Playing with building blocks sets your child up for the future
There is so much more to playing with building blocks than just passing time for children.
There are many important skills children can learn and develop through building blocks, all they need to do is play.
Children are instinctively driven to play which makes it a natural environment for learning and developing new skills. During play, children can take charge and make choices about what they do and how they do it. Play can be a highly social activity, allowing for opportunities to learn from and about others.
This is according to Cerry-Lee Chelin, a Grade 0000 teacher at Crawford International who said, “The ideal way to develop fine motor abilities is to use building blocks.”
Children develop a sense of accomplishment when they have created something they are proud of, which is healthy for both their hands and hearts. “They typically start with a concept in mind and put it together from there. As they gain self-confidence, their enthusiasm inspires them to create items with more intricate features,” said Chelin.
Playing with blocks develops persistence as children get frustrated when their creations break, or when they don’t find a piece that fits. “Their creative thinking takes over and they try something else, in essence, they develop problem-solving skills while becoming more persistent.”
It also teaches children to plan their approach and encourages cooperative play as children negotiate with other children to swap blocks, further promoting emotional development. Additionally, when children build something with their school friends, communication is used as they talk about their plans and voice their opinions about what they think the next steps should or could be.
Early mathematics skills and perceptual awareness are also being developed as children play with building blocks. The abilities that children pick up from playing with building blocks are significant and amazing. They develop crucial skills that set the foundation for their future learning from a very young age.
Benefits of building blocks
- Children get the rush of creating while developing hand muscles
- Encourages focus
- Subconsciously increases their attention span
- Builds persistence
- Encourages cooperative play
- Teaches planning skills.
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