These blocks do not stack like bricks; they clip together like a skeleton. Each bone-shaped link has a claw at both ends that snaps around a ball, and the balls in turn sit on the ends of other pieces, so a child can bend a joint, add a limb or turn a corner wherever they like. The box calls it a variable skeleton building block set, DIY free build, and it holds 89 pieces.

The set is built for vehicles as well as creatures. Alongside the links and balls there are yellow and black tyres on wheel hubs, a grey chassis frame, connector pieces and a grey digger bucket, which is how the digger truck on the front of the box is made: a frame on four big wheels with a jointed arm and a bucket on the end.

The pieces are big and brightly coloured, in red, blue, green, yellow, orange and grey, and they are chunky enough for small fingers to push together and pull apart again. A child who has outgrown simple stacking blocks gets something that moves, bends and rolls, and a parent gets a toy that keeps a child busy on the floor for a long stretch.

There is no single right answer. One afternoon it is the digger from the box, the next a robot, a dinosaur, a car with a crane or something no one can name. That kind of open building is where children practise planning, balance and fine-motor control, without anyone calling it learning.

The pieces come in a bag inside the printed BLOCKS window box, model 628-29A, so the box doubles as storage after play. We suggest it from 3 years; some pieces are small, so keep them away from babies.

The price is Rs. 1,450 for all 89 pieces, with Cash on Delivery across Pakistan, from Karachi and Lahore to Islamabad, Multan and Hyderabad. Stock, your city and the delivery charge are confirmed on WhatsApp before dispatch.

Why this product is worth considering