A set of blocks is a popular baby gift, but Baby might have started out by banging them together or tossing them across the room, instead of trying to do a little amatuer architecture. Now, though, they may be reaching the point where they have the physical skills and attention span to do a little stacking.
For toddlers, blocks provide the opportunity to develop their attention and concentration as they create their very own masterpiece. More than that, though, Baby will work on problem solving, as they try to build a tower without having it come crashing down.
If you want, you can help them learn as they build by counting the blocks in the tower, or asking them to hand you a certain color of block. There’s no need for block play to have a lesson plan, though – just playing together teaches them coordination, patience, balance, and how to construct a skyscraper. Blocks are great if Baby has a playmate other than you, too – they’re a great starting point for children who are moving from parallel play toward to playing together, since blocks let them work together to build something as a team.
