There are eight main reasons why playing with wooden building blocks helps kids’ development. Apart from reinforcing connections among parents and kids and the creative aspect, playing with toy blocks also has many other benefits for children. Wooden building blocks help kids in math, science, engineering, problem-solving, social skills, language, and speech.
“Self-education through play and exploration requires enormous amounts of unscheduled time – time to do whatever one wants to do, without pressure, judgment, or intrusion from authority figures. That time is needed to make friends, play with ideas and materials, experience and overcome boredom, learn from one’s own mistakes, and develop passions.”
-Peter O. Gray
Wooden building blocks have been around for centuries and it is one of the most popular classic toys. It is loved by both children and adults because of its simplicity and endless possibilities. Toy blocks provide an outstanding learning experience for children of all ages. It is important to remember that your expectations as parents have to be directly related to the child’s age.
According to CHOC Children’s ( Children’s Hospital of Orange County) here is what you can expect for block play at different stages:
| 15-17 months | 18-23 months | 24-29 months | 30-36 months |
|---|---|---|---|
| Can build a two‐block tower. | Can build a four‐ to six‐block tower. | Can build an eight‐block tower. | Can build a 10‐block tower. |
Development benefits of wooden building blocks for Kids
1. Creativity and imagination
There are no rules when it comes to playing with blocks, so children can use their imaginations to create anything they can dream up.
Wooden building blocks provide an open-ended play experience that allows children to design and build their city for friends, castles with dragons, beautiful houses with green gardens, and much more. They can come up with ideas that they may not have otherwise thought of, and it allows them to explore their interests and passions.
They can experiment with different designs and structures, and see what happens when they add or remove blocks. It’s a fun way of using creativity to build what their minds can imagine.
As a parent, you can boost your kid’s creativity using questions like: “what do you want to build?” ” What color it would be?” “What size it would be?” These types of questions will encourage your child to continue imagining and creating while playing.
2. Math skills
One of the several benefits of wooden building blocks is that they can help in developing math skills. For younger children, counting and stacking the blocks can help with basic math skills. Older children can use wooden blocks to create structures that involve angles and other mathematical concepts.
Kids can count the blocks to see how many are needed to build a certain structure, and they can measure the blocks to see how big different structures are.
Wooden building blocks come in a variety of shapes and sizes and can be combined in many different ways to create different structures. This helps children learn about geometry and spatial relationships, as well as basic addition and subtraction.
Children will learn about numbers, measurement, balance, symmetry, and length through block playing.
3. Science
Building towers and other structures with blocks can help children learn about physics. They will need to use trial and error to figure out how to make their structures stable. As they experiment, they will learn about gravity, balance, and other principles of physics.
4. Engineering
Engineering is the process of designing and building something that meets a specific need. Children can use blocks to engineer all sorts of things, from bridges to buildings. They will need to think about the function of their design and how it can be made to withstand stress. Blocks are a great way for children to learn about these important concepts.
5. Social skills
Playing with blocks also helps to develop social skills. Children can collaborate to build something together, or they can take turns playing with different blocks. This teaches them how to share and work together.
6. Language and speech
Children learn to communicate better when they play with blocks. They learn to express their ideas and listen to the ideas of others.
Playing with blocks also helps children with their language and speech skills. Blocks are a great tool for teaching toddlers words and phrases, as they can use the blocks to create stories and narratives.
When they are talking about what they are building, they are learning new words. Blocks can also help children with their speech development. When they are trying to explain what they are building, they are practicing their speech.
7. Reinforces connections among parents and kids
Block play is the perfect moment to share quality time with your kids. By playing with them you can encourage the learning of new words, numbers, colors, etc.
There is no better moment to talk about their ideas and promote the discussion about them. Kids love to learn along with their parents and it is important to take advantage of that opportunity.
8. Problem-solving
Wooden building blocks are a great way for children to learn problem-solving skills. When they are given a task such as building a tower, they must figure out how to stack the blocks in such a way that they will stay standing. This can help them in other areas of their lives when they are faced with a problem to solve.
Here are some tips for how to use wooden building blocks with your preschoolers:
1. Build towers and houses. This helps children learn about balance and stability.
2. Create designs with different colors and shapes. This helps children learn about symmetry and creativity.
3. Pretend to be construction workers or architects. This helps children learn about teamwork and problem-solving.
4. Let your children create their games with the blocks. This helps them learn how to come up with their ideas and be imaginative.
As you can see, wooden building blocks provide a versatile and stimulating play medium for children that helps to encourage creativity, imagination, and social skills. As well as being great fun, block play can help children learn important life skills that will benefit them in the future. So if you are looking for an enjoyable and educational activity for your child, be sure to include some blocks in their playtime. You won’t regret it!