Alphabet blocks offer many potential benefits for childhood development. While they are among the simplest of all toys, they are also among the most beneficial in many ways.
One of the great things about alphabet blocks is they come with no rules and no instructions. Kids get to make up their own rules and play away. The sky is the limit for what they can do with them and how much they can learn. The blocks encourage open-ended explorations.
Alphabet blocks designed for safe educational use are available from Melissa and Doug. To prevent any risk of lead poisoning, blocks are painted or stained only with non-toxic paint or stain, as children will undoubtedly put the blocks in their mouth! Brands like Melissa and Doug have designed their entire product line just for the younger kids, kids that would use alphabet blocks. Melissa and Doug is proud of their safety record of zero incidents of any problems and no needs for any recalls in over 20 years of business.
Alphabet blocks allow for social and emotional development among young children in two ways. First, when playing with other children, they learn to negotiate for the items they want to use and also to respect the ideas and opinions of others. Open-ended block play gives kids an opportunity to explore social behaviors and emotions in a safe environment. These benefits will transfer to other areas of the child’s life, such as when they are playing with friends!
Blocks also provide physical development for children. Playing with blocks will improve both the child’s gross motor skills and fine motor skills. As children pick up the small blocks, carry them from place to place, and position them, their small muscles will develop. Even seemingly “small” motions will provide benefits. When children stack blocks, they will improve their hand-eye coordination as well as their balance.
Standard wooden alphabet blocks naturally appeal to children. Wood that has been sanded and polished feels good to the touch. Their symmetrical shape is naturally pleasing.
Blocks allow cognitive and intellectual development for children. Blocks help children develop a concrete understanding of the world around them. They will learn about sizes, shapes, numbers, orders, area, length, patterns, and weight as they build with and put away the blocks. Blocks also help children to think abstractly. Children form mental pictures as they interact with the world around them. When they play with blocks, they can recreate these pictures in concrete form.
Finally, blocks allow for language development in children. Children love to talk about the scenes they have created, and when an adult asks questions or shows a genuine interest, the child will be learning to create a description of what they see. When adults provide a new word to describe their creations, they will be expanding their vocabulary. They can even develop their writing skills when they make signs for their buildings.
Alphabet blocks can help kids develop the skills they need to become strong and healthy physically, socially, emotionally and cognitively. Perhaps best of all, they don’t cost nearly as much as high-tech electronic toys. In fact, brands like Melissa and Doug have found ways to distribute high quality blocks around the world at very low prices.
Click here to download our free alphabet blocks guidebook filled with helpful tips, ideas and information.
How to Enhance Learning With Melissa and Doug Toys & Building Blocks
Building blocks are one of the best development toys that you can purchase for your children. Child development experts believe that the use of creative play, such as building blocks, help children excel throughout their life. As a parent, you should learn how and when to use different blocks to enhance a child’s learning.
Kids have played with wooden building blocks long before there were video games or electronic toys. One of the great things about blocks is they are powered by a child’s imagination, not by batteries or electricity. Today, building blocks are available in age ranges from babies and infants to older children who can build castles and other architectural structures. Popular brands include Melissa and Doug toys, Maxim and Citiblock.
Soft blocks are recommended for infants from twelve to fifteen months because they are large enough for little hands and provide a safety cushion should the child fall on the blocks. Young children will learn spatial recognition skills while they learn to stack the blocks into a tall tower or smaller columns. Even at this age, you can begin to teach a child math skills by counting the blocks as you build towers.
For toddlers over the age of fifteen months it is important to instill both personal and group play. At this age, kids are just beginning to be able to grasp the idea of using the blocks to create 3 dimensional structures, such as a barn. Add some wooden animals, and your child can build his own farm, moving the animals into and out of the barn.
Wooden building blocks also enhance learning skills for preschool and school-age children. Creating a multi-level garage, farm, or dollhouse from blocks teaches a child independent thinking, fine motor skills, and mental creativity. Melissa and Doug Toys offers a set of wooden construction vehicles which allows your child to learn spatial recognition, how to use toys for movement of items, and the building of complex buildings and sites.
Children do not have to build things in order to obtain enhanced learning skills. Counting, color identification, and sorting are additional skills that will be developed with the use of wooden building blocks. Simple games, such as putting the blocks into piles of two (or more) help a child learn to count. If you have room in your home, you can make a tower of blocks and let the child roll a ball towards the tower until it falls down. This game helps kids develop hand-eye coordination.
For maximum benefits, choose age-appropriate blocks. Melissa and Doug toys are a popular brand that offers a huge selection of blocks for kids of all ages. Older kids require tougher challenges that come from using smaller pieces, with mixed colors, shapes and sizes. Encouraging them to tell you about their building blocks creation can also promote development of communication skills as they attempt to verbalize what they have done in a logical manner. Mixing small and large wooden building blocks allows for intricate designs and fine tunes motor skills. Adding flat, round, and rectangular blocks allows for complex block playing, which further enhances a child’s learning ability and can be used to develop math skills they will carry throughout life.
Playing with wooden building blocks can instill a sense of accomplishment in your child and motivate them to learn, grow and build more than just a stack of blocks.
Click here to download our free building blocks guidebook filled with helpful tips, ideas and information.
