Jan 10, 2012
Hi Folks!
All of us have bought play blocks for our kids sometime or the other - you know the kinds that they have spent hours building with. A parents we buy it as just another plaything for our child - not knowing the wealth of "constructive experiences" they bring. Think about it.
When children play together building houses, bridges and every other structure you can imagine, they are working on different areas of child development all on their own i.e. physical, mental, social, emotional, communication, creativity, thinking skills.....etc. Academicians work hard to develop formal programmes to develop these in small children!! Give your kid a set of blocks and leave her in there with some friends...and it all happens naturally.
If given a chance, children will exhibit the highest order of creativity. Unfortunately, we often thwart their thought process by feeding them all that we think they need to know. Give the same set of blocks to five different children, and you'll see what I mean when I say that creative thinking varies and manifests itself in the most wonderful ways in kids.
When a child shows you her creation with a flourish, there's a real sense of achievement there. She is expressing her initiative, independence, and maybe if its a "joint venture" her cooperation with a playfellow in coming up with this marvel - if that isn't social development, I don't know what is!Applaud her effort.
Placing blocks one on top of another or at a angle to create something requires patience and delicacy of touch. This action strengthens the small muscles of her hands. She also shows an increasing level of hand-eye coordination, without which the blocks would keep toppling off.
If playing with friends, listen quietly as your child shows an increasing command over her language and communication skills as she questions, explains, describes or even narrates right through the process of creating her masterpiece.
Finally, look at the thinking skills you child is engaging in as she ponders over the size and shape of her creation. All the time she is thinking - how high can the structure go without falling over? how many blocks will it take? how do I balance it? how do I fit blocks of different shapes and sizes to come up with a coherent whole? That's a lot of thinking and problem solving happening inside your little one's head!
Yes! Blocks are a marvellous thing to gift your child.
Playpen Team
PS: Pardon my use of "her" and "she" throughout my blogs with reference to a child. No offence to boys - I have a son of my own, who i love dearly.....but I'm just partial to girls!!
