6 Reasons Why Children Should Play with Building Blocks or Toy Blocks

"Toys and games are not randomly created. They are designed with a purpose."

In our previous blog, we covered the various types of building blocks where we focused on their materials and popularity. In this blog, we will be highlighting their uses and benefits because we know you, too, have the same question as us: why play with building blocks and why are they considered one of the 5 toys that parents should invest in for their children?

 

So what are building blocks or toy blocks and why play with them? 

Well, building blocks are also known as toy blocks, building bricks or simply ‘blocks’ that children from toddlers to teens play with. They are usually made of plastic or wood, but there are also toy blocks that are made of foam and hardened cardboard. Block play offers an open-ended, creative and valuable play and learning experience available to every setting. It provides children freedom to explore, experiment, and learn trial and error without heavy consequences.

According to the National Association for the Education of Young Children, these are the 6 reasons why children should play with building blocks or toy blocks.

1. Children discover engineering and science fundamentals. 

Children may not realize it while playing with toy blocks, but block play exposes them to creating various structures by stacking blocks one after the other, and in the process, learning the fundamentals of science such as how high can they stack blocks before something causes the structure to collapse. And while rebuilding similar structures, they think of the solution so that the next try is more successful than the previous.

2. Block play helps them become better storytellers.

We may not naturally associate block play with story-telling, but block play enhances children’s speech and language development. It also promotes oral self-expression particularly in telling the story behind the structure that they have built. So make sure to be as inquisitive as you need to be to extract details about the play.

3. Playing with building blocks or toy blocks develops children’s fine motor skills.

Playing with toy blocks requires a lot of body movements especially from the hands and the legs. Actions such as grabbing blocks, piling them on top of or beside other blocks, reaching for the block of specific size or color, getting up to place blocks higher only to sit again for any change are great exercises that help strengthen fine motor skills.

4. Play block makes children learn basic math without realizing it.

When building a structure, children create patterns and while doing so they are exposed to the beauty of symmetry and the importance of using different sizes. They learn aesthetics as well by choosing which colour or shape matches another colour or shape. Patterns, symmetry, size and shape matching are basic elements of Mathematics.

5. Building toy blocks encourages imagination.

By playing with toy blocks, children become architects and engineers who build all kinds of structures they can think of. Whether these structures are original or copycats, the fact they are capable of creating one requires imagination, especially when deciding which block size or shape goes first, the next, and so on to finally build a meaningful structure.

6. Play block promotes social and emotional growth.

Toy blocks can either be played alone or with other kids. The latter boosts kids’ social skills by interacting with them, communicating to the other players what is in their minds and deciding the course of plan on how to go about a block building project. Play block also promotes emotional growth as playing alone teaches them to enjoy playtime alone. The same goes for playing with other kids since it would teach them patience, help them manage situations when conflicts arise and train them to accept others’ decisions, helping them realise the importance of cooperation. All are skills that are best developed at a young age.

 

Like any other toys and games, toy blocks are not created randomly. They are made with a purpose! And this purpose is not limited to entertainment so that children will have fun while their parents get busy juggling their roles as a parent and working professionals.

Check out snooplay's various categories of toys and games based on personality, skills and interests for all age groups.


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