The manufacturer recommends these for ages 8 and up, most-likely because they can be tough for smaller hands to lock into place. These kits not only build impressively cool space crafts (Some even look like space-age bugs!) but, once built, the toys solidly lock into place to stand up to just about any intergalactic battle your kid can dream up. SnapShips is a building kit that really understands how kids play. Spaceships that hold up in intergalactic battles: SnapShips The fact that they are so lightweight and compact makes them the perfect travel toy, whether it be on an airplane or the back seat of a car. We love that they can go from jewelry to helicopter to snake to mouse to daisy chain to wearable art-really only limited by your child’s imagination. Their bendable design allows them to be manipulated into unexpected shapes and designs, encouraging improvisation, experimentation, and creative thinking. These innovative open-play building kits are part magnetic origami and part building blocks. A magnetic origami building kit: Clixoĭeceptively simple, these reinforced synthetic paper building pieces go from 2-D to 3-D with a satisfying magnetic snap, making for endless building possibilities.
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With features for everyone from toddlers to tweens, these sets are sure to inspire hours of play. Here we share our picks for our favorite blocks, magnets, Legos, STEM building sets, and more. There’s mounds of research that suggests that free-form block play helps with problem solving, spatial reasoning, and spatial awareness, while structured block play-like following the directions of a Lego set-helps kids as young as 3 develop in all areas, from pre-reading to math to social skills.
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Sign up for text message alerts from the deal-hunting team at Reviewed. Tackle your holiday shopping with deals and expert advice delivered straight to your phone. Whether your kid is more mathematical or they are the type to get lost in imaginative play, building sets are the ultimate STEM and STEAM gift and are a great choice for any type of kid. From Legos to Lincoln Logs, building sets are the classic toys that have loads of longevity.
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If you’re going to buy one big investment toy this year, make it a building or construction set. Purchases you make through our links may earn us a commission. Recommendations are independently chosen by Reviewed’s editors.