In early childhood, kids still do not really understand what the difference between the two sexes is, so educational toys for boys and girls do not differ in almost anything. However, at 3-4 years old, children already fully identify themselves as a boy or a girl, and the former often also consider any hobby that would suit a girl frankly shameful.
At least this moment should be a worthy reason for parents to think about choosing a special designer for a boy, although another thing is also important: a future man must understand technology and design, and only special children's designers designed exclusively for boys can give such knowledge in the form interesting game.
What is the child's developmental level at this stage?
At the age of 5, the child is still radically different from adults in all respects, but he no longer has anything in common with the baby. At this stage, the boy no longer needs those qualities of a constructor that were considered fundamental just a couple of years ago: the brightness of the details and their rather large size. If earlier the designer was supposed to be extremely simple, now the kid will like more complex schemes that make it possible to assemble a model similar to the original.
Hand motor skills are already developed sufficiently so as not to put forward any restrictions on the choice of one type of set or another. Intelligence at this stage is already quite high, which allows touching on the most unusual and original topics that allow the boy to better understand the world around him.
At the same time, the category "from 5 years old" also includes rather complex sets, which a 6-7 year old first grader cannot master, so parents should think: can their child already now cope with the proposed task.
Complex sets with a variety of parts can even be set at a minimum age of 12-14 years for assembly, so before making a purchase, you should examine the box for such tips.
At the same time, each type of constructors deserves a separate mention, since it implies its own advantages, disadvantages and features of use depending on age.
For most modern people, the very word "constructor" is usually associated with its block variety, the most striking example of which is the famous Lego. Parts, usually made of plastic, are distinguished by their brightness and believability of shapes, and they are connected very easily - using a system of spikes and grooves. They are divided into sets for boys and girls exclusively according to what can be assembled - for example, a warship will certainly be more interesting for a boy than for a girl.
If we talk about Lego itself, then its sets are recommended for children even from a young age - from about 3 years old, but here you need to understand that no other sets differ in complexity as much as these. Since the assembly of such a constructor has become a real mania all over the world and madly captivated not only children, but also adults, even theme parks have been created in different countries of the world, where literally everything is assembled from the parts of the constructor. It is clear that such a craft will be beyond the power not only at 5, but also at 8-10 years.
The spread in cost is also global, because a small and simple set can cost a hundred or two rubles, and a large-scale modular model will cost parents thousands and thousands. Although the parts of each set are usually rather narrow and cannot be used in any other way, if there are several different sets, they can still be combined.
If we talk about manufacturers, then Lego has already been mentioned, and from the Russian counterparts, attention should be paid to the “City of Masters”.
Wooden constructors for assembling houses
Some time ago, the modeling of various architectural structures from matches was very successful. Rather, they were admired by everyone who was in the know, but only adults were involved in the assembly, and even then only a few. The problem was the complexity of such modeling, because the matches are not intended for construction at all, they are very thin and inconvenient, but the finished craft looked amazing, resembling a real wooden house.
At some point, toy manufacturers decided to help such folk craftsmen and began to produce a special wooden constructor, in which all the parts already have the desired shape and even grooves for connection, and the set itself also contains detailed instructions on how to assemble a small masterpiece.
Experts say that such a constructor may well be used by girls, but boys will like it much more... Construction is generally a male topic, especially since even in the process of assembling a toy craft, a kid can learn the basic principles of building structures.
Of the shortcomings of wooden constructors, the lack of bright colors is often noted (most of their parts are presented in natural colors), but children still like them, because they look more natural than even the famous Lego.
Moreover, each set can easily consist of hundreds of parts, so you cannot immediately throw a five-year-old baby one on one with such a difficult task - you need to design together.
What else can scare off a consumer is a rather high price, because it is almost impossible to find a wooden set at a price below one and a half thousand rubles. On the other hand, the choice of architectural forms is amazing, because Russian manufacturers such as Lesovichok, Territory of Creativity or Tenth Kingdom are engaged in the production. Among the imported brands, the Czech brand Walachia should be distinguished.
Metal constructors with nuts and bolts
For a simple Soviet boy, the ultimate dream was a metal constructor consisting of metal flat sticks and perforated plates into which bolts could be screwed in and thus the parts were connected together. Now such a solution may seem very primitive, because crafts, despite the presence of specific parts like completely natural wheels, still look too bland and ugly (all parts are of a standard metallic color), but it is difficult to come up with a more technogenic designer, and this is what it is. feature.
The boy should like such a designer for the fact that during the assembly process he literally constructs a mechanism, albeit a simple one. Soviet sets made it possible to assemble several dozen different toys from one set of parts, which made such a gift a child's dream.
Now many manufacturers, in pursuit of attractiveness, abandoned versatility and began to produce colored parts that would look ridiculous in any other order, but many like this solution, provided the assembled model is believable.
By the way, it is not always necessary to tighten the nuts by hand: there are varieties of the constructor with a toy drill, which is able to successfully tighten toy screws.
The screw constructor is praised for the highest strength of handicrafts, as well as for the all-round development of the child, because during the assembly process, imagination and perseverance, memory and attention are trained. At the same time, the process of playing a 5-year-old child should be supervised by an adult, because metal parts can easily be injured. Since one box actually contains several completely different toys, even a cost of several thousand rubles should not scare a potential consumer.
From domestic manufacturers praise the same "Ten Kingdom" and "Wunderkind", from foreign companies it is impossible to miss the inventor of such a designer - Meccano.
Electronic constructors
This kind of designers can safely be considered a novelty of recent years, but even now we can say that it has made a splash. If you have never heard of such constructors before, it is enough to describe such a toy in one phrase: with its help, even a five-year-old child can independently assemble a functioning radio or power amplifier!
Of course, all the parts are already ready and are optimally suited for primitive assembly - in particular, there is no need to solder anything, because the connection is made by the plug method. Nevertheless, such a solution greatly contributes to an increase in interest in electrical engineering and an early study of the principles of its work.
Many people are scared off by such a toy due to the fact that it supposedly can pose a danger to a child. Actually the voltage of the electric current in the set is low, because all the assembled mechanisms are powered by ordinary batteries. At the same time, more complex versions of such a set could open their eyes to many electrical phenomena even for adults, but the simplest models are available for understanding even for children of 5 years old, simultaneously acquainting them with the fact that in the future they will still have to study according to the school curriculum. Joint assembly with dad gives the baby a feeling of being involved in real male work, and a functioning device, assembled by hand, will become a reason for great pride.
Due to their simplicity, electronic constructors for kids from 5 years old are relatively inexpensive - you can pick up a set even for a thousand rubles.
Unusual types of constructors
In fact, the variety of constructors is so great that it is simply unrealistic to describe each of them. However, a few more varieties deserve to be mentioned at least superficially.
For example, a rather unusual solution is a constructor based on ordinary Velcro. Apparently, the developers were inspired by the example of burdock fruits, which cling to clothes while walking through the grassy area, but the small details of such a designer do not stick to anything other than themselves. Perhaps, this is the least traumatic type of constructor, because its parts are small and soft, and the finished design is elastic and flexible.
For the same reason, such a constructor is considered "eternal", since it is very difficult to break it. A typical set contains hundreds of small, colorful Velcro, as well as decorative accessories such as eyes, limbs, hats. At the same time, the cost can remain at the level of a thousand rubles to one and a half.
Another important novelty is the construction kits for creating robotics. Outwardly, such constructors usually resemble something like the same Lego (by the way, this brand itself already produces something similar), however, the assembled model has a characteristic feature: it can be controlled using a remote control.
Naturally, it is rather difficult to use the parts of such sets to create something completely new and unusual, since the programmed mechanism that makes the craft self-propelled is designed for a specific design. However, all major manufacturers claim that, if desired, the remote control and the engine can be reprogrammed, so that over time, the baby will have the opportunity to train his brain on a rather difficult task, even from the point of view of an adult.
Each such designer predictably costs several thousand rubles, but the delight of the newly made owner, apparently, will not have a limit.
For an overview of 10 interesting constructors for children, see the next video.
