by Jadey Bayless

Created on: November 13, 2007   Last Updated: February 23, 2011

Bright colors and many sizes to choose from. Who wouldn't want to play with these intriguing little pieces? I know I always have to stick them together. Whether or not I ever complete it and it comes out looking like anything is a whole other story.

Building blocks are a timeless gift and a gift that keeps giving throughout all of your life. This is a gift that will always be appreciated and will never go out like so many fads.

Blocks are such a valuable learning toy. From the littlest of hands to the biggest of hands there is so much that can be taught from blocks.

Blocks can be used in math. To count, add, subtract. It can be used for shape recognition, for colors. Blocks are there to stimulate and help one become creative.

I can think of so much that blocks help with. They help children learn how to manipulate pieces into areas that maybe challenging at a younger stage but as they get older, they learn how to use the smaller pieces. I think that blocks provide hours of entertainment, and there is always more than one project that you can build with a set of blocks.

Motor skills are a key thing when working with building blocks. Watch your younger child trying to figure out how to place the fatter blocks onto another. They learn to stack they learn to create balance with the blocks. They are fascinated with the colors at this age. As they progress to the mid size blocks, they become even more creative not only are they stacking and balancing but now they are trying to create something. They try to create houses, or a fort, or some kind of vehicle or monster. The next stage provides the littlest pieces and the wheels the little extras. As each stage has progressed they have learned how to hold them, how to fit them into tight areas, how to create a project, they have learned to go from chunky pieces to the tiniest of pieces. All a part of learning how to make things be creative and have fun. This was a learning experience that they didn't mind cause there was no rules, the only rule was to have fun. However they learned how to develop their motor skills. Without motor skills school work would be a difficult task for children. You need to learn to hold a pencil, how to write with a pencil, how to color, how to stay in the lines when you color this is all motor skills. Just remember to always pick up those block cause the one thing you will learn as a parent as much fun as it was to help build and be creative, if you step on it you will know what pain is.

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