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From 9 months, opt for the pyramid of rings
The pyramid of the rings? It is not strictly speaking a construction game but it looks like it. This is his first interlocking game. It requires, for your child, the use of the “pincer” of his hand, between the thumb and forefinger. He does not yet know how to classify from the largest to the smallest and is often wrong, alternating the diameters haphazardly. But little by little and with your help, he will understand that there is a logical sense. The most classic of the pyramids is in plastic but also exists in fabric.
12 – 18 months: Baby piles up and destroys buildings
He becomes more skilled with his hands and can stack 4-5 cubes on top of each other. His pleasure: the towers with nesting cubes, which he destroys as soon as they are mounted, with a great burst of laughter. Little by little, you can broaden its field of action: a wooden cube surmounted by a conical piece to make a roof for example, rectangles, semicircles. It is still difficult for him to embed shapes and it is preferable to choose pieces to stack or juxtapose. They must be big enough and clip onto a base or between them. New on the market, the big magnetic pieces which amuse him a lot.
2-3 years: your child discovers his first worlds
Your little one associates the elements in several ways: in height and in width. He knows how to fit medium bricks together. The universes which allow him to decode his environment are of particular interest to him: the farm, the zoo, the stable and especially the construction site for little boys: combine harvester, excavator, trailer… Construction cars fascinate him. Your child also tells a lot of stories while playing, at the age when his language is developing.
3-4 years: imagination above all
His skill goes hand in hand with his imagination. He now has the ability to embark on more complex assemblies, either by reproducing a model or by creating his own characters. Now is the time to offer him two types of construction game: the Kapla “spirit”, where he can give free rein to his imagination since he only has one basic element, a wooden board. Also the K’Nex, a construction game that is all the rage in the United States. They are very funny shapes to create funny and friendly characters. A novelty at Meccano, leader in construction games: a new flexible plastic material suitable for little hands. Finally, a life-size version of the construction, using giant cardboard bricks or models of a fortified castle, the mistress game, etc.
4-5 years old: sophisticated construction games for children
With the exception of magnets, which are increasingly popular with children (but beware of the risk of swallowing small parts), construction games are in line with those that existed for children, in addition to being more complex and diverse. Universes are getting bigger, more sophisticated, rooms are getting smaller too. It is from the age of 4 that vocations are also born as for the “Kapla” which welcome children in their workshops.