Magna-Tiles

Classic 32-Piece Set, ages 3 and up The youngest builders here get geometry and structural engineering long before either has a name. The tiles click together on every edge, so a child learns fast that triangles brace a wall, that squares fold into a cube and that a tall tower needs a wide base. There are no instructions to follow and no wrong answer, which is exactly why the set keeps coming off the shelf for years. The 32-piece Classic set lists at $49.99 and is a fine start, though towers and ramps get ambitious quickly; every Magna-Tiles set works with the others, so add-ons make an easy later gift.