runamuk Posted November 24, 2008 Share Posted November 24, 2008 My son is 4 (will be 5 this spring) and is into building things. My mother will be getting him some Tinker Toys, and we have some of the cardboard bricks, some big duplo blocks, and some Magnetix, but what other cool building toys are out there? He seems interested in things like marble runs and other construction toys that move. What are some tried and true creative constructions toys for little boys? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brenda in FL Posted November 25, 2008 Share Posted November 25, 2008 My youngest loved and still loves his Kid k'nex. These are perfect for 4 year olds. They are a great size and easy for little hands to build with. They come with lots of fun, zany animal type features as well. Both of my sons are big into building stuff, and nothing beats Lego (or Duplo for you child's age). We have a wooden marble run that occassionally gets played with along with a set of Lincoln Logs. But we get the most out of Lego/Duplo and Kid k'nex/k'nex. My youngest also likes these toys that Matchbox has made this year and last. They are these big vehicles that can be taken apart and reconfigured. Last year it was a big ship and a submarine. This year it is a space shuttle set. He's had his eye on the space shuttle all year and he's about to get it for his birthday this weekend from his grandparents. It's fun because its a vehicle and a building toy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnneC Posted November 25, 2008 Share Posted November 25, 2008 My kids love legos, meccano and k'nex. If your child has good fine motor skills he should be able to handle normal lego, my boys have spent the afternoon putting together lego racers and Bionicles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mull-berry-ish Posted November 25, 2008 Share Posted November 25, 2008 Here are a few websites to look at: MindWare - check out the building sets category Museum Tour - engineering and tech section Constructive Playthings The Construction Site - I think this store is going out of business, but check out the pixel blocks - Back to Basics - building stuff is under the learning fun button HTH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Lorna Posted November 25, 2008 Share Posted November 25, 2008 Our children love Kapla. They are precision cut wooden blocks with which you can easily built towers right up to the ceiling. They come with hardbacked books which are filled with stunning architectural designs. Here are a few examples of things our son has built. There is an American version too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elegantlion Posted November 25, 2008 Share Posted November 25, 2008 Another item my son loved at that age is Thomas the Tank engine trains. he would spend hours setting up tracks in different configurations. that is such a fun age. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lynn Posted November 25, 2008 Share Posted November 25, 2008 Does he have a set of the plain 'ol wooden building blocks? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 25, 2008 Share Posted November 25, 2008 ACE Hardware has an adorable real kids' tool set. (And the box is shaped like a semi truck!) My son has his own drawer in Daddy's tool box in the garage with screws and such. He loves to go "work" in the garage and help dad. Toys R Us has the Black & Decker and Home Depot toys. DS has most of the tool benches and toys (he loves to put the screws in the work bench and play with the nuts and bolts) but this year they had a Home Depot Bird House kit. It was all wood and real screws and it was about $5. It says it's for older, but I know my son could do it no problem. That was a gem to find. We recently pulled out my dh's old Lincoln Logs and he is getting a kick out of playing with those. I've also seen a lot of model kits at Michael's. I've picked up a few and we're probably just about ready for those. They were a dollar, I think? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
runamuk Posted November 25, 2008 Author Share Posted November 25, 2008 Those are all great ideas! Off to look at all the links. :) Thank you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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