Ben Forta

I’ve never done this before, but … we bought a gift for one of our sons, and everyone has fallen so head over heels over this one that I just have to share.
Hexabits are simple 6-sided flexible plastic tiles that interlock to create all sorts of 2D and 3D shapes. The tiles come in 18 bright colors, are easy to work with, and feel indestructible. The beauty of Hexabits is in their simplicity, unlike Lego or K-Nex or other building toys, there is only one size tile (so no arguing over which kid gets which piece), everything is built using just these tiles, and the tiles stay solidly connected. A booklet of design ideas is included, additional ideas can be found online, and kids will love creating their own designs too. We bought a bucket of Hexabits for our 6 year old, but every one of the kids is hooked on them. Our 3 year old is loving them, and even teenage babysitters have occupied themselves for extended periods (under the premise of helping the kids). Heck, I’ve been playing with them, too!
Hexabits come in small packs of 20 or so tiles (intended to make a single design), to mix packs of 250 tiles, to bigger buckets containing hundreds or thousands of tiles. We bought this Hexabit 1350 Tile Fun Bucket, but seeing how popular this toy is (and how reluctant the kids are to take apart anything they have made) we probably should have gotten this 2250 piece set.
In this high-tech times, when kids seem to be uninterested in anything that does not beep, move, light up, or make noise, it’s wonderful to find a remarkably low-tech, fun, high-quality, creative, and constructive toy that they’ll love and really use. This one is highly recommended.