These five kinds of blocks inspire hours of play. Which ones do you own? Which did you play with as a child? Discover the best blocks for kids.

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How to Find the Best Blocks for Kids

I believe that every home with children should also contain at least some blocks. These five types of blocks are our top picks for inspiring creative play and developing spatial reasoning.

Wooden Blocks

Every block list needs to include classic wooden blocks! We love this set from Melissa and Doug. Planks are an alternative to the classic set that can be used creatively in many fun ways. Wood castle block sets can also inspire creative building and storytelling. These DIY blocks are pretty amazing, too.

Foam blocks

Foam blocks make a safer alternative to wooden blocks for children who want to build but are likely to throw their toys. Cardboard blocks are also a throw-safe alternative.

Magna-tiles

If you want your kids to build but hate difficult clean-up, Magna-Tiles are the blocks for you! They allow children to build all sorts of amazing structures. When it’s time to clean up, the blocks stick to one another. We recommend the translucent blocks, as they are fun to build with and truly magical on a light table.

DUPLO and LEGO blocks

You won’t regret investing in both LEGO and DUPLO bricks! These brilliant blocks stick together and stay stuck together, making for hours of rewarding creative play. I recommend holding on to DUPLO bricks longer than you might expect to – we use ours every year for tower building challenges, as well as other activities. You can also buy sets like this DUPLO doll house for building that inspires story telling.

Dominoes

Buy these competition grade bulk dominoes for hours of creative fun! Children use these for everything from classic domino runs to architectural building and sensory bin play.

Plus-Plus Blocks

Plus-Plus is a Danish toy company, and their construction blocks come in large and small sizes – small blocks for big kids and Plus-Plus Big for smaller children. Read all about how to use Plus-Plus blocks in our review.

Which of these blocks did you play with as a kid? Which ones do your kids enjoy most now? What do you consider the best blocks for kids? Share your play experiences and recommendations on my Facebook page.