Blocks, Building, and Beyond!

The right accessories can add so much depth to block play.

There are nearly six weeks between my last day working with K in Hawaii and my first day working with my new group of sweet little munchkins at the Battenkill Summer Camp starting July 8th. That is a long time for me to go without hanging out with little ones, but it has given me a wonderful (and rare) opportunity to catch up on all those projects I've been meaning to do but never have enough time to work on. I get to hang out in the children's section at the Northshire Bookstore, one of my favorite places in Manchester, VT to check out some new children's books and look over a few classics to provide inspiration for a few aforementioned projects, which I'm sure I'll tell you about later this summer. While I was there, I found this awesome block play set which I couldn't not share because it inspired me to get on Pinterest and pull together an entire board dedicated to block play which I have titled, Blocks, Building, and Beyond.

Plain wood blocks of varying shapes and sizes inspire creative, innovative play

There are so many different kinds of blocks and building toys and accessories to accompany them and they are so important to play and the development of creativity, innovation, and provoking children's interest in concepts of mechanics, engineering, physics, and design, among other things. If you don't have a block & building station in your classroom and/or playroom, then check out my pinboard immediately for inspiration to create one today. There are so many benefits to playing with blocks, and though they are often marketed to boys, girls get just as into them and get just as much out of them. When it comes to blocks and accessories, I say the simpler the better. The simpler the blocks the less restricted kids will feel when deciding how to use them. Too much detail and too specific of design means fewer ways they can be used and the more parts are needed to reach the same level of creativity and really, who has the space and money to fill an entire room with different blocks and accessories?

Set up a track with the kiddos and watch story after beautiful story unfold.

Building isn't limited to just blocks either, when I was a kid I loved playing with Lincoln Logs and Brio Trains as well. When I was in college I used to nanny for a family down the road and their son, little Ray, who was a toddler at the time, had a near-obsessive love of Thomas the Tank Engine, like so many other little ones have and probably still do. Ray and I used to play trains for hours together and when we weren't playing with his train table and set, we were watching train movies and reading Thomas books. He knew the stories so well that he would set up the scene on his table just as it happened in the stories and then point, shouting at me to "read it!" I did not know the stories as well as he and so often when I would try to "read" the story to him he would correct me and tell me what really happened. This was my first experience narrating a child's play and from little Ray I learned just how powerful this practice can be. Together we brought his favorite stories to life and after a while, it didn't matter as much how well I knew the story because I could simply watch him move the trains and narrate the scene as he unfolded the action. I would put a train table, or something like it in every classroom and home if I could. If only I had a picture of that sweet boy playing at his trains to share.

Posters and photos in the block station are a must.

Block play has more benefits than simply provoking interest in an array of scientific concepts, though I'd be perfectly happy if that was the only one. Little Ray build his vocabulary from playing with trains, he worked his memory and learned the literary concepts of storytelling, and he brought something from his imagination to life in a way that left his filled with joy and satisfaction. Block play builds motor skills, dexterity, balance, and concentration and it teaches kids to think outside the box and pay attention and care to their surroundings else they might knock over their creations. Building together with friends creates invaluable opportunities to practice social skills, problem-solving, out-side-of-the-box thinking, cooperation and teamwork, and so much more. I really cannot say enough about this kind of play, which is why I finally created a pinboard on which to showcase all the exciting block and building related materials I come across in my research, including complementary books, accessories, building materials, organizational tips, and so much more. I have seen so many projects and extended learning evolve from block and building play over the years, there is no limit to the benefits that come from these kinds of open-ended, child-directed activities. If you have any stories to share about blocks and building with kids, please share you experiences in the comments below, I'd love to hear from you!