big blocks. But (1) money and (2) dings in our hardwood floors… which wouldn’t be a problem with the small blocks. > > Edited to say: my response was to lisiate. I’ve switched the note on Mimi’s Amazon wish list to the big Melissa & Doug set, plus their “architectural” expansion set. Get two big sets instead. I have two big sets and the architectural expansion, and while the column blocks are nice, they are not nearly as useful as the same money spent on more blocks. Little blocks really are sub-standard legos. Not the same toys at all. As far as throwing and such goes, I find plastic toys with corners to be a bigger problem than blocks. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2012, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-ever-enjoy-playing-with-regular-wood-building-blocks/638668/46 "2012-10-24T12:19:26Z")
I had a set of colored blocks, in swhich no more than two had the same dimensions and color. They were mainly rectangular solids of varying aspect rations, although there was one block that had a semicircular piece cut out of one side. I used to use there for building all sorts of things, especially the Empire State Building. I found that I could get a pretty good imitation of that building’s characteristic shape if I stood the longest blocks on end. (I was a big _King Kong_ fan at an early age) ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2012, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-ever-enjoy-playing-with-regular-wood-building-blocks/638668/47 "2012-10-24T13:35:02Z")
> [@lisiate](#): > > Why go for an expensive name brand? Brooke’s happy with her bucket of blocks from Kmart that cost all of about $10… > > [Here they are](http://shop.kmart.com.au/product/a-z-80-piece-wooden-blocks/112778) Because the Chinese love using heavy metals in their paints… ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2012, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-ever-enjoy-playing-with-regular-wood-building-blocks/638668/48 "2012-10-24T15:27:42Z")
We had some wooden blocks, but I never remember really playing with them. I loved playing with Legos, though. We also had some Lincoln Logs (or equivalent) that I remember playing with, but Lego was the champ. ---
**Author:** ![lorene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/65b543/32.png) [@lorene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lorene)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2012, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-ever-enjoy-playing-with-regular-wood-building-blocks/638668/49 "2012-10-24T15:32:05Z")
> [@AngelSoft](#): > > My daughter is four and has just recently stopped playing with the wood ones. I got them for her when she was 2 and she played with them CONSTANTLY. Just endless hours of stacking them up and making pyramids and houses for her toys. She’s moved on to the big Legos now, but she still is obsessed with building things. I’d definitely recommend them. Don’t get rid of them, though! We got ours when my daughter was 1-1/2. She loved them, her younger-by-2-years brother loved them…and no one played with them for the longest time. Now they are 8 and 10, and the blocks are back in circulation, mostly for the boy, but the girl still sometimes augments her Lego creations with wooden block structures. They do have great lasting power. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Hamster\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8edcca/32.png) [@The\_Hamster\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Hamster_King)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2012, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-ever-enjoy-playing-with-regular-wood-building-blocks/638668/50 "2012-10-24T15:37:02Z")
Wooden blocks + thin children’s books for floors = endlessly reconfigurable toy house ---
**Author:** ![gwendee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/35a633/32.png) [@gwendee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gwendee)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2012, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-ever-enjoy-playing-with-regular-wood-building-blocks/638668/51 "2012-10-24T15:47:00Z")
I did enjoy playing with blocks. According to our mom, my sister did as well, but she built out not up. As apartment dwellers, I felt it was a kindness to our downstairs neighbors to get [foam blocks](http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=11773792&cagpspn=pla&pla=plat) for my son. He built with them quite a bit. He did take far more delight in the smashing of his own creations than ever made sense to me. ---
**Author:** ![StGermain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stgermain/32/2868_2.png) [@StGermain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StGermain)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2012, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-ever-enjoy-playing-with-regular-wood-building-blocks/638668/52 "2012-10-24T16:10:14Z")
> [@chappachula](#): > > I dont want to de-rail the thread, but I have a related question: > For those who loved their blocks–how many were boys, and how many girls? > > It seems to me that blocks are mostly a “boy” thing. > Especially the fond memories of building towers and then **destroying** them. > > Of course, gender roles were defined differently 30 years ago, so that’s part of the explanation. > But I’d like to know if today’s parents have noticed differences between the level of interest in playing with blocks between boys and girls. > > (anecdotes welcome!) I am a womanl born in 1961. Loved my blocks, loved knocking them down. StG ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2012, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-ever-enjoy-playing-with-regular-wood-building-blocks/638668/53 "2012-10-24T16:55:06Z")
I grew up pre-Lego (except in Denmark, I suppose) and I adored wooden blocks, Tinker-Toys, Lincoln Logs, you name it. I would have loved an erector set but they were too pricey for my family. When my son was 3 we got him a Lego set. I think this was pre-Duplo days. At any rate, we never got that. He was off. He has never looked back. Even at 45, if you are at a loss for a gift for him, get him a Lego set. He is a Microsoft programmer and says that is the case for 3/4 of his colleagues. But Lego has changed a lot in 42 years since he got his first starter set. In those days you got blocks, roof parts, window parts and you were on your own. Now you get these sets that are, IMHO, as much fun to assemble as Ikea furniture. They leave little room for imagination. I guess you can take them apart and use the pieces, but so many of them are really just for one use. ---
**Author:** ![Blue\_Mood](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac91a4/32.png) [@Blue\_Mood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blue_Mood)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2012, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-ever-enjoy-playing-with-regular-wood-building-blocks/638668/54 "2012-10-24T17:17:04Z")
I’m going to go against the grain and say go for the Duplo. Or both - it doesn’t have to be either/or. Chances are, Duplo wasn’t around when most of the people here were kids. A huge advantage over blocks for little ones is that a tiny bump or misplacement doesn’t automatically mean the whole thing falls apart. I’ve still got a lot from when my kids were younger, and I pull them out when we have little visitors. Everybody loves playing with them together on these occasions (including teenagers). ---
**Author:** ![Sattua](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sattua/32/11906_2.png) [@Sattua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sattua)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2012, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-ever-enjoy-playing-with-regular-wood-building-blocks/638668/55 "2012-10-24T17:20:59Z")
I’ve already got Duplo to give her this Christmas (and it’s a daily battle to not take it out and play with it myself while she naps). I also grew up in the days when Lego was just bricks for building, not fancy sets. I made dollhouses with mine. I wish somebody would give me Lego for Christmas. ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2012, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-ever-enjoy-playing-with-regular-wood-building-blocks/638668/56 "2012-10-24T20:52:22Z")
Yes. I was born in 1950. Had two sets of “blocks” (that’s all I ever called them"), one painted, one clearcoated. They were by far my favorite childhood toys. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-ever-enjoy-playing-with-regular-wood-building-blocks/638668.md?page=2)