Contributor: Developmental Specialist, Stacy Bailey, EIS
If you thought blocks were just for stacking, we have news for you! Blocks are for learning. Check out the many uses for blocks in your child’s development.
Here are some major skills learned through playing with blocks!
- Vocabulary: Vocabulary skills will blossom as you and your child count, compare size, name shapes, and talk about what you are building with your blocks.
- Motor Skills: Slooowly stack blocks to form a tower. Another idea would be to drop the blocks into a bucket and then dump them out again. These games improve spatial awareness, balance, hand eye coordination and more!
- Social Skills: Block play is an excellent social game where you can work on turn taking.
- Imagination: Don’t have a friend or sibling nearby that day? You can also use this as a solitary game where focus and imagination can flourish.
- Bonus! Add other toys in with the blocks to expand on the play. Try creating a block road and having trucks drive down it. Use your imaginations! There are no rules to the toys that you can include when working with blocks. Blocks are considered an open ended toy, as they can be used in so many ways to help your child learn while having fun!
Want more?
Check out other tips and activities in our information hub that you can practice to help your little one learn through play.
