by Susan Quilty

Created on: November 11, 2007

Blocks. You can buy them in wood, both natural and painted. You can buy them in cardboard, in plastic, and even in plush. Building blocks, in a wide variety of styles, can be found in toy boxes around the world. They are often used in schools and day care centers. Not only are blocks great fun, they are wonderful tools for developing your child's motor skills.

Motor skills are an important part of your child's development, but what are they really? Simply put, motor skills are the abilities required to move and control objects, or your own body. There are two categories to consider, gross motor skills and fine motor skills.

Gross motors skills are the big movements, such as running, jumping, throwing, catching, and hopping on one foot. Fine motor skills require smaller movements, like those needed to write, pick up small objects, string beads, or put together a model car. These fine motor skills require a great amount of control and can be vastly improved by working with building blocks.

When children are young and fine motor skills are weak, it is best to start with large blocks. Smaller blocks may frustrate younger children and very small blocks may be a choking hazard for those under the age of three. Cardboard blocks can be a great start for toddlers because they are large and lightweight. Soft or plush building blocks are available for the youngest toddlers.

Building with blocks can be as simple as stacking them one on top of another. Young children often delight in seeing how tall they can make a tower before it falls. Or they may enjoy building a tower only to have the fun of knocking it down before starting all over again. This is another reason to consider soft, lightweight blocks for toddlers.

As your child's motor skills develop, you can begin to introduce smaller stacking blocks. You can also begin to introduce interlocking blocks, such as Lego Duplo or large Mega Bloks sets. The skills for both attaching blocks and taking them apart require more control than simply stacking blocks and will further improve fine motor skills.

Interlocking blocks also allow your child to move their creations off the floor or table. They can create planes that fly or horses that run. Interlocking blocks are available in sets to stimulate your child's imagination. This keeps your child interested for longer periods of time. Help your child when needed, but encourage him or her to do most of the building.

Many children continue building with blocks in the form of Legos. The transition to the smaller Lego blocks (and similar brands) is usually around the age of 4 or 5. This is also the age when children are entering school and are learning to write.

The physical act of writing can be quite challenging for some children. Writing requires both holding a pencil, which is a small object, and making tiny, smooth movements with it. This can be frustrating when your child mentally understands the task, but has weak fine motor skills. Forcing your child to endlessly practice handwriting only increases frustration, while working with building blocks will improve the same skills in a less stressful way.

More advanced building sets are available as your child progresses. Many of these sets incorporate gears, hinges, and other specialty features. These sets not only continue to improve your child's motor skills but their mechanical skills and imagination as well.

The beauty of using building blocks is in their appeal. You know that you are encouraging your child's development, but your child is simply having fun.

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