We’re all building something.

Some enjoy building businesses. Others create art or start DIY projects. Some love to weave words.

And then there are those of us who love to tinker with things and put them together.

Many have pointed out the benefits of building blocks for toddlers and children. These educational toys enrich kids’ imagination and help them develop motor and engineering skills as well as spatial reasoning.

As for adults, there’s more joy to derive from building blocks on top of getting them as birthday or holiday gifts for others.

• These toys can stir the child in you.
• Building something can help you relax.
• Completing building blocks projects can feel fulfilling, especially if you’ve never seen yourself as having the skill (nor the patience) to build things with over 20 parts.
• You can add it to your list of bonding activities with your kids. Children love to role play after building their toys, so you can always join in. Maybe you can be:
  • the Robin to their Batman,
  • the Olaf to their Elsa,
  • the caretaker of their tropical island,
  • a loyal customer of their bakery, or
  • the Thanos in their superhero story.

If you’re looking for plastic building blocks and wooden puzzles, below is a list of birthday or holiday gift ideas for the toddlers and young engineers, architects, and builders in your life.

If you’re just planning to indulge your inner child, there’s something in this list for you too. (Tip: Skip the DUPLO products. ;)).

For easier browsing, we’ve classified them into the following categories:

• Plastic building blocks
  • Numbers, Alphabets, Free Build
  • Build, Code/Program, and Play
  • Watercrafts
  • Aircrafts and Outer Space Crafts
  • Animals
  • Super Heroes
  • Disney/Movie Characters/Video Games
  • Places and Role Play Games
• 3D Wooden Puzzles
  • Architecture/Travel
  • Transportation
  • Other Items

Plastic Building Blocks

Numbers, Alphabets, Free Build

• 23-piece Lego DUPLO Number Train (age 1.5+-3)
• 36-piece Lego DUPLO Alphabet Truck (age 1.5+)
• 65-piece Lego DUPLO All-in-One-Box-of-Fun (age 1.5-5)
• 85-piece colorful Lego DUPLO Deluxe Brick Box (age 1.5+)
• 80-piece Lego DUPLO Heart Box which includes 15 models like a house and a whales (age 1.5+)
• 85 or 190-piece The Original Building Blocks Bricks (age 2+)
• 47-piece Spence Mega Brick Blocks (age 3+)
• approx 95-piece Spence Mix Shape Building Blocks (age 3_)
• 450-piece Lego Windows of Creativity (age 4+)
• 441-piece Lego Bricks and Lights, which lets kids build 12 toys and turn these into shadow puppets (age 5+)
• 500-piece Cogo DIY Mix and Match set (age 6+)
• 250+-piece Box of Pastel-Colored Building Blocks

Build, Code/Program, and Play

• Lego BOOST Creative Toolbox Build, Code, and Play Toy, 5-in-1 model (Vernie the Robot, Frankie the Cat, Guitar 4000, MTR4, Auto Builder) (age 7+)
• 601-piece Lego Mindstorms EV3 Robot Kit – buid and program robots (age 10+)

Land Vehicles: Trucks, Race Cars, Cranes, and More

• 7-piece Lego DUPLO Tow Truck (age 1.5+)
• 6-piece Lego DUPLO Fire Truck (age 1.5+)
• 10-piece Lego DUPLO Bulldozer (age 2+)
• 126-piece Lego Construction Bulldozer, which comes with warning cones, a tower, and wrecking ball (age 4+)
• 47-piece Lego City Blue Sports Car polybag (age 5+)
• Lego City Forest Tractor with worker minifigure, trees, chainsaw, and other accessories (age 5+)
• 300-piece Cogo Engineering 3-in-1 Building Blocks (age 6+)
• 328-piece Cogo Fire Fighter Truck set (age 6+)
• 604-piece Cogo Engineering Building Blocks (age 6+)
• Lego City Snow Groomer (age 6+)
• 117-piece Lego Technic Buggy (age 7+)
• 130-piece Lego Technic Mini CLAAS Xerion tractor (age 7+)
• 155-piece Lego Technic Cherry Picker (age 7+)
• 163-piece Lego Monster Truck, 3-in-1 model (age 7+)
• 225-piece Lego Dragster (age 7+)
• 250-piece Lego Speed Champions 1985 Audi Sport Quattro S1 (age 7+)
• LEGO Technic Police Pursuit Toy Car with Pull-Back Motor (age 7+)
• 871-piece Lego Technic Compact Crawler 2-in-1 (can be rebuilt as a Tower Crane) (age 7+)
• 565-piece Lego Speed Champions Formula E Jaguar Sonic (age 8+)

Watercrafts

• 24-piece Lego DUPLO Submarine, which includes 2 scuba diver figures, a fish, whale, and arch with seaweed (age 2+)
• 41-piece Lego Ocean Mini-Submarine, which comes with a hammerhead shark figure and treasure chest (age 4+)
• 745-piece Lego Ocean Exploration Ship (age 7+)

Aircrafts and Outer Space Crafts

• 74-piece Cogo Mail Plane (age 5+)
• 192-piece Lego City Sky Police Drone Chase Helicopter (age 5+)
• 273-piece Lego Space Mars Research Shuttle (age 5+)
• Lego Fire Helicopter Response, which includes a helicopter, rescue ATV, and figures (age 5+)
• 164-piece Cogo City Police Helicopter (age 6+)
• 412-piece Lego Space Lunar Station (age 6+)
• Lego Creator Daredevil 3-in-1 – build either a Stunt Plane, Rocket Car, or a Rocket Boat (age 7+)
• 1381-piece UFO Space War Battleship

Animals

• 73-piece Lego DUPLO Tropical Island, which includes wild animals, caretaker figures, and a tree house (age 2+)
• 57-piece Lego Friends Puppy Playground, which inclues 2 dog figures, merry-go-round, and other accessories (age 4+)
• 50-piece Lego Friends Mobile Vet Clinic (age 4+)
• 39-piece Lego Ninjago Kai’s Mini Dragon polybag (age 6+)
• 43-piece Lego Creator Parrot polybag set (age 6+)
• 3-in-1 Lego Fire Dragon (age 7+)

Super Heroes

• Get little Captain America, Iron Man, and Spider Man in one set with this 30-piece Lego DUPLO Super Heroes Lab (age 2+)
• 148-piece Lego Iron Man (age 6+)
• 152-piece Lego Spiderman (age 6+)
• 152-piece Lego Thanos (age 6+)
• 477-piece Lego Avengers Truck Take-Down Kit, Captain America and Hawkeye playset (age 6+)
• 271-piece Lego Avengers Black Widow’s Helicopter Chase (age 7+)
• Super Heroes Building Blocks – choose from among Iron Man, Hulk, Batman, and Captain America (age 6+)

Disney/Movie Characters/Video Games

• 17-piece lego Lego DUPLO Elsa and Olaf’s Tea Part (age 2+)
• Lego Disney Pixar Toy Story 4 Buzz & Bo Peep’s Playground Set (age 4+)
• 168-piece Lego Disney Princess Cinderella’s Castle Celebration (age 4+)
• 105-piece Lego Disney Princess Ariel’s Storybook Adventures (age 5+)
• 111-piece Lego Disney Princess Belle’s Storybook Adventures (age 5+)
• 521-piece Lego Disney Princess Arendelle Castle Village (age 5+)
• 52-piece Lego Ninjago Cole’s Speeder Car (age 6+)
• 83-piece Mega Construx Pokemon Power Packs Raichu (age 6+)
• 127-piece Mega Construx Pokemon Chimchar vs. Pikachu (age 6+)
• 131-piece Mega Construx Pokemon Chespin vs Fennekin (age 6+)
• 154-piece Sluban Car Club Lemans Car (age 6+)
• 157-piece Lego Disney Princess Mulan’s Training Grounds (age 6+)
• 302-piece Lego Disney Princess Frozen Treehouse (age 6+)
• Multiple-box Minecraft characters (age 6+)
• 127-piece Lego Ninjago Jungle Raider (age 7+)
• 322-piece Lego Ninjago Jay and Lloyd’s Velocity Racers (age 7+)
• Mega Construx Pokemon Charmander Set (age 7+)
• 504-piece JLB Minecraft building set (age 8+)

Places and Role Play Games

• 18-piece Lego DUPLO Pizza stand, which includes a pizza stand, a pizza guy figure, and a dog (age 2+)
• 16-piece Lego DUPLO Bedroom playset, which includes 2 girl figures, bunk bed, a guitar (age 2+)
• 73-piece Lego DUPLO Tropical Island, which includes wild animals, caretaker figures, and a tree house (age 2+)
• 46-piece Lego DUPLO Town Bakery, which includes baking tools, cakes, and a delivery van (age 2+)
• 200-piece Lego Ice Cream Truck (age 5+)
• Lego Ocean’s Bottom (age 5+)
• 15-piece Cogo Girls Fashion Shop (age 6+)
• 111-piece Sluban Home Music Practic Room (age 6+)
• 182-piece Cogo Girls Leisure Playset (age 6+)
• 191-piece Cogo Blocks for Girls (age 6+)
• 192-piece Lego Friends Flower Garden (age 6+)
• 252-piece Scenario Coffee Shop Light Up (age 6+)
• 266-piece Cogo Girls Merry Go Round Swing (age 6+)
• 343-piece Lego Friends Fashion Shop (age 6+)
• 361-piece Lego Friends Baking Competition (age 6+)
• 365-piece Cogo Camping building blocks (age 6+)
• 950-piece Cogo Police building blocks (age 6+)
• 301-piece Sluban Food Court Ice Cream House (age 7+)
• 595-piece Lego Fairground Carousel (age 8+)
• 200-piece Architecture Land Mark Street View (choose among Berlin, Venice, New York City, and Budapest)
• Village and Garden Building Blocks

3D Wooden Puzzles

Architecture/Travel

• 22-piece Robotime Eiffel Tower (age 8+)
• 25-piece Robotime Triumphal Arch
• 59-piece Robotime Tower Bridge (London)
• Robotime Aegean Sea (age 14+)
• 90-piece Robotime England Hut (age 14+)
• Robotime Lost in Colmar
• 107-piece Robotime Dutch Windmill (age 14+)

Transportation

• 10-piece Ugears U-Fidget Wooden Aircrafts, which includes a helicopter, hydroplane, airship, and airplane
• 18-piece Ugears U-Fidget Wooden Vehicles, which includes a mini sports car, truck, tractor, and tram car (age 14+)
• 140-piece Robotime Wooden Hot Air Balloon (age 14+)
• 170-piece Robotime Wooden Pendulum Clock (age 14+)
• 176-piece Robotime Wooden Airship (age 14+)
• 182-piece Robotime Wooden Pumpkin Cart (age 14+)
• 183-piece Robotime Wooden Hand Crank Projector (adults)
• 290-piece Ugears Wooden Royal Carriage (age 14+)
• 292-piece Ugears Wooden Archballista Tower (age 14+)
• 726-piece Ugears Wooden Aviator (age 14+)

Other Items

• Ugears U-Fidget Wooden Creation, which includes mini guitar, movie camera, parthenon (age 14+)

Tips When Buying and Storing Building Block Toys

1. Know more about the recipient. Aside from getting the kids’ ages, find out more about what they like. Does the child love cars or planes? Do they dream about being engineers or running food businesses? What shows and which characters do they like? Knowing these lets you choose toys that are age-appropriate and they’d also love to build and play with.
2. Keep out of toddlers’ reach. If you have toddlers at home, make sure they can’t grab a piece while your older kids are building their toys. When storing or displaying them afterwards, put these toys on shelves and surfaces little kids can never reach.
3. Keep the instructions/guides. This way, if you or your kids break the finished product, you still have a reference as you build it back. And if someday you want to give them away, the lucky receiver can also have lots of fun putting the pieces together.