Duplo or lego juniors?

[Misty9]

Ds, 3.4, has a box of Duplo type bricks and doesn't do much with them, so I'd like to get him a set to see if this encourages him to play. He does Small world play at nursery apparently like all the other things only seen at nursery but not so much at home. He tends towards toys aimed at younger children, though has never taken to happyland.

So which would be better for him? Duplo, for example the number train or my first fire station, or lego juniors - about which I know nothing. Help!

I think it depends more on their motor skills. 5yo DC1 still prefers Duplo; 2.5 yo DC2 who is generally about 3 mths behind hitting targets than DC1 was, prefers Lego.

Does he like vehicles? Duplo have a set called creative cars I've got for my three and half year old that might pique his interest. You can build them up in all sorts of ways.

My ds loves lego though and while he can't follow the instructions yet, he can manipulate it quite well with direction from me and will sit at the table for ages with it. He has the Lego juniors digger and a couple of the smaller city kits and he mixes them up and creates scenarios with the figures. I've got him the bigger Lego juniors construction box for Christmas.

I think the Duplo allows him more freedom and less frustration as he can achieve it better for himself, but I will probably be going more towards the Lego from now on.

The other thing is I have an 11 month old so Duplo is handy to have out on the floor as most is safe for the baby too, Lego we have to confine to the table, so I still expect a lot of use out of any Duplo and it's nice to have things they can play together into the future.

My 9 and 7 year old son still play with Duplo sometimes, because it lives in the draws in the living room (as does the fake-brio wooden railway, which they also still play with - along with the 3 year old). We have the zoo, farm and various house walls and doors, car parts and a Lightning McQueen set.

If your DS only does small world play at nursery could it be because of the other children? My eldest never really played alone, but endlessly with friends, siblings or an adult (she would have made a dreadful only child but is very good at being one of 3!)

Lego juniors is fine for 3.5 too though, and is a bit more about construction and fine motor skills I guess. My 3 year old prefers "little lego" because it feels more grown up, and can build with it (no need to follow instructions with lego juniors, you can build various things using your imagination). It is more hassle as a parent as pieces get lost and trodden underfoot, so it's not as good a toy to have where a 3 year old as free access to play with as and when, like Duplo is.

If it's small world play you want to encourage all mine loved Playmobil far more than lego or happy land at 3 (and one of them still prefers it, while another git into proper construction lego at 6 - but it's a very different sort of play, not small world play, more 3D jigsaws).

My eldest was never that into duplo, but likes lego now - she prefers following the instructions.

My 3 year old likes lego and duplo and plays with both - but more building unidentifiable objects than small world play. She is the same age, 3.4, and is getting some Lego Juniors (the fire station with the slide) for Christmas - but that is mainly for space reasons, and because she has an older sister, so they will be able to play with lego together. If she was my eldest, and I had the space, I would definitely be getting her duplo for Christmas - and if I was choosing a set I would get the train starter set, although maybe that is a bit more than you wanted to spend. But it does look brilliant

I would agree that Playmobil might be better for encouraging small world play -and Playmobil 123 is good too if your son prefers toys for slightly younger children, I love the Playmobil 123 "My first castle" or whatever it is called.

Thanks all; I'm not convinced he would play with Playmobil yet and with his increasingly mobile baby sister i think Duplo is the way to go. So i bought the Duplo my first fire station today :)

It is so individual though - my friend's ds of same age absolutely loves lego juniors.

My ds is 3 1/2, he has been using regular Lego for about 6 months now. He does use duplo still, but I wouldn't buy him more, only small Lego now

ds is 3.8 and loves lego and duple but has zero interest in sets. He just spends hours and hours building his own vehicles and houses etc... I wept when he and Dh tipped out a £30 batman set and didn't even glance at the instructions!