We’re always looking for the best building blocks for kids. You just can’t go wrong with a good set of wooden blocks for hours of open-ended fun. So I love how the indie company Larsen Toy Lab has made blocks even better by creating them sustainably in the USA, personalizing then, then packaging them with easy-to-play games and original stories to give our kids one more reason to choose their blocks when it’s time to play.
While Larsen Toy Lab sells incredible sets of blocks in either sustainable, Vermont-harvested naked Maple, or a mix of naked Maple and beautiful beeswax-finished Cherry, there are also sets that go a step further.
Check out their Games and Puzzle gifts, and find four separate games that kids as young as one can play with their blocks. Shape Match is a teaching game for the youngest kids who are still learning the differences between squares, rectangles, and squares. For kids 3+, the matching game Pair Up and building games Ten Towers and Strike Out turn regular blocks into game pieces, along with some well-made laminated cards or wooden dice that will hold up to spirited play.
Can’t decide which game to get? Their super-cool Block Party Set includes three games and 41 blocks for a great shared-Christmas gift for multiple kids.
For younger kids, the Toys with a Story gifts combine a softcover book with a set of blocks. Each story tells how a Viking boy named Leif (aren’t all story vikings named Leif?) uses blocks on his adventures which is a nice way to then get your toddler to create their own structures with their blocks. I love how this set intertwines storytelling into physical play. Maybe older kids can come up with their own stories to tell with their blocks?
With sets ranging from $23 to $92, I really appreciate that there is a price point for almost everyone on my Christmas list. To make things even more special, every set includes free engraving on one block, so you can personalize the blocks for one special child, or put the family’s last name on a block for kids who will be sharing. Such a nice touch.
Check out Larsen Toy Lab’s wooden block sets at their website.
