The science of play reveals that there’s more to children simply enjoying the fun of building. Play with building blocks and other construction toys is more than just entertainment!
The Power of Play
This type of play is universal and potent:
it can transform the way children think. Engaging in building projects stimulates creativity and hones essential skills.
Parents and educators need to create environments that encourage and enhance problem-solving from an early age. Construction toys and play environments serve as catalysts for this development.
We understand that these toys can help children develop:
1, Motor skills and hand-eye coordination,
2, Spatial skills,
3, The ability for creative and divergent thinking,
4, Social skills,
5, Language skills.
Pretend Play
Children can incorporate construction into play scenarios, and there is evidence that it can advance math skills later in their educational journey.
Spatial Skills and Construction Play
Several studies have reported strong links between spatial skills, awareness, and construction play.
Children who show more interest in construction and build more complex structures tend to perform better on standardized tests of spatial intelligence.
Building structures encourages children to explore spatial relationships and mentally rotate objects, a practice that leads to the development of superior spatial abilities, with clear evidence to support this.
Structured Block Play
We know that when children engage in structured block play, they show improvements in mental rotation—the ability to manipulate and analyze 3D shapes in the mind’s eye.
Block Play and Math Skills
Block play has also been linked to math skills. We know that play with LEGO blocks during the preschool years can increase mathematics achievement in high school, regardless of the children’s IQ.
It works for older children too. Even sixth-grade students who spend more free time in construction play perform better on math word problems.
Block Play and Creative, Divergent Problem Solving
Psychologists identify two main types of problems:
1, Convergent problems have only one correct solution.
2, Divergent problems can be solved in multiple ways.
Because children can assemble blocks in such a wide variety of ways, block play is divergent play, preparing kids to think creatively and solve complex problems more effectively.
Block Play and Cooperative Play
We know that children become more friendly and have better interpersonal skills when they work on cooperative construction projects. It is evident that children who engage in cooperative projects form higher-quality friendships.
Block Play: Does It Promote Language Development?
Children who play with blocks:
1, Score higher on parent-reported tests of vocabulary, grammar, and verbal comprehension,
2, Show a non-significant trend towards watching less TV.
While it’s not clear why block play has this effect, it could be that children who spend more time playing with blocks also have more opportunities to converse with their parents. Alternatively, block play itself might help children develop skills important for language development, such as the ability to plan and recognize patterns or predictions.
Everyday Experience
The most compelling evidence that construction play aids learning comes from everyday experience. We know that people learn from practice, and builders of small-scale structures must deal with the same physics that constrain the design of large real-life structures.
The reason engineers and scientists build physical models is that it helps them test and explore their ideas. If you want to understand how forces of tension and compression work, hands-on experience with construction is invaluable.
Play Tips: Getting the Most from Your Construction Blocks
1, Engage young children by participating yourself.
Demonstrating and modeling help children learn faster.
2, Stimulate pretend play with character toys and other accessories.
Additional toys, like people and cars, give children ideas for construction projects and encourage pretend play that mimics real-life situations.
3, Combine block play with storytime.
After reading stories, children are even more encouraged to engage in pretend play. It gives children ideas for things to build.
4, Challenge kids with specific play and building tasks.
While free play is very important, children also gain special benefits from trying to match structures to a template. You can use pictures and diagrams to inspire or guide a construction project, as it creates models and encourages different types of experiments.
5, Encourage cooperative play and building projects.
As we have already noted, cooperative building can help children forge better social skills.
6, Remember that fantasy is a valuable part of play.
Construction play may seem practical and logical, but we must remember the importance of fantasy and creativity. Children become more creative and inventive when exposed to creative stories. Play can include fantasy as well as construction, reaping important cognitive benefits.
