When ordering building blocks, there are a few qualities you should look out for. If the blocks are each designed with letters or numbers, those designs should be large and fully legible.

In terms of quality, the best building blocks should meet Australian Toy Safety Standards and are made using high-quality materials, such as 100% beechwood. Cheaper materials could cause the blocks to wear out and chip over time.

Children can start playing with most building blocks at 12 months old. They won't be able to do too much at 12 months, but by 16-18 months, you may notice them starting to stack blocks on top of each other. They'll likely start creating more complex structures around ages 2-4. Please note, we do recommend parental supervision for babies and toddlers playing with blocks.

There's a reason why you'll find large wooden blocks in preschools across Australia. Building blocks are very beneficial for children, especially during their early childhood development phase. The physical benefits include spatial awareness, hand-eye coordination, and fine motor skills, which children improve as they lift, move, and build with their blocks.

Of course, different blocks come with their own valuable learning opportunities. Some block sets are expressly designed to improve math skills while others help children describe colours, shapes, and sizes. With the assistance of a parent or teacher, building blocks can also introduce children to things like gravity and geometry.

Children can make almost anything with building blocks, depending on the block set. While many of our kids' block sets include 30+ blocks for free building, others encourage kids to build specific structures. This includes our Block Train, our Wooden Rainbow Stacker, our Connetix Tiles, and many more.

Giving children a certain shape to build towards, such as a train or a rainbow, challenges them in a fun and educational way. However, there are also lots of benefits to free-building. With our loose building blocks, kids can use their imagination and build anything they want, such as castles, towers, and dinosaurs!

If you'd like to learn more about our building blocks or need help placing an order, please feel free to contact us. You can reach by calling (03) 9816 8588, emailing sales@hipkids.com.au, or by visiting our store in Melbourne. We'd be happy to hear from you!