You buy thisCognitive1½–4 yrsAt home
Wooden blocks
The toy that still works when they're eight.
Wooden blocksView on Amazon
View on AmazonPrep
0 min
Mess
None
How to play
No instructions on purpose. Build towers, roads, walls, a bed for a toy. Build one yourself alongside them rather than directing theirs.
What you need
A set of plain wooden blocks.
What it secretly builds
CognitiveBlocks are open-ended, which means every session they have to decide what to make. That deciding is where imagination actually gets exercised.
Safety first
Small blocks are a choking size for under-3s — check the age on the box.