Blocks, Building & Stacking

So, what does your child learn from blocks?

Motor Skills: Block play is all about eye-hand coordination and visual perception. Want to take it up a notch? Stack soft blocks or cushions as high as your preschooler can jump over them. Make an obstacle course or maze with blocks, and then knock a ping pong ball along the course with a golf club or clean fly swatter.
Math: You can pattern blocks by shape or color. Blocks can be used as units of measure. It’s easy to see how a 6-block-high tower is taller than a 4-block-high one.
Science: You can demonstrate levers and inclined planes with blocks. One of our favorite science experiments involved making different types of block buildings on a movable table and then creating an “earthquake”, observing which types of buildings sustained the least damage.
Social/Emotional: Blocks are perfect for dramatization and role play. You can create props by gluing pictures to blocks or cereal boxes. Issue a challenge such as building an airport or a dream house.