The development of little hands and minds is always a priority for parents.
And we’ve just discovered these Bloks … which on top of providing hours of fun, stimulates, and helps them express themselves, are also a great way of promoting your tot’s development.
Studies show blocks boost many aspects of learning including …
Self-esteem: Children discover that they have their own idea as they explore various risks when playing with blocks. This gives them a scene of achievement as they experiment by creating something unique and new.
Imagination: Blocks allow children to develop worlds of their own making and take journeys of their own design. It encourages creative freedoms and equips them with the tools to bring it to life.
Personal, Social & Emotional Development: Children learn to co-construct and negotiate as they play with blocks. By taking turns, sharing materials and working together, they form new bonds and friendships. This kind of play encourages self-reliance, develops a sense of self and increases their attention span.
Creativity: As children combine and re-combine the various loose parts in various ways their creativity can be stimulated even further by the addition of small characters or objects as they play.
Self-expression: Playtime is the optimal time for self expression in children. This is used as a tool by child psychologists and therapists, as it is form of communication that doesn’t need the use of language in order to communicate.
Problem-solving: Problem-solving and reasoning skills are developed by playing with blocks. This either happens as a natural occurrence where children learn what works and what doesn’t, or as a deliberate action, where they continue to develop a situation while they play.
Maths: Blocks are the best tools for kids to use when practicing their counting skills. They can not only compare shapes and sizes, but also create patterns The shapes, sizes and colours help children identify the number of items they have, identify the size of their creation, estimate the dimensions, and evaluate symmetry.
Literacy & communication: Children find different opportunities to communicate as they play and this encourages the development of new vocabulary. This is then unlocked further by engaging with parents, and friends as they use the blocks as a prop when telling or creating their stories.
Physical Development: Children are physically stimulated by blocks, strengthening their fingers, hands and arms as they play. This also develops hand-eye coordination, encourages spatial awareness
We’re big fans of this Mega Bloks Big Building Bag, which has 60 pieces so there’s limitless fun. Brightly coloured, the blocks encourage hands-on exploration and open-ended play. When playtime is over, conveniently pack and store the blocks in eco-friendly, PVC-free packaging. They’re perfect for children from around aged one and up, and are compatible with other Mega Bloks First Builders products.
You’ll find them at stores and online, including takealot.com, toykingdom.co.za and toyrus.co.za for around R419.99.
Fancy winning a bag of Bloks? To enter, simply pop over to Instagram or Facebook, find the post and follow the prompts.
