Some ordinary blocks of wood, plastic, or sponge or even some empty plastic containers help kids with both kindergarten readiness and some science learning. Plus, kids can play with blocks over and over, from the time they are babies until they are much older.
As kids play with blocks, they learn about stacking and balancing. How high can they build a tower before it falls over? All on their own, kids learn to place bigger pieces on the bottom to make the base and to use smaller pieces on the top. They have had to carefully observe what happens each time they build in order to figure this out for themselves.
Children also learn about sizes, shapes and spaces as they experiment with how pieces fit together. Before kids can tell if a piece fits from just looking at it, they need the feedback from many, many experiences. This is only some of the science fun and learning that kids have as they build with blocks or other materials.
In addition to science concepts, blocks help with math, patterns, colors, and sequencing, to name a few, and give children the opportunity for creativity and self-expression. Blocks are great toys for both boys and girls and can be used either alone or with others. Does your child like to play with blocks?