Sometimes we get toys that are marketed to kids and yet we find that almost every grown-up that comes near them just starts playing with them. Since playing is good at any age, I feel it’s very important to write about these types of products. You may remember that the magnetic building sets that burst onto the market several years ago had that appeal – making them a great choice to just have on the coffee table for some open-ended play time for anyone so inclined. Research also indicates that type of activity for adults is great for keeping those brain neurons firing.
This year’s winner in this category is Citiblocs by Citiblocs. At first you might think a box of equally- sized precision cut wooden pieces wouldn’t be that enthralling – at any age…but once you get building, it’s just fun to see how many different variations you can make. The pieces are very smooth and are made of Radiata Pine from certified renewable forests in New Zealand – making them not only fun, but onto our Green Toy list as well.
Each set comes with ideas for building…they are marked 3 & up, we’d say more like 5 & up and & up and & up!
One of our tester moms (an architect) — LOVED this product. Somehow we knew she would.
How do these stack up against the Kapla blocks? And why do you say 5 instead of 3?
They are very similar to Kapla blocks but less expensive. Unlike big unit blocks that are just right for threes–these are smaller in scale and harder for threes to build with successfully. They require greater fine motor skills than most threes have–which is why a set of bigger unit blocks are a better choice. If you’re looking for blocks for threes (and even older twos)…I’d also recommend a set of cardboard blocks–these are fun to move about and so much fun to knock down!