The best wooden stacking toys and 100 stacking ideas

wooden stacking toys | the fairy glitch mother

Stacking has been a favorite activity in our household for some years now. I believe it truly started with the Grimm’s Rainbow. Of course, we had stacked some cubes before that, but we hadn’t discovered or tapped the potential of open-ended and wooden toys. So, I’ve put together a list of our wooden stacking toys, and I’ll show you some ways we like to play with them in hopes they can inspire your playtime at home.

I feel that these toys are not just toys for children; they are for all who enjoy playing like a child. I must admit I’ve spent many hours enjoying them by myself ;). It’s fun; they can be challenging and relaxing; they are beautiful to feel and look at. Who said toys were just for children?

I feel it might be too ambitious to consider the following list of toys as the best wooden stacking toys (as there are many amazing options out there), but these are our favourites and the best for us. This is why we have them or we have them on our wishlist ;). I hope you will like them and I hope this list can be helpful.

Why do we like stacking toys?

grimms toys - stacked houses tower deconstructed | the fairy glitch mother

Stacking is an activity that helps develop many skills. These are some of our favorite reasons to encourage it during playtime:

– Patience: They require patience, slowing down, 

– Dealing with emotions: We have to deal with frustration

– Balancing & precision: Balancing skills

– Concentration: Focus and attention to detail

– Perseverance: not giving up

– Hand-eye coordination

– Respect: we have a rule at home; we must respect others’ creations until they say it is ok to take them down. It’s been hard for my 3-year-old, but I feel he is now getting it and respecting us more.

– Challenging

– Encouraging: it’s a beautiful way to encourage one another when 

– Helping: We ask for help when we need it, and we help each other out

You’ll discover that you can stack whatever you have around you, and you can turn it into a fun game and challenge.

Wooden stacking toy brands I like

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I must admit I have a soft spot for some brands. When birthdays or Christmas are getting near, these are the brands I tend to buy and are a sure win (especially if you share with them some ideas so they can see their potential):

– Grapat

– Grimms

– Lubulona

– Flockmen

– Abel Blocks

Fantastic wooden stacking toys

grimms toys - rainbow tower toddler stacking | the fairy glitch mother

These are toys that either we have or our friends have, and we all love. We’ve played with them, we’ve had fun together, and built memories around them. The beauty of open-ended toys such as these is how they spark our imaginations, and we end up creating things that we only dreamed of. 

Yes, you’ll probably think, “what do I do with this?” when you first see them. Or friends and family might not understand why you really want these for your children (and yourself). I’m here to share with you creative ways to stack them. These are just meant as inspiration if you do not know where to start. You can begin replicating them, and soon you’ll find you and your children will be creating brand new things on your own. And it will be magical.

1- Grimms Large Rainbow

grimms rainbow ideas - grimms rainbow | the fairy glitch mother

The Grimms Rainbow is, at least for me, the most amazing toy ever. I feel every household should have it. It is a fabulous open-ended toy that invites creativity and lets fly our imagination. 

One of the things we like to do with it are vertical designs, stacks, or towers – whatever you wish to call them. Some can be quite simple but others can be quite tricky. Some take more attempts than others… and doing them outside when you have to factor in the wind is not always easy 

There are so many ways to play with it (you can check this post with over 75 play ideas), and stacking is just one of the many ways to enjoy it.

2- Grimms Medium Rainbow

The Medium Rainbow is the latest addition to our collection, and it was long overdue. But if you feel like the large Rainbow might be too much (because of size or budget), it is a great option to start with (or complement with).

3- Grimm’s Small set of stacking Boxes

grimms toys - cubes | the fairy glitch mother

These boxes are a small version and come in a set of 5 painted with warm colors. They have been great for sorting, stacking, and building rockets and apartment buildings. They are great for toddlers.

4- Grimm’s Semicircles

grimms toys - grimms semicircles | the fairy glitch mother

You can stack them on their own or with other open-ended toys. If you have Rainbow, adding the semicircles will allow you to create new types of towers. It’s a set of 11 semicircles that match the Rainbow’s arches.

You can also simply stack the semicircles in different ways. Why not?

5- Grapat Mandala

grapat mandala - collection | the fairy glitch mother

You might be thinking, “why is she considering these small wooden pieces as stacking toys?”. I would have thought the same some time ago when I only used them to create mandalas and flat designs. But one day, my daughter and husband started stacking pineapples, and it was fantastic.

One day, I saw someone stacked a Grimm’s ball on a Grapat cone, and I could not believe it was possible. After five days of trying and people offering tips and tricks on Instagram, I finally did it! And this spiraled into a frenzy stacking challenge with Grapat mandala parts. Please check out #grapatstackingchallenge on Instagram and be amazed by the stacking talents of so many magical creators. Be warned; it is addictive. Please find here the stacks I’ve managed, thanks to the challenge.

6- Grapat Lola

grapat lola box | the fairy glitch mother

The first time I laid eyes on the Lola set, I was mesmerized. It is wonderful. The wood, the simple shapes, and the vibrant colors are lovely. It’s beautiful to the eyes and fantastic to the touch.

The Lola set by Grapat is a set of 72 pieces, a combination of tubes with little people – the Lolas- that nest into each other in 12 colors of the rainbow. When you open the box, you find this magnificent setup of cylinders in 6×6, all organized as the rainbow.

Stacking was my daughter’s first instinct. So she took out the tubes and cylinders and created this wall. You can stack them side by side as towers, like a wall, just the cylinders, just the Lolas, you can combine them, and even try to make the tallest tower.

 If you’d like to see more ideas of how to play with Grapat Lola you can check out this post

7- Grapat Loose Parts

grapat toys | the fairy glitch mother

Loose parts are also fun to stack. Build walls, towers, trees, or anything your imagination invites. I personally love stacking the rings, they are som much fun.

8- Grimm’s balls

grimms toys - rainbow balls - grimms balls | the fairy glitch mother

Balls? Stacking balls? Oh yes! You can stack balls by themselves (though it is pretty tricky) with other loose parts or have them balance on other toys. 

Grimm’s balls have a little trick; there is a little spot on their surface where they are slightly flatter. If you locate that spot, you can start stacking. It is not easy and will require many attempts, but it feels great once you make it balance. Here are some stacks we’ve created with Grimm’s balls.

And if you’d like more ideas of what you can do with Grimm’s Balls, I’ve listed 15 play ideas in this post.

9- Flockmen

flockmen - basket | the fairy glitch mother

Flockmen are a flock of tiny wooden people made in Latvia. I had been seeing it on Instagram, and they had caught my attention because of their simplicity and versatility, and they are simply fantastic. They are a set of carefully crafted 100% natural wooden figures ideal for open-ended play. They have not been treated with chemicals and are created from robust Baltic Birch timber. 

You can stack them in so many different ways! You can build towers, monuments, and all kinds of constructions. 

If you’d like to see more ideas about flockmen, check out this other post wholly dedicated to them with over 45 play ideas that I hope will inspire you.

10- Abel Mini Blocks

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These little curved pieces of wood are fantastic for stacking! We haven’t had these long, but I am just amazed at the beautiful things you can create with them. 

11- Lubulona Houses

wooden stacking toys -winterburg box | the fairy glitch mother

Lubulona’s wooden houses are ideal for building cities and towns. You can easily stack them and create different structures. We’ve only used them for small world play, and they caught my three-year-old son’s attention straight away. Of course, the more sets you have, the more you’ll be able to stack and create. You could maybe even build the tallest skyscraper in the world! Wouldn’t that be something?

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12- Grimm’s Wooden Boards

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These wooden boards are a perfect pair with the Rainbow, and you can do balancing and stacking with them. 

And although they are a bit limited on their own, (in terms of stacking), this is what we’ve come up with.

13- Grimm’s Houses

grimms toys - stacked houses 2 | the fairy glitch mother

These tiny houses come in a set of 15 on a board that is a base to keep them organized. These little houses come in a group of 15 on a base to keep them organized. We play with them in different ways.

You can use them as puzzles, as small world props, or what we like to do best is stacking and building towers with them. It’sIt’s not as versatile as the Rainbow, but we’ve come up with a few.

14 – Grimm’s conical tower

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This beautiful stacking tower is from my best friend. Her beautiful 13 month baby is enjoying it immensely and it is fantastic. The stick in the middle helps work on hand-eye coordination and precision, but it allows to stack the pieces in any order you like, contrary to other conical towers. We’ve discovered this one too late for our family, but it is a fantastic gift for a one-year-old.

Now, we do not have the following toys, but they are on our wishlist for the next birthdays and Christmas. We have played with them and they are incredible. I just can’t wait for an excuse to add them to our playtime repertoire.

15 – Grimm’s large stepped pyramid

This large colorful set is fantastic for so many reasons. I have usually seen it for ball runs, but the quantity and size of the blocks make incredible foundations for the most complex structures.

Check it on the Grimm’s website.

16 – Lubulona stacking trees

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These trees are just outstanding. The possibilities are endless, and I love that you can stack and combine them any way you like. 

This picture has kindly been lend to me by the brand. Thank you! (I hope to be able to update with my own trees soon enough!)

Check their website here.

17 – Just Blocks

When I saw these blocks, I fell in love. They are not just bold blocks, but the flat blocks make this set so incredible. You can build buildings, garages, roads, bridges, etc. The options are infinite, and I think the magic lies in the flat blocks. 

Check their website here.

18- Kapla

It’s curious how we do not have Kappla yet, but I guess I see it as a brand for older children. I know little ones can start early with it, but the designs and ideas I have in my mind require more precision and skill than we currently have. So I am keeping it on my wishlist for upcoming special events (we can’t have everything now, right?).

Check their website here.

Fantastic wooden stacking toys

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As you can see we like to stack quite a bit 😉 I think it helps practice and learn many skills, from hand-eye coordination, and patience, to dealing with emotions and frustration. It is a fun family activity to share together if you don’t have ideas of what to do. It can turn into a magical moment.

These are the toys that we love and enjoy, these are the best for us (this is why we have them at home or have them on our wishlist 😉 ) but you can stack anything. ANYTHING. You can stack pencils, tupperwere, books,… you can get as creative as you like. You can combine toys and objects and find new ways to create with them.

I really hope you can have loads of fun stacking as a family.

Happy playing!

P.S. Hey! If you liked this blog post, you might like these as well 😉

+75 ways to play with grimm | the fairy glitch mother's Rainbow

grapat stacking challenges | the fairy glitch mother

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