Construction toys, and the way they allow little minds to develop and play with "what if" possibilities, have, quite literally, helped build the modern world as we know it today!
There are not many toys that stand the test of time. But building blocks & construction toys have, they are classic, timeless and highly beneficial. The lessons and development associated with constructive play are endless, and will provide children (regardless of gender or ability) a venue for creative thought and problem solving skills.
Benefits include:
Creativity
Your child’s imagination is the limit with construction toys and blocks. The simplicity of building toys is what allows children to design and create whatever they can imagine.
Spatial Skills
Construction toys provide understanding of how pieces fit together and encourages comprehension of differing directions, shapes and space. Through critical thinking about whether a piece will fit, cause the structure to fall down or form the shape they desire, children use and develop spatial reasoning.
Learning
During a childs play with construction toys, they are unknowingly preparing themselves for lessons to be learned later in their lives. Construction toys are wonderful precursors for mathematical and scientific concepts. Counting, comparing length and width, shapes colours etc.
Gross and Fine Motor Skills
While children moving, reaching and stretching to complete their builds, they are helping to strengthen their gross motor skills. Small muscle development in hands and fingers through constructive play will help to hone fine motor skills as children piece together blocks, or add blocks to their builds with increasing skill and precision.
Hand-Eye Coordination
During a child’s "build time", they are enhancing their hand-eye coordination by understanding how they control their hands and finger movement and the connection between touch and sight. Through picking up construction materials and placing them onto a structure or by connecting interlocking pieces, children develop awareness of how what they see is related to their movement.
Communication and Co-operation
As children work together to build a structure, they will learn to communicate their ideas, listen to others suggestions and collaborate to find the best way. Also, by encouraging "team building", children will build confidence as they become more comfortable speaking and expanding their vocabulary.
(Special thanks to everyone who participated in the creation of this piece).