Building Blocks of Play

Building/Construction Toys
This is one of my favorite sections to complete each year.  While there are several items that are always on there, I have included some new construction and STEM sets this year.  These kinds of toys are great for developing a variety of fine motor skills, visual motor and perceptual skills, problem solving and executive functioning skills.  They are also great for helping children become more creative, develop imagination skills and can help them feel more confident when they are done building and creating.

Magna-Tiles-these magnetic tiles have made my list every year since I began.  Not only are they great for working on motor planning and organizational skills, they are easy for kids of all ages and abilities to use them with great success.  If you have a child with decreased motor skills or decreased upper extremity strength, these are great for them.  Kids can build anything from an ice cream cone or a building as tall as them.  In the last few years, they have created different colored sets and ones with doors, windows and wheels so kids can create even more.  In addition to working on motor planning and organizational skills, playing with Magna-Tiles can help encourage bilateral coordination, imagination and creativity and easily be played with a friend to work on improving social and play skills.

Tegu Blocks-another favorite of mine, the Tegu blocks are beautiful wooden blocks that stick together via magnets.  Like the Magna-Tiles, I was originally drawn to these blocks because they were great for children of all ages and abilities.  Kids who may present with motor and coordination problems can play with these independently and successfully which helps in building confidence, self-esteem and imagination and creativity.  Tegu has evolved over the years and now have sets where you can make robots, helicopters and some really cool circuit sets!

Toobalink-I love discovering a new building toy, especially ones that can use household objects to help you create and build.  Toobalink is a construction kit that comes with connectors, joiners and couplers that help turn paper towel and toilet paper tubes into whatever it is your child can think of.   It also comes with an instruction booklet that gives you idea but that doesn't mean that you can't let your imagination go crazy and think outside of the box!  Great for working on improving motor planning and organizational skills, bilateral coordination, imagination and creativity skills.  Also great to work on with friends or siblings to encourage team-work and collaborative play.

Robot Engineer Kit (Level 1)-more and more young kids are interested in building and being engineers.  One thing I have noticed over the last few years is the increase in products that encourage STEM education.  This fun robot kit introduces kids to the basic engineering concepts, teaches them about gears, levers and wheels and allows them to be creative at the same time.  Each kit comes with extremely well made and durable pieces that snap together to build a robot.  It also comes with a book that has 10 different stories the kids have to follow along with in order to put the robot together.  Great for working on improving fine motor and grasping skills, visual motor and perceptual skills, bilateral coordination and executive functioning skills such as organization, motor planning, focus, attention and following multi-step directions.

Squigz- These colorful suction cup toys seem so simple but encourage a bunch of developmental skills in kids of all ages.  pipSquigz are perfect for babies and younger children. Each set comes with 3 different shape and colored pipSquigz with a different texture and sound (kind of like a rattle) which is great for expanding their tactile world.  The suction cup toys not only stick to each other but to mirrors, windows and similar like surfaces.  My kids LOVE the sound they make and I love that they work on improving eye-hand coordination, visual motor and visual perceptual skills, bilateral coordination and exploring a variety of different textures.  Another bonus, they are BPA-free which makes them ideal for children who may be teething.  As kids get older, you can get them the Squigz.  These suction cup toys can be stuck to each other or to different surfaces (like the refrigerator, mirror or windows).  Kids LOVE them!  Great for working on improving bilateral coordination, eye-hand coordination, grasp strengthening and visual motor skills.

Joinks-last year I wrote about Straws and Connectors, another great building toy, but spent some time this year looking for something that was a bit more durable and could handle the wear and tear of use by multiple kids.  Joinks are just that!  This construction kit comes with 76 flexible connectors and wooden sticks that you can use to build a variety of shapes, buildings, people, etc..  Great for working on building fine motor skills, visual motor skills, bilateral coordination, motor planning and organizational skills.  Kids can work on their own to create or play with a friend and work together to help build something fabulous.


Waldorf Inspired Rainbow Stacker-this homemade Waldorf inspired building toy by Hope Learning Toys is great for working on visual motor and perceptual skills.  It's a beautifully made toy that can help younger children work on learning colors.  It can also be used to encourage free play and language skills.  Made with all natural materials and dyes and safe for all ages.

Action-Stackers Little Builder Set-for as long as I have been practicing as an occupational therapist, I have always used the Lauri tall stackers and pegboard.  They are definitely the best pegboard set out there and great for working on so many fine motor, visual motor and executive functioning skills.  I was really excited when I was walking around Westside Kids in Manhattan and saw this awesome product.  Kids can use the pegboard and pegs to build 3-D designs or can just use the pegs, connectors and wheels to build structures, cars, etc.. Great for working on building their imagination and creative skills.  Also great for working on improving motor planning, organizational skills
In addition to the pegboard and pegs, the set comes with a variety of connectors, wheels and a step by step activity book.

Legos-I always try and make as many different suggestions for construction and building sets before recommending the good old standby, Legos/Duplos.  Over the years, Lego has evolved into something so big and targeting the interests of kids of all ages.  Whether you are a superhero fan, a lover of princesses or vehicles, you will always be able to find a set that is good for your child.  Legos/Duplos are great for working on improving fine motor and grasping skills, grasp strength, bilateral coordination, a variety of visual motor and perceptual skills and executive functioning skills.  It's also great for building confidence and self-esteem when they complete their Lego sculpture.

One of the great things about Legos is that you can find them in any local toy store so support those small businesses and purchase your Lego sets from them instead of getting them from the big box stores.  Some of my favorite stores in NYC to get them from are Westside Kids, Mary Arnold Toy Store, Toy and Stationery World ,  Lulu's Cuts and Toys and  Little Things Toy Store in Park Slope.

Basic Builder Set-another amazing product from Hape Toys that encourages younger children to build and create!  This is a great set for younger children because the pieces are bigger making them easier to manipulate.  Kids can work on improving fine motor and manipulation skills, bilateral coordination, motor planning and organizational skills.  The set also includes a bunch of cards with images on how to make a bunch of different things which is great for working on improving visual motor and perceptual skills.

For The Budding Artist

One of my favorite things to recommend to families for gifts are arts and crafts kits or activity books. Not only are they great for working on a variety of occupational therapy skills, they are great for encouraging creativity and building self-esteem and confidence.   I have put together a variety of craft kids and activity books that I really love.  More importantly, the kids love them and don't realize that they are actually working because they are having so much fun.

Sticky Mosaics-these are still one of the products that I recommend the most to families!  Kids love working on their creations and don't realize that they are working on improving their fine motor, grasping, visual motor and visual perceptual and organizational skills at the same time.  With so many different sets to choose from (unicorns, dinosaurs, fairies, sports, etc.) you are sure to find one that will be perfect for a kid in your life!  The best part for me to see is how proud and excited the kids are when they put that final sticker on and get to take it home.

Pom Pom Pictures-I was in a new toy store out on Long Island a couple of months ago and got to spend some time with the owner of Fun Stuff Toys, who told me to try these out if I was a fan of the Sticky Mosaics.  I am happy to report that Orb Factory has done it again with these Pom Pom Pictures kits!  They are a huge hit with the kids at work.  Each template is broken down into 4 sections; you peel the sticker off and match the small pom poms to the correct colors.  Great for working on improving fine motor and grasping skills, eye-hand coordination, visual motor and visual perceptual skills and executive functioning skills such as focus, attention and organizational skills.

Pirasta Coloring Posters-these posters are a really fun family gift.  My nieces have one hanging on their playroom wall and have been coloring with their friends and each other over the course of time and have the best time.  There are so many different ones to choose from....foods, different cities, animals, etc..  Great for working on improving graphomotor skills, eye-hand coordination and visual motor and perceptual skills.  Hanging it on the wall allows for kids to work on building upper extremity strength and shoulder stability.

The Kindness Kit-Craft-tastic has a ton of great craft kits, especially for older school-aged children.  The Kindness Kit is by far one of my favorites though because it encourages children to share the crafts that they make with others.  The set includes all the materials for 8 projects.  Great for working on improving fine motor and grasping skills, visual motor and perceptual skills, bilateral coordination and executive functioning skills such as following directions, organizational skills, focus and attention.

Fashion Plates-another one of those toys that brings me back to my childhood!  My little girl has aspirations to be a fashion designer when she grows up so when I gave these to her, she was super excited.  Fashion plates encourage creativity while working on improving fine motor, visual motor and perceptual skills, graphomotor skills, bilateral coordination and executive functioning skills such as focus, attention and organizational skills.  If you have a kid who isn't into design, be sure to check out the Action Plates which lets kids design their own superhero!  

The Tinkering Kit-for the kid in your life who is more into building things than doing crafts, this would be the perfect gift.  This is not your typical craft kit and is ideal for kids who are 6 and older.  The kit comes complete with all the supplies needed to make 8 really cool projects.  How much fun would your little engineer have making a zipline or a their own marble maze??  Great for working on improving fine motor, visual motor and visual perceptual skills.  Especially good for working on improving executive functioning skills such as focus and attention, following multi-step directions and organizational skills. 

Crazy Aaron's Mixed By Me Thinking Putty Kit-I've long been a fan of all the products by Crazy Aaron (read their beautiful story here guys....this Phildelphia-based company employs over 800 people with intellectual and developmental delays).  You can't go wrong with any of their putty products because they are great for working on improving fine motor skills, strength and manipulation skills (hide coins or small objects in the putty).  If you have a kid who is into science and doing experiments, you should definitely check out this kit where you can mix up your own magical putty.  The set comes complete with 5 tins of clear putty, three concentrated color putties, three special effect putties and an instructional mat that gives you a bunch of ideas.  There are also labels for kids to write on after they create their own putty which is great for working on improving graphomotor and creativity skills.  

I Like Activity Book-this activity book is great for kids of  all ages.  There are 48 pages of activities that encourage kids to answer questions about themselves.  Lots of opportunities for them to draw, color and be silly.  Older kids who are independent for writing can fill the book in by themselves and then share what they did with their grownups.  Younger kids who may need more help can complete this with their grownups.  Great for working on improving graphomotor and creativity skills.   Also great for working on improving focus, attention and organizational skills.  This can also be great for kids to get to work on language and conversational skills.  

Happy Snacks Color-In'Book-my daughter is really into Shopkins right now so when I saw this adorable coloring book, I had to get it.  The pictures are so cute and engaging.  I love how while we are coloring, we are talking about what we see and whether we like that food or not.  My little girl is a bit of a "by the books" kinda kid, so I've used this book as a way to encourage her to think outside of the box and be more creative.  There is no reason the mushrooms on the pizza can't be purple or the marshmallows in the hot chocolate can't be green.  At the same time, we are working on improving visual motor/perceptual skills, eye-hand coordination, focus and attention and improving her grasping skills.  Once your picture is complete, they are easy to tear out and display for others to see!

Chalk Markers-I was lucky enough for this product to have found me before I published this year's gift guide.  I've been searching for something like these for a while and they happened to drop in my lap.  For many of the kids I work with, I suggest that parents find a wall in their house that they can put up some chalkboard or white erase paper on a free wall to work on graphomotor skills.  However, finding the write writing instruments to use on these surfaces has been tricky.  Dry erase markers are great but for so many of the kids I work with, they drag their hand along their work and erase their work before finishing.  These chalk markers are great because they go on as smoothly as they come off.  When I took them out at my gym recently and had the kids write on our mirror, they were so excited.  I had one little boy (who has always been resistant to handwriting activities) ask to write his name four different time in as many colors.  The nice thing about these chalk markers is that once they are started, they are easy to use so if you have a kid with decreased grasp strength, they can still be successful.  I happened to work on a large wall mirror with my friends which is great for building up upper extremity strength and shoulder stability.  When working in this upright position, kids are also more likely to prop their wrists up correctly which puts them in a more appropriate grasping pattern.  Besides practicing shapes, letters and numbers, you can play games like Tic-Tac-Toe, Hangman or the dot game.