Building blocks have been a classic toy for generations of children. More than just a simple plaything, they offer a world of possibilities for learning, creativity and fun. As one of America’s most iconic brands, Crayola brings its innate understanding of color, design and child development to the world of building blocks.
Crayola building blocks stimulate young minds through hands-on constructive play. Available in vibrant color palettes with unique sculpted shapes, they inspire open-ended creativity and imagination. This beginner’s guide will explore why Crayola building blocks should be part of every child’s toy collection.
A Trusted Name in Creative Play
Since 1885, the Crayola name has been synonymous with color and creative expression. Its crayons, markers, colored pencils and arts and crafts sets can be found in households across America. What began as a small company producing wax crayons has evolved into a global brand focused on fostering creativity in children of all ages.
Over the years, Crayola has applied its design and childhood education expertise to a growing variety of engaging toys. Its building blocks leverage fun themes and vivid colors to get kids learning as they play. Collections like Kids@Work feature creative sets focusing on community helpers, while classics like the Crayola Amloid 70 Piece Building Blocks Set offer open-ended build and play potential.
Whether shopping on a budget or looking for an engaging gift, Crayola building blocks check all the boxes for quality, versatility and longevity.
Key Benefits of Building Blocks
Building blocks offer a world of constructive play possibilities. More than just toy blocks, their benefits span cognitive, creative, motor and social skill development.
From structured building challenges to freeform block play, key advantages include:
- Spatial skills – Stacking, balancing and arranging blocks in different patterns boosts spatial reasoning.
- Creativity – Open-ended play inspires kids to build designs limited only by their imagination.
- Fine motor skills – Block play strengthens hand and finger dexterity through grasping and manipulating pieces.
- Problem-solving – Hands-on block challenges require analyzing shapes and sizes to create specific structures.
- Early math concepts – Identifying shapes, counting pieces, balancing symmetrical constructions and categorizing by color or size teaches foundational math skills.
Building blocks tick all the developmental boxes. No wonder 96% of early childhood educators believe block play provides important educational opportunities.
Why Choose Crayola Building Blocks?
All building blocks promise hours of hands-on learning fun, but Crayola’s brand reputation for creative play takes the experience to another level.
Vibrant colors – Crayola building blocks feature bright jewel tones and deep shades inspired by the brand’s iconic crayon palette.
Unique shapes and textures – Crayola blocks include interesting sculptural shapes with molded-in textures and designs to spark creative play.
Endless build possibilities – From basic brick-style blocks to unique interlocking action blocks, Crayola sets provide versatile building and design options.
Safe and durable – Made from sturdy plastic built to withstand drops and daily use, they feature non-toxic construction safe enough for toddlers.
When it comes to distinguishing brand name building blocks from cheaper generic sets, Crayola sets the industry standard. They bring excellence in early childhood educational play to block sets kids will love.
Top Picks from the Crayola Building Block Line
Crayola makes it easy for parents to select the perfect building blocks set for their aspiring little architect or artist. Their line features affordable starter sets under $20 as well as bigger deluxe collections:
Starter Sets Under $20
These smaller basic building brick sets allow you to try Crayola building blocks without a big investment:
- Crayola Amloid 70 Piece Building Blocks Set – $14.99The 70 piece Crayola Amloid set features classic chunky building bricks in a variety of vibrant hues. With molded-in windows and doors, kids can build houses, towers and more while getting the ultimate block play starter kit.
- Crayola Action Blocks – $9.97Crayola Action Blocks offer 18 sculptural blocks enhanced with axles, wheels and eyes that snap together to build vehicles, robots and unique designs.
- Crayola Crations Building Block Set – $13.99With 32 chunky blocks in bold colors, this affordable Crayola set will let kids explore their inner architect. Reviewers note the storage bin helps keep playspace tidy.
Bigger Sets Under $50
For older kids ready for more advanced building challenges, check out these deluxe Crayola building block collections:
- Crayola Kids@Work Community Helpers Building Set – $19.99With 64 pieces, this occupational-themed set brings a creative twist to block play, featuring buildings, vehicles and mini community helper figures to construct cities, act out rescue missions and more.
- Crayola Inspiration Art Studio Building Set – $44.99Designed to bring out kids’ inner artist, this 95 piece Crayola building set includes an easel, paint pots, crayons, markers and molded blocks to inspire creative block constructions.
For affordable block play valued at $15 or less per set, Crayola building blocks are a smart buy. Their quality surpasses cheaper generic brands. Yet they cost a fraction of higher-end wooden or magnetic building sets.
Made from durable plastic blocks that withstand rough handling, they will fuel constructive play during the critical early childhood years.
Where to Buy Crayola Building Blocks
Crayola building blocks are sold both online and in major toy stores across America including:
- Amazon – Browse the full selection of Crayola building sets with free shipping for Prime members. Sets not in stock at local stores can easily be ordered here.
- Walmart – Find popular sets like Crayola Action Blocks or their licensed builds like Crayola Scooby Doo Mystery Machine Building Set at everyday low prices.
- Target – Shop convenience and value with Crayola block sets like Crayola Brixx Building Blocks available at neighborhood Target stores.
Beyond big retailers, specialty toy stores often carry special promotional sets. Local shops to check include Learning Express and Fleet Farm.
Wherever you shop, look for the Crayola brand mark your assurance of creative excellence. With over 100 years focusing solely on the best toys and crafts for kids, parents can trust Crayola building blocks to delight children for hours.
Choosing the Right Set By Age
Crayola makes picking appropriate building blocks easy:
Best Toddler Building Sets
For ages 1-3, simple chunky block sets support toddlers’ first stacking attempts. Classic colors and shapes help young minds categorize while honing fine motor dexterity.
The Crayola Amloid 70 Piece Building Blocks Set gets rave reviews for keeping little builders engaged. Bonus: its convenient storage pail tidies playtime.
Top Preschooler Building Sets
By ages 3-5, preschoolers’ motor skills and vocabulary bloom enough to handle engaging new block concepts like interlocking action blocks or themed role play sets.
The Crayola Action Blocks Set builds fine motor control through its snap-together blocks with wheels, eyes and connectors. For pretend play, the Crayola Kids@Work Community Helpers Building Set comes with characters and scene pieces to act out rescue and construction stories.
Building Sets for Grade Schoolers
By ages 6+, grade schoolers possess the focus for following multi-step build challenge cards as well as the imagination for free-form block play.
Second graders will love bringing their art visions to life with the Crayola Inspiration Art Studio Building Set then drawing and coloring their block creations.
Budding engineers can progress to more complex builds like the Crayola Brixx Building Blocks Set featuring trickier stacking shapes to test spatial reasoning skills.
Creative Play Values of Crayola Blocks
Beyond sparking imagination through vibrant colors and fun themes, Crayola’s child development expertise shines through in the design details of their building blocks.
Blocks feature etched-in shapes like circles, squiggles and stars designed to catch little fingers’ interest during sensory play. Multiple colors used on a single block encourages categorization and color recognition too.
From bulldozers with rotatable scoops to construction vehicles with spinning wheels, elements like axles integrate movement for active learning. Portable storage bins, challenge cards, play mats and easels supporting structured building activities teach focus, spatial reasoning and problem-solving.
Thanks to their trusted non-toxic phthalate-free plastic formula, Crayola blocks earned recognition from the Creativity Institute’s Partner of Creativity designation for meeting safety and creative play standards. Parents can rest assured knowing their investment in Crayola blocks will return endless developmental benefits.
Make Every Day Crayola Creativity Week
Since 2020, Crayola has designated one week each year as Crayola Creativity Week. This annual celebration in partnership with educators spotlights the importance of nurturing creativity and self-expression in children.
While designated Creativity Week lesson plans focus on crayon and marker-based art projects, the open-ended constructive play potential of building blocks epitomizes the hands-on creativity Crayola strives to inspire.
Rather than limiting block play to just one week a year, make it a daily habit! Set aside time for free-form fort or castle construction. Use tiny vehicles and animals as story starters. Task your young builder to recreate famous architectural structures they’re learning about in school.
Crayola’s thematic Kids@Work sets featuring dramatic play blueprints offer guided inspiration too. Role play professions ranging from a day as a chef cooking in a play kitchen to a construction worker assembling block scaffolding at a building site.
Unleash your child’s imagination beyond just structured craft projects or coloring sheets. Building blocks offer the metaphorical stepping stones to take creativity in unlimited new directions!
Fostering Young Minds Through Block Play
Child development experts agree: block play provides an essential foundation for future academic success. The physical hands-on skills gained through early building block manipulations establish neural pathways critical to later learning.
NAEYC, the National Association for the Education of Young Children, cites multiple key developmental benefits from block play including:
- Visual-spatial skills
- Imagination and creativity
- Problem-solving
- Self-expression
- Fine motor dexterity
- Persistence through challenging builds
- Math and science concepts
As one of the few classic toys meeting the National Parenting Seal of Approval, building blocks check all the boxes for being developmentally enriching. Sets offering diverse shapes, sizes and functions for exploration build Cognitive Constructivism where play feels like discovery rather than passive entertainment.
Open-ended constructive environments stimulate intrinsic motivation too. Unlike toys locked into set functions or rules, blocks offer infinite combinations for assembling new structures. This self-directed learning through trial-and-error to balance, stack and design original block sculptures empowers a growth vs fixed academic mindset kids need to tackle future intellectual hurdles.
The pure possibility found in a bin of building blocks gives children their first taste of what developmental psychologists dub “effort optimism.” The hands-on evidence that dedicating focus to strategizing then reworking unsuccessful structural designs ultimately leads to personal success builds confidence and cognitive resilience. These crucial emotional tools ensure students embrace, rather than avoid, future challenges that build higher-level critical thinking skills.
By offering an unlimited constructive canvas integrating STEAM principles from architectural design to mechanical engineering basics, building blocks comprised children’s earliest educational toy for good reason. They lay both physical and metaphorical foundations for preschool through primary grade classrooms.
Make Crayola Building Blocks Part of Your Child’s Developmental Toolbox
As the global leader in tools to help young children learn through creative play, Crayola brings itssignature vibrant colors, unique part shapes and durable quality to the building block aisle.
With popular licensed themes from hit shows like Sesame Street supplementing open-ended collections like their Amloid basics or Brixx building systems, Crayola building blocks inspire every young architect.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the best Crayola building blocks for toddlers?
The best Crayola building blocks for ages 1-3 years are chunky brick-style blocks like their classic Amloid Building Blocks set. The vivid colors and easy grasping size help build fine motor skills.
Should I get wooden or plastic blocks?
Crayola plastic blocks provide durability to withstand active toddler play. Their smooth, lightweight material allows for more intricate builds than wood blocks. The molded chunky shapes easily stack to inspire imaginary constructions.
What comes in the Crayola Action Blocks set?
The 18 piece Crayola Action Blocks set features unique interlocking blocks with wheels, eyes, and connectors to build vehicles, robots and creatures. This set encourages fine motor skills and creativity.
What is special about Crayola building blocks?
All Crayola toys meet strict quality, education and safety standards you expect from their brand. Their building blocks engage imagination through unique vibrant colors and one-of-a-kind sculpted shapes you won’t find with generic blocks.
Where can I buy Crayola building blocks on sale?
The best sales on Crayola building block sets are often found at Walmart or Amazon. Check especially around the holidays. Sign up for email alerts from both retailers to receive notifications about Crayola sales in your inbox.