Kids of all ages will find these fantastic building sets engaging and fun to play with at home or school. They’ll pique your child’s interest in trying to figure out how to use the building toys to create all different kinds of structures. Not only will they get your kid off electronics these building kits will help enhance your child’s hand-eye coordination, fine motor skills, and creative thinking.
So not only are the sets entertaining they are also a great educational toy. The kids will be learning and they won’t even know it!
Look through our list of the best building toys, sets, and kits to find the right fit for your child. You’ll find unique and classic toys for kids ages 3 to 12 years old.
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Best Building Sets, Toys & Kits for Kids
Are you ready to get your kids excited about building? There are tons of cool building sets for younger kids to older kids so you’re sure to find a great set your child will love.
You’ll find a mix of simple wooden block sets for little kids to complex structures older kids can build. I have even added an age range for each building kit and building toy so you can find the best fit for your child.
Tip – These also make great gift ideas for boys and girls for birthdays and holidays.
Here are our top picks for Building Sets, Toys, and Kits.
Magnetic Tiles
Age – 3 years old and up
Kids love these cool magnetic tiles because they’re so easy to build. Each tile has a magnet and that’s how you connect all the tiles together. This allows kids to build really awesome 3D buildings.
Younger children will love adding imaginative play to the tiles by using small figures or hot wheels.
Here are some ideas for imaginative play – Kids can build a castle and add miniature princesses or princes, build a big garage and add their favorite toy cars or build a zoo and add animal figures.
This is a toy that can grow with your kids as their buildings will become more complex as they get better and older.
We like the Beyond Imagination Tiles because you get 130 pieces, they have strong magnets, and they’re cheaper than the name brand Magnatiles.
Marble Run
Let your kids get really creative while making a marble run. Kids can adjust all the pieces each time they build and figure out which is the fastest route for the marble.
They’ll have to think about where to place each block or tunnel to keep the marble rolling the whole time. But don’t worry there is no right or wrong way to build these so use your imagination and start building.
Here are a few Marble Run Options:
Make a cool marble run out of cardboard, paper towel rolls, and a box. It’s cheap and lets you recycle old cardboard.
Learn how to make a Cardboard Marble Run.
Age – 3 and Up
This is an easier set for little hands as the building bricks are bigger to manipulate. Great for preschool toys at home or school.
Age – 5 and Up
This set has 120 different pieces so you can make a bigger marble run area. I like that it’s more of a vertical build so it doesn’t take up too much space in your house.
Age – 8 and Up
A challenging Marble run STEM toy for older kids. It’s a great game for critical thinking and includes 60 fun challenges with varying degrees of difficulty.
Wooden Blocks
Age – All Ages
There are tons of different ways to build with classic wooden blocks. It’s great for open-ended building as your only limit is your imagination and maybe the height of the blocks.
Try using the building blocks to make a castle, fort, boat, garage, house, or train. See what creative ways your kids can come up with to build using these fun shapes.
Age – Toddlers & Up
We love all the colors in these blocks and the top of the storage bin has a shape sorter.
Age – Toddlers & Up
These are natural wood blocks with all different shapes and sizes.
Roller Coaster Kit
Age – 8 and UP
Older kids will really enjoy the STEM challenge of building a roller coaster. We really like the K Nex stem building sets as they are well built and have easy-to-follow instruction manuals for kids.
Fort Building Set
Age – 5 and Up
This fort building kit is a huge hit in our house. Your kids will love building forts in creative ways by connecting the different size sticks and balls. Then cover it with a blanket and your fort is built.
I love that once you take it apart it’s small and easy to store. The fort makes a great spot for imaginative play or reading books.
Tip: Get a set with lots of pieces so they can make it big enough to crawl into and read a book or play.
Lego Sets
What kid doesn’t love the world of lego. There are so many great Lego sets to build with tons of themes like Star Wars, construction, Minecraft, superheroes, city life, castles, ice cream shops, and more.
For older kids try the Lego Technic they are more detailed and have movable parts.
Here is a few fun Lego set ideas.
Lego Sets for Young Kids
Duplo Sets are a great choice for younger kids. The blocks are larger and the sets are simple to follow.
Lego Sets for 6-10 years old
Build your own garden with the Lego Friends Flower Set.
Lego Sets for 12 & Up
Lego Technic
These Lego Technic sets are more intricate Lego sets that have moving parts that are more complex. Great for older kids to have an extra challenge.
Construction Sets
Have your kids build like construction workers creating buildings and construction trucks.
Age – 3-5 Years Old
Let young children build their own construction trucks with this fun set for younger kids. They’ll have to put together all the parts of a construction truck.
Age – 6-12 Years Old
Fun 2 in 1 construction building kit to make a dump truck and airplane. This 361-piece set has movable parts so kids can play with it after they build it. This STEM kit is a great way to pique your child’s interest in engineering.
Classic Toys
Who doesn’t like playing with classic toys? It brings back great memories for adults and you have fun playing with your kids. It’s a win-win. Here are two classic building toys kids will still enjoy today.
Tinker Toys
Age – 3 & Up
Give your kids a bin of these Tinker Toys and see what creative ways they come up with to build.
I love these because they come with so many different types of pieces and this updated plastic version even has bendable pieces.
Lincoln Logs
Age – 3 and Up
Do you remember playing with Lincoln Logs? They were so much fun and perfect for bringing out your child’s creativity.
They can build a whole community and then use pretend play by adding small figures of people and animals to the set.
Build a Car Kit
Age – 6 – 12 Years Old
Car fans will love building their own RC car that comes with a remote control to drive it. How cool is that!
Build a Robot Kit
Age – 8 – 12 Years Old
Kids will have a blast building their own robot that can move. The OASO Robot is controlled by remote control and an app.
Younger kids might need help with the instructions while older kids can do it on their own.
Build a Train Sets
If your children are big fans of trains why not build a train set. They’ll create hours of play by first building the train tracks and then driving their train around the track. When they get bored take the track apart and rebuild it in a different way.
To build the track they’ll have to use problem-solving skills to figure out how to incorporate the track’s curves, bridges, and tunnels.
Again as they get older they can build a more intricate train track.
Age – 3 & Up
Age – 8 & Up
Lionel Train Set for older kids with working trains, tracks, and remote control.
I hope you have found a building set for your kids that they’ll love. It’s so fun to see the creative ways they’ll make these cool building toys.
These sets would be tons of fun on a rainy day, on a family game night, or as a fun gift idea.
If your looking for gift ideas for the holiday season and birthdays these building kits are perfect. You’ll find even more fun gift ideas in our Favorite Boys Gifts and Hottest Girls Gift Ideas.
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