by Kris Brewer

Created on: November 12, 2007

Building blocks are a popular toy, even for very young children. They can entertain children for long periods of time. But, there is a much better reason to get building blocks for your children than just entertainment. Building blocks can, and should be one of the earliest educational toys that you get for your children. Before they are even ready to learn about colors, or letters, building blocks can begin to develop your child's motor skills.

The development of motor skills is a very important stage of any child's growth process. It is the foundation for being able to write, draw, tie shoes, put on their own clothes, and button buttons. Children who play with building blocks are ahead of the game when it comes to these other activities. Let's consider some of the ways that building blocks can help develop a child's fine motor skills.

First, children are naturally attracted to the bright colors of the blocks. They are designed to catch the eye of the young child, and create in them a desire to reach out and grab them. If you watch a child trying, for the first time, to get a hold of something that catches their eye, it can be somewhat humorous. It is as if they have no control over their little fingers. In fact, they have to learn this skill. Being attracted to the color of these building blocks will cause a child to continue trying to grasp it with their hands. Most children will have the determination to work at it until they are able to get a hold of the block. They will continue working until they become proficient at handling the blocks, which increases their motor skills. Some of the manufacturers of building blocks have developed a larger size of blocks that makes it even easier for small children to pick up.

Secondly, children intuitively try to stick the building blocks together. It does not take long until they are taking the next step from picking the blocks up, to putting them together. It will take some time, and learning for the child to be able to make the blocks stick together, but again, children will often work at the task diligently until they accomplish it. At first, they will not be able to do much more than get the blocks to stay together. But, if they are able to get that far, it shows an improvement in their dexterity and a definite increase in their motor skills.

Finally, your child will begin to develop their own creativity using the building blocks. As children get older, they learn to handle the blocks quite freely, putting them together easily. At first, they will build a lot of walls, as that is very easy to do by stacking the blocks up, one on top of the other. But, as they continue to develop, they will start to build more creative things. They will put together houses, and castles, and cars. This is a sign that they are able to do with their hands what their little minds can dream up. For many children, the only limit to what they can build is the number of blocks they have left in the tub!

Building blocks are a great tool for helping children to develop their motor skills. They will be able to use the skills that they learn by playing with those blocks to develop other skills. As they grow, they will be able to handle those shoe laces more easily, hold that pencil properly, and button their own shirt. Make sure your child is well supplied with building blocks, and watch them develop their fine motor skills at a faster pace than they could without. Building blocks can be the first stage of helping your child learn, and you can build on the program later on.

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