Constructors for kids from 1 to 3 years old

In recent decades, child development experts have reached a full consensus that the construction set for toddlers can be considered one of the most useful toys. In principle, even without this solution, the designers were sold in large quantities, but today it is absolutely impossible to imagine a set of children's toys without them - such a set, and more than one, should be at home for every child.

At the same time, scientists recommend purchasing a constructor from as early as possible, at the same time, the instructions for most kits say that use is not recommended until the age of 3 years. However, for children from 1 to 3 years old, you can also choose a set - you just need to know more about the suitable options.

Why not just any?

The age of up to 3-4 years in a child's life can be safely called one of the most difficult, because a curious little man is trying his best to learn the world, but due to a banal misunderstanding of the simplest threats to his health, such attempts can be dangerous. Naturally, this does not stop the baby, because all that remains for the parents is to carefully choose the set.

Most kits say they are not suitable for children under 3 years old. This figure is somewhat arbitrary, because the development of the baby is gradual, and it cannot be that yesterday this constructor was still not recommended to him, but literally today it can already be used without any warnings. Nevertheless, it is imperative to follow such a recommendation, if it is on the package. There are clear criteria why most kits are not suitable for the smallest, and parents, when choosing a construction set for such children, should make sure that the intended purchase does not meet such inhibiting criteria.

These criteria are worth considering in more detail.

Part size

The worst thing that can happen to a child while playing with a construction set is swallowing a part. By virtue of the natural desire to know the world, each baby pulls literally everything that he sees into his mouth, and after all, a detail of a complex shape can easily get stuck in the narrow esophagus of a child or cause him suffering, reaching the stomach.

Almost any construction set contains small parts, but a set for babies should consist only of large elements so that a large piece cannot be swallowed. At the same time, attention should be paid to large details of a complex shape - it is unacceptable that a small part can detach from the base, otherwise the size of the parts will not matter. In the end, due to poorly developed fine motor skills, the child is not yet able to tinker with a construction set that is too small, and this also needs to be taken into account.

Hygiene

Since the baby is trying to taste everything around, parents will have to think about how to make sure that the designer is always clean, because the owner himself does not yet think about such things at all. First of all, you should be sure that the manufacturer did not use harmful additives in the production process, otherwise their entry into the child's body is practically guaranteed.

But the choice does not end there either - you should choose only the set for which the parts do not have an exceptionally flat surface that does not contribute to the accumulation of dirt and bacteria. Easy to clean parts is another vital criterion.

Injury risk

When a child grows up and becomes an engineer, then even if he collects his adult crafts from anything, but for now he is small and rather awkward, so even minor defects or ill-conceived parts can be dangerous for him. Elements with sharp edges are not welcome in constructors for any age, and in sets for the smallest, even thin oblong parts are in principle undesirable - such can be shoved not only into the mouth, but also into the nose or ear.

Complexity of assembly

Each person may have their own idea of which constructor is considered difficult and which is not, but a kid under 3 years old will have difficulty assembling almost anything, since he is still at the initial stage of learning such wisdom. Even if we are talking about the simplest cubes, it may be difficult for a 2-year-old baby to assemble an integral structure of 20 elements; by 2.5 years, the number of parts may increase to 30, but a baby of this age will definitely not use 100 fragments - for this there will not be enough perseverance, no imagination.

Besides, parts should be easily assembled into a whole and just as easily disassembled back into separate fragments, otherwise the game will turn into torment for the kid, and he will quickly lose interest in it.

You can sing odes for a long time in favor of educational toys, but development is impossible without an independent understanding of the next stage.

Cubes

Actually, the most obvious solution can be considered ordinary cubes, which are considered the simplest constructor. They do not interconnect at all - they just need to be installed on top of each other, while they look rather naive, representing simple geometric shapes. Such a solution would not be pleasant to older children, but for children 1-3 years old, this choice is optimal, since it is perfect for both boys and girls.

The main choice now is to determine the best material. Hollow plastic cubes are considered almost ideal (provided that the plastic is of high quality and environmentally friendly), because such parts are lightweight, they are difficult to injure, and they also look very bright.

Wooden cubes are distinguished by their high strength and naturalness of the raw materials used, but they are relatively heavy, in addition, they are a good breeding ground for bacteria and are difficult to clean. Sometimes felt cubes are also made for babies - they are light and pleasant to the touch, but they are quite easy to break.

When choosing cubes for the smallest, it is advised to choose bright colors (except for the very "acidic" ones), however, do not lean on the variety of the palette: 3-5 basic colors will be enough.

Magnetic kits

This solution allows you to see three-dimensional figures as if in a section, but at the same time, it also does not require any effort to connect the parts, since they are connected by the force of magnetic attraction.

Externally, the details look like ordinary plastic fragments, which in some cases are limited by a simple geometric outline. Thanks to the use of plastic, it is possible to achieve a significant brightness of the toy and its relatively low weight, but the most interesting thing is hidden inside - a magnet.

Such a gift is very interesting for children in view of the fact that they do not understand how the parts are held together, because often the craft can even be raised above the floor, holding it by the top, and it will not crumble. You can't put together anything particularly meaningful from such a constructor, but experts praise it for a visual demonstration of the three-dimensionality of various objects - thanks to the game with curly magnets, the child's spatial imagination and fantasy improves.

Block Sets

It is block constructors that are usually not recommended for children under 3 years old, but exceptions can be found to each rule. To begin with, you should choose a set with large parts that cannot be swallowed, then you should pay attention to the ease of connection. You don't need to buy kits with a huge amount of parts yet: the kid will not be able to assemble even a very interesting craft. Perhaps playing with such constructors is worth at least two years old, and even then with the active participation of parents.

In recent years, the release of block construction sets for the smallest has noticeably increased - in particular, a special series of Lego Duplo is gaining popularity in our country. This manufacturer hardly needs any ideas, because most modern people associate the sets of this brand with constructors in general. Choosing a block construction set is always a contribution to the development of fine motor skills of the child's hands.

Another equally important advantage is the development of imagination, because the very same Lego offers to assemble a beautiful and interesting playground for any games with little men, which, as a rule, are also included in the set.

We cannot fail to mention the popular alternative - Mega Bloks constructors. In this case, the manufacturing company focuses almost exclusively on children under adolescence, because its series for the smallest are distinguished by a deep understanding of the needs of the child.

The theme of sets usually concerns transport and small toy cities, which can be built on a special game table, which, if necessary, turns into a suitcase from under the designer. The grooves and tenons of these sets are mutually compatible with the above-described Lego series, which further expands the possibilities for the use of imagination.

Unusual sets

In fact, almost any set is suitable for babies under 3 years old, as long as it meets the criteria described at the beginning of the article. It is worth highlighting several original solutions that are in demand among kids and their parents in order to show that you should not limit yourself in playing opportunities:

colored counting sticks, reminiscent of beautiful bright matches, will be a wonderful solution for flat design and will help make memorizing numbers and colors more interesting;
a rubber constructor with bendable parts will help the child create the most unexpected crafts and ensure that they will not break when dropped from a height;

constructor "Road" is practically a puzzle, but boys will really like it, who will be able to "ride" cars on it;
the Zolo set allows you to collect figures of strange creatures in any order.