You can’t beat unit blocks for a bargain! Though the upfront cost may be a bit higher than you want to spend, investing in a large set of unit blocks will pay off over the years. The perfect toy for increasing cognitive skills, unit blocks have an added bonus – your child will use them for years and years.

Unlike alphabet blocks or simple building blocks, unit blocks are carefully calibrated to help children learn (without realizing they are doing it) fractions and basic geometry. Fitting the blocks together teaches how triangles relate to circles and parts to a whole.

Rather than invest in an entire set, you may choose to start by buying a small set like this one from Melissa and Doug for your 1-3 year old, then adding to it as he or she gets older. You can expect a child to continue to use blocks in various ways through most of the elementary school years.

This set comes with 60 wooden blocks that are hand sanded. Younger children will enjoy stacking them and watching them topple. Older children will bring them into their pretend play using them as food for the kitchen and incorporating them into the elaborate scenes that they make with dolls and action figures.