Block play provides a foundation for learning about problem-solving and basic math and science concepts.

Children can explore, move, and hold blocks before stacking them vertically or lining them horizontally to form simple structures or complex designs. They can select blocks of the same size or in uniformly descending sizes.

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2. MacDonald, S. (2001). Block Play. Beltsville, MD: Gryphon House. Paley, V. 2004. A Child’s Work. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.

As children play with the blocks, they understand spatial relationships and understand dimensions and shapes and work together.

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2. MacDonald, S. (2001). Block Play. Beltsville, MD: Gryphon House. Paley, V. 2004. A Child’s Work. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.

Play also helps develop mathematical skills. A study found that children as young as 2.5 to 3 years old can understand the cardinal counting principle: that the last number counted in a set is the amount the set contains.

But this skill only manifests when children do a playful task. Parents can ‘scaffold’ the learning (i.e. help a toddler close the learning gaps) by describing verbally what the toddler is doing, such as the patterns and sequences being formed.

Read more at CD-EXP-C03