Building Block FAQs – Toyz School

If your kids are anything like mine, they love to build things and then destroy them when they are done. Kids love taking things apart. This is a way for them to learn and discover new things. Building something and then taking it apart allows for them to be creative in building their own ideas and then the act of taking it apart helps them to see how things work. Thankfully there are several different toys on the market that allow for kids to build them and then take them apart without ruining the toy. Some of the best toys for building and then taking apart are Legos, Duplos, construction sets, peg boards, and puzzles. The most popular of these would be the building blocks such as Legos or Duplos. Children’s curiosity on how things work is pretty universal across the board. Kids love building their own creations and ultimately knocking them down, breaking them apart or outright destroying them when they are done. This encourages creativity and fosters the ability to see how things work. By building things, they can learn how things fit together, what shapes work with other shapes, how to make something stronger or sturdier, etc. The act of taking things apart after building them also allows for children to see how things work and also gives them the opportunity to try new ways to make something better or stronger than it already is. Building block sets are a great option for kids that like to build things and then take them apart when they are done. These come in all different brands, sizes, and price points. You can buy sets that have a design that is already established for you, or you can buy the blocks individually and create whatever you want to build on your own. I love building block sets because they can be tailored to the skill level of the child that is playing with them. They have complex designs that older children and adults love and simple sets for beginners or younger kids to enjoy. These are also a great option for kids because they have larger size blocks for younger kids that may want to put things in their mouth helping to eliminate the risk of it becoming a choking hazard. Under the building block category is foam or cardboard box sets. We got our youngest two children (they were three and one at the time) a set of giant cardboard blocks for Christmas one year and they absolutely LOVED them. Our older child, who was six, also enjoyed playing with them. They could build forts, towers, etc. and then knock them down in a multitude of ways when they were done. It was a fun activity for the whole family to do and we plan on buying even more of them in the future. Assembly sets, such as construction sets, peg boards and lacing beads are also fun options. But make sure you are careful when picking these toys because some of them do come in smaller pieces that could pose a choking hazard for younger kids. The nice thing though is that most manufacturers have different sizes of toys based on the age of the children it is made for. To see the most popular building sets on the market just click here. Are Take Apart Toys Safe For Kids? While building toys and then taking them apart when you are done can be fun, it can also be a safety hazard for younger kids. In the younger years children inevitably put everything they can fit in their mouths, whether it is supposed to be there or not. It is one of the many ways in which children learn. Toys that can be taken apart can pose a choking risk for younger children because of this. Although toys that you build and take apart are safe for kids you do have to follow the recommended ages on them to ensure that the toys are large enough that your younger children can’t swallow or choke on them. Toys that are small enough to get stuck in a baby’s airway need to be avoided if you have children that young. Always make sure you are following manufactures’ age recommendations, these are based not only on skill level of the toy, but also on small parts that could be a choking hazard. Make sure that these smaller toys are at least 1.25 inches in diameter and 2.25 inches in length so that they cannot be swallowed or lodged in the windpipe. You should also make sure that any toys that are given to a baby or toddler are durable and can withstand chewing and rough or aggressive play. You should also ensure that there are no sharp ends that could injure a child, small parts that can break off or be pulled off making it a choking hazard, small ends that can reach the back of the baby’s mouth, parts that can pinch a baby’s fingers and toys that have strings that are longer than 7 inches. Another concern when assessing the safety of a toy is the risk of ingestion of said product. Countries such as China do not have the same regulatory systems in place as we do in the United States, meaning it is hard to tell what is in the toys from there and the safety of those potential chemicals for children. It is common knowledge that toys from China tend to be higher in lead levels than those of toys that are made in the United States. Many toys have stickers and other ink on them that could easily be lead based, so it is important to take that into consideration when buying toys that are from other countries. This typically isn’t a concern when toys from major brands are made overseas but buying knock offs or generics via Chinese websites could be putting your children at risk. Dangers of high lead levels in children include risk to brain development (irreversible brain damage can occur), damage to kidneys and nervous system, seizures, unconsciousness, and even death. Conclusion Sparking creativity and fostering learning and development are crucial to children and their development throughout their life. We just need to make sure that the products we are giving them are safe for them and that they will not cause any unintentional injuries or create unnecessary risks for the children. Always follow the recommendations of the manufactures as those are not just there based on the skill level of each individual toy but can also be there to indicate that there are small pieces that could be a choking hazard if a young child were to put them into their mouth or try and swallow them.