Building Sets and Blocks

Building blocks here run from a first bag of chunky wooden blocks for one-year-olds to a 250-piece domino rally for ages 5+. Every set is made for open play: towers, bridges, palaces and roads that change each time your child sits down to build.

Building blocks for toddlers: 50, 75 or 100 pieces

Among wooden Montessori toys, a plain set of solid wood blocks is the one children come back to for years. The 50-piece sets suit toddlers from 1 or 2 years: fewer shapes, easy to tip out of their cotton or linen bag and pack away again. The 100-piece set of classic shapes adds arches, cylinders and triangles for bigger projects, while the 75-piece heirloom set, finished with walnut oil, has a warm grain that looks lovely on a nursery shelf.

Themed sets that turn a pile of bricks into a story

Some children build better with a theme. The safari and savannah sets bring wild animals into the game, the ice floe and pastel sets come in soft colours, and the Arabian Nights palace and maritime sets (ages 3+) give older builders domes, towers and boats to work with. Add the farmyard animal figures and a simple wall soon becomes a field full of sheep and cows.

Construction kits and marble runs from age 3

Once your child can follow a picture, a kit brings a different kind of challenge: the 60-piece 3D dinosaur, the grey and yellow dumper truck and the interlocking snowflake discs all reward patience. Marble runs are a firm favourite at this age, and the musical marble tree plays a note each time a ball drops down its petals. For quieter balancing games, try the stacking acrobats or the Piks cone set.

How to choose children's building blocks

Start with the age on each set: the safari, ice floe and linen bag sets from 1 year, most classic and themed sets from 2 or 3, kits and the domino rally later on. Then think about how your child plays. A plain natural set never runs out of uses and suits a child who invents everything, while a themed set gives a story to a child who needs one to get going. A rug or low table kept for building helps too: a tower out of the way of feet lasts long enough to be finished.