You remember playing with Lego, don’t you? Masses of colourful blocks and strange, square-headed, yellow-faced men and women with detachable hair, androgynous bodies and painted on expressions. They sound a bit creepy when described that way, but take our word for it; they provide hours and hours of fun, especially now you can get all sorts of types from Star Wars Lego to Harry Potter Lego to Indiana Jones Lego! Their popularity has only grown since the day they hit the shelves.

Not everyone is going to be a Lego-lover, though. Let’s not forget about the other construction toys out there to play with. Meccano and Bayko and Geomag, and who doesn’t like to build things and then completely destroy them afterwards? Chaotic destruction is half the fun of construction!

Of course, you could buy all of these things for your kids, but where’s the fun in that when you know you’re the one who really wants to play with it and build the tallest Lego wall the world has ever seen? However, if you really insist on spoiling your kids, there are specific kinds of construction kits to suit a variety of ages, for instance, Sticklebricks, which are safe and child friendly (no swallowing colourful bricks basically, unless your child has a freakishly enormous mouth). Mega Bloks are along a similar line and they also have various sets for various age ranges.

It’s ok though, we know who you’re really buying them for. We promise not to tell any of your friends.