Christmas shopping season is quickly approaching, and I hope to inspire y’all (and myself!) over the new few weeks with gift guides.  We all want to give kids toys they’ll love and play with regularly over the coming year, and all of the toys below will do just that!  So check out this building gift guide for kids who love to create, imagine, and engineer.

1. Brain Flakes – The colorful, plastic, interlocking discs can build anything you can imagine.  Each disc is a little larger than a quarter, so this is geared towards kids who no longer put toys in their mouths.  500 flakes come in a self-storing jar.
2. KEVA Structures Plank Set – This set of pine planks may not look like much, but they are surprisingly stable and versatile for building.  They can be stacked to create buildings, bridges, and other designs.  24 page idea booklet included.
3. Magna-Tiles – These colorful plastic shapes have magnets along all edges, so they’re easy to attach to each other.  Toddlers can start by creating 2-D designs and grow into 3-D designs.  We’ve had the 100 piece set since my son was 2 years old (3 years ago), and they still get played with multiple times per week.  Worth the investment!
4. LEGO Chain Reactions Kit – Take a LEGO enthusiast’s skills to the next level with this kit.  The colorful instruction book will show you how to create moving LEGO machines.  Use your existing LEGOs plus some additional LEGO pieces, balls, and ramps included in the kit.
5. Snap Circuits Jr. Electronics Discovery Kit – Create over 100 electronic circuit projects such as a voice-controlled lamp, police siren, and flying saucer.  No tools required, and snap-together parts ensure correct connections.
6. LEGO DUPLO Fire Truck – LEGOs are an obvious and wonderful toy for young builders, but I especially wanted to highlight LEGO DUPLO kits like this one.  Not only can the fire truck be built in different configurations, but it gets extra playtime in our home because it’s a truck!  We’ve had a few DUPLO kits for two years now, and they’re still played with regularly.
7. Marble Genius Marble Run – These colorful plastic pieces are easy to connect to create structures a marble can run through.  It’s a great way to learn about gravity and how to support a tall structure.  And it’s just plain fun watching the marbles run through your creation, especially those large circular pieces where the marble spins.
8. Motor Works Vehicle Assembly – Using the included screwdriver or drill, take apart and rebuild a racecar, airplane, and motorcycle over and over.  Great for fine motor skills and understanding the logical order of pieces.  Plus, they have wheels and can be played with like toys!  This is a hit in our house.  The Battat brand makes similar toys as well.
9. ZOOB BuilderZ Kit – ZOOB pieces can be snapped together for various connections, including joints that move, limbs that extend, and axels that rotate.  Kids (or adults!) can build whatever interests them, and then play with it like it a toy.  Take it apart and start all over on a new design.  Comes in a plastic storage tub.

What’s your favorite toy on this building gift guide?  What are your favorite building toys?

Don’t miss my Gift Guide for the Outdoors with great outside toys & activities.  And my Experiences and Activities Gift Guide is great when you want to gift something other than a toy.

P.S. For some tips on how to cut back and simplify things this Christmas as well as how I track my gift purchases, check out my Simplified Christmas post.