Who says games are only fun and no learning? Well, they also have a learning side to them as they tend to teach kids various qualities about life and its principles. A game of cricket is all about team work while a game of chess teaches one to focus and concentrate.
Every game has some or the other thing to teach. And if you haven’t noticed it yet, playing with blocks which most preschoolers do for fun, actually helps in developing various skills.
Want to know how playing blocks helps your little one? Just read on:
1. It helps build imagination
Block games help in bringing out the creativity in your toddler. While playing with blocks, they get to use their minds creatively and come up with some amazing designs. At times, they even build something different from what you may have expected them to do. The game makes them use their imagination skills to the best.
2. It promotes spatial learning
Researches have proved that kids who play with block games turn out to be spatial learners. They learn about dimensions, image building, structures and various other aspects of judging an object. This encourages them to understand objects based on their structure and dimensions. And it’s one skill which really helps them in the long run; especially when they head towards higher studies, this skill only gets enhanced.
3. It builds problem solving skills
When you look at your child playing with block games you may feel that he is merely being occupied thereby allowing you some free time. But have you noticed how cleverly your child manages to build different structures with those undefined blocks. This is how he learns to build up his problem solving skills. It sharpens his mind and gives him the idea of analyzing things before looking for a solution. The mind gets trained to scrutinize everything before jumping into a conclusion.
4. It builds social skills
Yes, block games do help in making your child more socially active. When playing with other toddlers of his age, he learns to take help, ideas and suggestions. Have you noticed how the toddlers gather around and try making a block? Their little mind may not understand how exactly they are helping each other but they for sure realize that while working at it together, they get faster results. And this just continues to grow.
5. It builds self-expression skills
With block games, your toddler gets to experience with so many designs and structures. In a way, it comes to him as the source of expressing his own thoughts and ideas in front of all. By making different designs and structures, he tries to give some base to his imagination and express himself more clearly.
6. It develops math skills
Mathematical concepts like length, dimension, evaluation, number, inference, symmetry, and balance can all be learnt through blocks. What your kids may fail to understand theoretically, can easily be explained through block games in an innovative and practical manner.
7. It builds patience
Another, very important attribute that block games help generate in kids is patience. Building anything from scratch requires patience and this is exactly what your toddler is learning while playing with them. Initially, he may get irked or throw away the things in angst but as his interest develops, he learns to do the same thing patiently. Motivate your kids to finish what they have started. Once he gets used to this pattern of block games, he doesn’t mind being occupied for an hour or so in building just one block. This is how patience takes control of him.
8. It encourages consistency
Your child learns how he needs to be consistent with his efforts so as to achieve what he desires. Every time he plays with the blocks, he makes sure that his consistency of efforts isn’t broken.
9. It builds self-esteem
Kids who play with blocks learn to be on their own and solve their problems independently. They never feel low about themselves and know that a little hard work can make them achieve anything they want.
10. It makes them great observers
Your toddler doesn’t just end up building any structure randomly. It may appear to you that he is doing it without thinking but you never get to realize that his little mind does all the thinking and observes every pattern carefully. This sound observation is what helps in making own choices and decisions. Needless to say, great observation skills are really going to help him in future.
11. Promotes overall development
This is just to sum up all the points that we have mentioned above. While playing with different types of block games, your child indirectly comes closer to various skills which are going to be a great help for him in future. From fine motor skills to logical thinking, these games surely help in the overall development of your toddler.
Keep your toddler surrounded with some interesting and fun filled block games. This is the time when he builds up the most important of skills which he will use as his growth progresses. Just make sure that you lay the right foundation for his future learning!