This is a question we’ve heard over and over again. The simple answer is “In our own household, I’m not sure if I’ll ever have enough!” I don’t think that this is the answer to the question that people are really asking.

How many unit blocks make up a good set?

That’s more like it. Usually this is asked by first time unit block shoppers, so the question really is, “How many should we start with?” Please remember, unit blocks are a great toy because you can start with some, and add on with gifts for various occassions. This way you protect your investment in the toys you purchase by ensuring that a child’s interest remains reasonably focused on the toy you spent all that thought, care and money on.

There is nothing I hate more than seeing toys on the curb in March or April after only 3 or 4 months of use! Second to that on my “bad” list” is a basement full of every toy imaginable that the kids just don’t play with. Parents, grandparents, aunts, and uncles have invested real thought, care, hopes, love and money into these toys, and they fail to keep a child’s attention due to the kid being overwhelmed with quantity! So, back to the question, “How many blocks is enough start with?”

The proper answer to this is age dependant. If the child is 1-3 years old, I would start with a simple set of about 45 blocks. Mostly, the child will be interested in knocking over structures that a play partner has created. Ages 3-5, start with an 86 piece set. That’s enough to build some really great structures, and the 86 piece sets have a great variety of different shapes. By age 5 and up, you will want to at least start with 110 pieces. At this age we see children starting to really want to build multiple structures, create epic adventures and perhaps full length feature films using their blocks as a foundation. Remember, these are just starting numbers.

After you get a feel for how your child plays with the blocks you may wish to add to the set. We have over 400 pieces in our current set, and the kids regularly use all of them. I think it’s a challenge for them. After you watch your children play, you will have a better idea which pieces they want and how many more you are willing to add to your collection.