How to choose a plastic construction set?

A children's plastic construction set is a must-have toy for every child. Such a gift allows not only to spend time with interest, but also to develop various useful skills in the baby. At the same time, in the modern market, the range of such products is simply huge, therefore parents should be very responsible when choosing a particular set.

Material features

Designers are produced from various materials, in particular, not so long ago, the metal version was an absolute hit for children.

Nevertheless, now the leadership is clearly held by plastic models. There are several reasons for this.

The production of plastics has become significantly cheaper in recent decades, it has become an easily accessible material. At the same time, thanks to the latest developments, we can safely say that the best samples are completely non-toxic, and therefore can be used by babies of any age without restrictions.
A huge advantage of plastic parts is their lightness. Firstly, this greatly simplifies the game even with large cubes, and secondly, if the blocks accidentally fall, they are unlikely to injure the baby.
Plastic parts look much brighter and more believable than similar ones in metal kits.
An advantage can be considered and a wide range of varieties of kits produced from plastic.

In fact, there are not so many disadvantages, and they do not apply to plastic constructors in general, but only to poorly chosen sets. In particular, the manufacturer could be irresponsible in the production of products - to allow toxic components to be included in the plastic or simply to process the parts poorly, leaving jagged edges and sharp edges. Only a thorough inspection of the product before purchase will help to solve this problem.

Criterias of choice

If the choice fell on the plastic option, there are not so many criteria for how to distinguish a good and suitable designer from a vain chosen one.

While the choice of material seems clear, remember that plastics come in different qualities. Experts consider any pungent unpleasant odor to be an absolute sign that the manufacturer has used low-quality raw materials, therefore a good designer should not smell at all. A similar requirement is imposed on paint - it must be not only non-toxic, but also hypoallergenic.

Finally, you should pay attention to the strength of the parts - they must be reliable and complete, because the baby can get hurt by a small splinter or even swallow it.

Conscientious manufacturers label their kits by indicating the age category for which they are designed. The use of plastic construction sets is considered appropriate for children from a year and older, however, in the youngest age category, preference is given to simple and bright sets with large parts that are easily assembled into a single whole and disassembled back. As the age increases, it should be more difficult to select kits, because too simple tasks seem boring to the baby.

In an effort to interest future small owners, manufacturers are trying to release a constructor of a certain orientation, which will successfully imitate this or that toy.

Therefore, parents should start from the interests of their child, so that he is really interested in the assembly process and can be proud that he has assembled the adored object with his own hand.

For boys, it is advised to choose sets that imitate various equipment, including military ones. Girls, of course, will like the theme of animals, princesses, castles more. A neutral option, suitable for both sexes, is considered a house, which is more of a sorter, and for older children, a set based on a favorite fairy tale or cartoon would be an excellent option.

Kinds

As practice shows, even advanced modern parents do not always understand how far progress has come, therefore they perceive the constructor in a too old sense of the word. Today, the variety of options for a familiar toy is so great that you can imagine at least ten varieties of one plastic constructor alone. The proposed list includes both the simplest options and innovations that have been on the market for no longer than a few years.

An extremely simple solution is cubes, which are often used in the younger groups of kindergartens. The details here are not interconnected at all, they are simply installed one on top of the other. Traditionally, such sets can be used to build only a conventional teremok.

Block constructor... Perhaps, it is precisely the variety that comes to the layman's head first. The parts are held together thanks to the inserted grooves, such as in the famous Lego construction set. The latter, by the way, is a kind of block set, but the details are not necessarily so complex and varied, a baby already at a year and a half can start with the simplest parts of the same type. The more complex version, presented by the same Lego, is distinguished by the sharpening of the parts for the creation of a certain craft, which is facilitated by the attached detailed instructions.

Screw construction set made of plastic - the thing is relatively rare, but you can buy this too. A set with screws and nuts is practically no different from a similar metal one, except for increased brightness and larger parts, as well as light weight. However, such a set with bolts and nuts is usually considered too childish, and after it, as a rule, they acquire an iron analogue.

Among kids 2-3 years old, it is very popular and plastic puzzle, which, due to its three-dimensional nature, can be called a full-fledged constructor. The details, like the cardboard version, are flat, but they can be not only conventionally rectangular, but also triangular. You can't make anything but a house out of such details, but the kids don't need anything else yet.

You can expand the possibilities with plastic construction set of "mosaic" type, which is somewhat the same puzzle, only puts forward much less restrictions on the angle at which the parts are connected. In addition, individual elements can be convex, which contributes to the expansion of the number of available products, but this already requires a good imagination, so this set is for older children.

An interesting solution is articular constructor, in which the parts are attached to each other by hinges, which allows the fasteners to move. The connection is organized according to the principle of a living organism, where a spherical thickening at the end of one part is fixed with a tight grip on the other. The assembled figures can bend at any angle, while remaining integral.

Constructor made of flexible plastic tubes gives the baby the opportunity to abandon the traditional angular shapes, bending the details at will. Complex solutions from such a set cannot be created, however, geometry teachers have already appreciated the invention, since it allows children to understand the essence of three-dimensional space much better.

Magnetic constructor covered with plastic only on the outside, and inside it is a real magnet. The assembly scheme here is rather complicated, but there are not so many requirements for connecting the parts, because they are attracted to each other the way a baby connects them. Children are fascinated by this decision not so much by the possibility of constructing some models, but by the very fact of the visibility of the magnetic field, which also favorably affects the understanding of the laws of physics.

Such a set will be a good gift for a first grade student, laying the foundation for future success in mastering the school curriculum.

The internet is full of funny videos of adults constructing difficult incline track, on which the ball should roll, then accelerating, then slowing down, depending on the angle of inclination. Manufacturers of constructors have thought that kids also have the right to join such fun, but since they do not have serious technical capabilities for this, they will have to create a full-fledged set. The parts are only suitable for creating the slide, but it can look very complex, which is why the constructor is considered to be aimed at children of primary school age: serious planning skills are required to assemble it.

Electronic constructor and it is quite difficult to call it a toy, except perhaps an educational aid. Instead of parts, it contains various microcircuits, light bulbs, switches and even speakers. The young physicist will be simply delighted, because he has the opportunity to assemble a real, really working mechanism without any extra effort! Moreover, using the example of such a constructor, you can clearly show the child many physical laws related to electricity.

Each set is focused on making it possible to assemble dozens of different mechanisms from it, so this option should only be given to children who have reached at least sixth grade.

Manufacturers

There are hundreds of companies manufacturing various types of plastic construction sets in the world today. There is no way to consider all of them, so we will have to confine ourselves to a brief overview.

Foreign products are known to everyone, first of all, by Lego. It is beautiful and attractive, and also completely safe, but not very conducive to the development of the child due to the excessively schematic assembly. In addition, imported goods are traditionally in the upper price segment.

Domestic products are often considered to be something average: they are quite good at affordable prices, although fans of more expensive sets often criticize them. The Polesie brand is often called the most sensible domestic manufacturer, but in fairness it is worth clarifying that this is also an import (Belarus).