| Wooden building blocks can promote learning and | | | | Kids can even learn negotiation playing with blocks. |
| develop physical skills in young children. They are one | | | | Many childcare centers and pre-schools and schools |
| of the oldest and simplest of all toys; carved from | | | | keep building blocks available for their students. As kids |
| wood, in various shapes and painted different colors. | | | | gather around to play with these blocks, they learn |
| Most of us remember these from our own childhood. | | | | social skills and interaction. If a child wants blocks of a |
| Our parents, grandparents and many generations | | | | certain size or color, they learn to work with other |
| before that would also remember, fondly, the hours | | | | children to get these. They also learn to work as a |
| spent building with these toys. | | | | team and build things together. These are important |
| Though wooden blocks toys are so simple, they are | | | | learning skills for young children. |
| effective developmental tools for kids, even more | | | | While we as adults may see wooden building blocks |
| effective than many of the high-tech electronic toys | | | | as simple toys, our children see them as tools of play. |
| that seem to come and year after year. There are | | | | We may assume that they only teach them colors, |
| many ways these simple building blocks can shape | | | | shapes and the simple concept of gravity. In reality |
| and develop our children. | | | | wooden blocks stretch the minds, reasoning skills, math |
| Building blocks challenge kids to build bigger, stronger | | | | skills and many other abilities. |
| structures and to be more creative. Kids can build | | | | Many studies have shown that children who play with |
| great fortresses and bridges. These simple toys help | | | | blocks have higher reasoning skills. Children that play |
| kids to open their imaginations, where they travel to | | | | with blocks have better math skills. Autistic children |
| distant lands and we battled evil empires. Kids will build | | | | have been shown to interact social better with building |
| structures then tear them down, only to build them | | | | block play. |
| again. These toys help kids take ideas from our | | | | Help your kids develop skills by playing with wooden |
| imagination and bring them into physical realities. | | | | building blocks. For best results, get down on the floor |
| A child learns logic and reasoning. From simple activities | | | | and challenge them to use their imagination. Ask them |
| of learning how to pile wooden blocks so they will not | | | | to build different structures. Have them show you how |
| topple over to building color patterns a child is learning | | | | a building or a scene looked in a story you just read. It |
| that they can manipulate the blocks. They use them as | | | | really works! |
| their tools and can make patterns and structures. A | | | | Wooden blocks may be simple and low-tech but they |
| child can learn through trial and error what works. A | | | | have proven themselves to such an extent that they |
| child will sit for hours figuring out how to best build a | | | | are found in almost every child's toy box. They are a |
| fortress out of building blocks. While one piece may | | | | hands on, mind challenging, eye/hand coordination toy |
| not work, they will keep trying until they have it as they | | | | that will never be replaced with a battery operated |
| want it. Only then, to tear it all down and begin again. | | | | alternative. |