Do you remember building with blocks as a child? I have fond memories of playing with a variety of blocks: snap together, alphabet, homemade-wooden unit, cinder and even tree cookies. Building with blocks was fun!
I now realize that while building with my siblings and friends, the open-ended play increased our skills in persistence, cooperation and patience. Building a fort, a tower or a home challenged us to design creatively. Our block play fostered physical, cognitive, language and social skills to reach the desired creations. The confidence gained with each completed small or large structure led to new skills in mathematics, science and problem solving.
Infants through school age children benefit from playing with blocks. Jean Schreiber, early childhood consultant and workshop presenter, writes, “Unit block play is for all children. It provides the experiences and strengthens the character muscles that children need to become competent, persistent, creative, and optimistic members of our society.” To learn more about Jean’s work read her article, “Building Character through Block Play” in Community Playthings.
Adding unit blocks to the environment is a financially sound method of adding a block toy that grows with the child. Infants and toddlers utilize their senses to explore the blocks and build concepts of the world around them. Preschool children utilize their muscles and minds to build works of art with designs and patterns. School age children recreate the structures of their everyday lives in block form.
You can easily enhance the block play by adding a variety of props. Props to add:
Building with blocks is a fun and rewarding activity for children of all ages. Encourage the children in your lives to explore and engage in building with blocks!
Tags: blocks , building , language , small motor , large motor , social skills , play is learning , exploring , senses
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