When our eldest daughter celebrated her first birthday she was bought a box of ELC (Early learning centre) building blocks as a gift.

The blocks came in a tub that was great as it meant I had somewhere to keep the blocks. The blocks are wooden and brightly coloured and come in a variety of shapes and sizes.

My daughter loved these blocks and we have spent many happy afternoons building towers and knocking them down and building houses and farms as she got older. These little blocks were a favourite right from the start and remained so for many years.

When we first opened the gift I will admit that I had assumed that building blocks were more of a boys toy but I couldn't have been more wrong because my daughter took to them straight away even at such a young age.

The manufacturers recommended age range for this toy is from 12 months which I would say is about right because by then baby has some co-ordination and can play more easily than a younger baby.
Some of the blocks will fit into your child's mouth but they are not small enough to be swallowed or cause any sort of chocking or obstruction.

These wooden bricks are currently (Oct 2011) priced at £12 which I think is fairly reasonable but the same thing can be bought from Argos where Chad Valley wooden blocks are available for £9.99.

My daughter is now quickly approaching eight years old and I have three other children who have also all enjoyed playing with these building blocks. My three year old son still pays regularly with the blocks and my 18 month old daughter also likes to build or rather knock down the towers.

I would recommend these building bricks as they have been a favourite in our house and have lasted very well despite many years of use. I am always amazed that the traditional simple toys still hold much more interest and last much longer than the more modern and character based toys.

A timeless classic