Blocks are one of the first toys that children begin to play with as they age. Whether they are simply using them to learn the colors of each or stacking them to make miniature towers, children as young as six months love playing with blocks. An added bonus is that new studies are showing that playing with blocks during preschool years can lead to your child being higher achieving in math as far out as high school.
Additionally, when kids play with and build with blocks with others, they are obtaining the ability to have better spatial reasoning. This allows for them to think about objects in three dimensions, as well as mentally manipulate shapes. All of these things are linked to being able to develop strong math skills in a child. In this post, we are going to discuss the six stages of block building and how they work to help your child become more intelligent in subjects related to math. Continue reading below to learn more.
Block Exploration
When children first begin to play with blocks, the stages are pretty typical. First, they touch the blocks, then they carry them around, drop them, pack and unpack them into containers. This is when children first discover the physical properties of blocks.
Rows and Towers
The next step is that children will begin to stack blocks to make towers. They will also begin to line them up in rows on the ground as well. Most of the time, children will be relatively repetitive when it comes to their block play. They will also likely start to build things that are familiar with, like roads for their other toys to pass through.
Bridges and Passageways
Trial and error is a very common part of child play. They may try to attempt to connect two blocks with a third to make a tunnel or a bridge-like structure. They will also begin to consider measurements, attempting to figure out if a certain block will span the distance between two other blocks.
Enclosures
Children also like to use blocks to create spaces that are enclosed. They will use their blocks to create walls by stacking them. Then the space within the blocks will also act as the setting for a story they have created with their imagination.
Symmetry and Balance
Children often have the desire to seek symmetry and balance, even when they are playing. As they play with blocks more, they will engage in patternmaking, as well as sorting, while likely matching sizes and colors.
Planning and Building
While we may not think about it in-depth, children actually can make some incredibly elaborate structures with blocks over time. They do this by planning ahead, revising their plans, and assigning roles to other children during the building process that will lend to them being able to build large structures. All of this and more will lend to a child using imperative portions of their mind that will eventually result in an aptitude for math.
Learn More From First Class Child Development Today
The human brain is an extremely interesting thing, especially when you are considering how children acquire knowledge. If you want to know more about child development, check out the other First Class Child Development blogs. As passionate educators, we want to provide you with as much information as possible if it means making your child more well-rounded and intelligent.
