Construction gift for 6 year old?

[everythingisopposite]

Can anyone recommend a building/construction/engineering gift for a six year old - not lego.

He really likes building towers with wooden blocks and creating train lines and making traps with string and things like that. I would really like to buy him something to encourage this interest, especially as he is really not getting to grips with school work (has been referred to an educational psychologist because of this) - so I want to help him to develop in something he is interested in and good at.

Ideally I would like this, but it is £4k plus VAT, so there is NO WAY!

www.communityplaythings.co.uk/products/outdoor-play/outlast-blocks/w388

Does mecano still exist

Mecano is more grown up than I thought - how about kinex they do a junior version but even the Normal one is great. You usually can get bundles on eBay or car boots

Thanks - yes I think Mecano might be a bit advanced. Thanks for the Kinex tip!

K'nex is great.
Does he have Marble Run? My two DC loved that at his age.

or this which might be a bit too advanced but worth considering

www.johnlewis.com/gravitrax-27597-starter-set/p3615451?sku=237587688&s_ppc=2dx92700046626666241&tmad=c&tmcampid=2&gclsrc=aw.ds&&gclid=CjwKCAiA27LvBRB0EiwAPc8XWRlpwGmn_A0CgylFlBzAn9BhS2UZyJbbUfFxmp_JBtF8m92c5QjZHRoCsW0QAvD_BwE

No we dont' have a marble run. Problem with that is that we have a three year with a death wish. He loves putting choking hazards in this mouth to torment me ( and running out into roads to torment me - he's wild).

OOh - that gravity run looks really good - I think I will keep that in mind for his 7th birthday!

Zoobs were, and are, popular in this house.

Wow - the zoobs look really good!

My kids had Trio, think its fisher price. Not sure if they still make it but it is on Amazon from 3rd party sellers. I guess its fairly young toy but my 2 played with it for YEARS

Look at Teifoc bricks

There are so many great ideas out there!

I'd look at a Haba Marble run and you can expand on it.

Def avoid junior meccano the most frustrating toy ever. The screws don't stay tight so it constantly come to bits while your still trying to build it.

Magnetic building blocks? There's one that has 2D triangles and squares that you can build 3D towers with.

Brio builder sets are great. My son is four and finds it a bit hard to play with independently but loves playing with it with us.

Thanks All! Yes, I have bought some magnetic building things for Christmas!The triangle and square ones.

Wedgits are amazing... though hard to find.
DC would spend hours creating the things on the cards, or seeing how tall they could create the towers.
They don’t look like much, but are such a clever and creative building block.

Thanks!

What I did with my child who loved creating/building stuff was get her unlimited parts when she wanted to build something. This is not a practical advice for Christmas gift, but keep it on your mind. Go to the charity shops regularly. They have some bargains if you are lucky. I have bought so much through charity shops, lego, mecano, kinex, train set, building blocks, etc, etc.