Somewhere close to your baby’s first birthday, you’ll swear that you can see the wheels of his mind whirring, observing, and processing. This change from immobile newborn to a baby who wants to interact with everything around him takes place subtly, but quickly.

Once his physical capabilities catch up to that active mind and he’s able to sit up and grasp objects, you realize he’s moved beyond mobiles and rattles and is ready to get his hands on things. That desire to create – and to destroy – can be satisfied for years to come with simple, old-fashioned stacking toys and blocks.

Babies and toddlers want to experiment and to have all their senses stimulated. Now that they have an awareness of their place in the larger world and an understanding of cause and effect, they’re ready to affect a change in their environment, and for serious discovery and serious fun.

Toys that stack atop one another are wonderful choices at this age. You’ll find stacking toys in a variety of shapes, from animal to geometric, and various colors and textures. Toys that simulate more than one sense let babies and toddlers be in charge of making things happen.

Stackers that rattle or squeak or have a fuzzy texture will keep your child’s attention. He’ll think he’s just playing, but these toys are really developing logic skills (which way do they fit?) and motor skills, as well as hand-eye coordination.

Good, old-fashioned blocks are another favorite at this age. You probably remember those alphabet blocks with a letter in raised, colorful paint on one side, and things that start with the letter on the other sides.

They’re still around, and still inviting toddlers to grasp them and move them from hand to hand, and, better still, to pile them up and knock them down. This building and destroying is a natural part of discovering cause and effect and, again, nurturing a growing mastery of coordination.

The desire to put together and take apart isn’t something your child outgrows, but the simpler building toys may be. As your child’s motor skills and logic develop, move on to more complicated and challenging toys.

Legos and other interlocking blocks are a terrific choice now. Because these blocks come in sturdy, colorful plastic, older toddlers and preschoolers will have no trouble grasping and connecting the pieces.

The size range available means you’ll be able to find choking-hazard free blocks for children under age three, but more complex and intricate designs for older children.

If you sit back and watch your child assemble these pieces, you’ll see again that active mind turning away, solving spatial relations problems and making judgments. Because this building process is one that your child won’t outgrow, you may find it very hard to be just the observer.

Another plus of stacking toys and blocks is that you get to participate and enjoy the process of learning alongside your child, a gift to him that will last a lifetime.