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My eldest son was a lego fantatic. He loved the stuff and we bought lots of kits. They were brilliant. However, as my awareness has now been heightened regarding the amount of plastic we use and the damage it does I realise the legos are very bad for the environment. We have lots of the stuff, which we will pass on but how long will it take all these lego blocks to biodegrade.
So this Christmas I am looking for some alternatives to legos to buy for presents for kids. What kind of toys to compete? Well I’m happy to report there are lots of fanastic building and construction toys for kids of all ages from toddlers to teens which aren’t plastic. They aren’t the same as lego but will have other advantages and a different play value. The main thing is kids will have lots of fun with these toys and they will learn lots as well without using up even more plastic.
Gigi Interlocking Cardboard Box
These gigi blocks look amazing. They blocks are strong and sturdy.
They are made of cardboard and kids will love building big structures with them.The blocks are interlocking so when built the structure won’t topple over.
The great thing about them, is that once this toy is finised with, it’s easily recycled.
A Wooden Dinosaur Which Roars and Moves
The wooden dinosaur kit is aimed at kids from aged 8 and above.
The pieces are precut and kids follow the instructions to put them together.
Once built, the fun isn’t over. The dinosaur moves and roars and is sound controlled.
Please note although the majority of the pieces in the kit are wooden, the unit which houses the batteries is made of plastic.
Catapult Building Kit
The catapult kit is aimed at kids from aged 8 and up. Younger kids may love working on a project with an adult and may be able to do most of it themselves.
The really fun part comes when they get to play with it and fire using the soft clay balls which are included.
Tegu Magnetic Wood Building Set
The Tegu magnetic blocks set are aimed at kids from 3 to 99. With this set, kids can build monsters. The blocks are great for encouraging creativity and using imagination. Magnets are safely embedded into the wooden blocks so that they stick together.
Wooden Marble Run
Marble runs are fantastic fun. Have fun constructing an amazing marble run and then have just as much fun running marbles down it. A marble run is a great alternative to more plastic lego for boys who like constructing things.
Check out the Quadrilla wooden marble run which is German made and excellent quality. It’s a toy that will last through the play of siblings and cousins.
Viga Wooden Construction Set
The Viga Wooden Construction set is aimed for kids aged 3 and above. Build a wooden tank or a truck. Great for building hand and eye co-ordination as well as the fine motor skills of little hands
Melissa & Doug Wooden Castle Blocks
This Wooden Domino set can be great fun. Build domino tracks to knock down. Or use the blocks to build towers or other constructions.
The blocks are very colorful and there are 240 in the featured set so lots to keep kids of all ages occupied.
Wooden Construction Kit
There are lots of different wooden construction kits that come with precut shapes and a number system which show you how to put the item together.
They include animal kits, kits for famous landmarks and one like the ferris wheel featured.
They are a good choice for older kids and teens and make a good alternative to lego.
Melissa & Doug Wooden Castle Blocks
This wooden castle set is a really cool idea for a younger child aged around 3 to 7 years.
It contains 28 wooden blocks which are painted to look like blocks of a castle. They can use the different blocks to create lots of different castles of their own design.
Paper Nano Taj Mahal
The Paper Nano Taj Mahal kit is aimed at older kids from aged 12 plus. So teens and adults would love this too. The pieces are laser cut. Each piece has a number cutout next to it which correlates to the instructions. So you follow those to build the kit. If the Taj Mahal isn’t your thing, there are lots of other kits with different items you can build too. They include famous landmarks such as Tower Bridge and the White House,
NFINITOO WOODEN BUILDING TOYS FOR KIDS
These wooden builidng blocks are great for the 3 to 7 year old age group. However, there’s no reason older children wouldn’t love playing with them too.
They are made of high quality natural birch and beech wood as well as food grade water paint.
Perfect for building cars, planes, boats robots or whatever a little one’s imagination thinks up,