Kids’ building blocks might be simple toys, but there’s a good reason you can find them in homes and daycare centers everywhere! There are number of benefits of building blocks, each key in a child’s development.
Educational building blocks offer opportunities for construction play that go beyond simple fun. In this post, we’ve outlined 10 benefits of toddler building blocks. Read on for our tips and benefits of building blocks for your little one!
1. Math Skills

Playing blocks aid in the understanding of concepts like counting, sorting, and understanding patterns. The tactile experience of stacking and arranging blocks engages kids’ understanding of math in several ways. Blocks encourage numerical understanding and problem-solving abilities. There are also special tools like number block toys that can further boost your little one’s learning.
2. Motor Abilities
As babies and toddlers learn to navigate the world around them, developing their motor skills is crucial in their development. By grasping and placing blocks, your child will learn the skills that will later allow them to tie their shoes, zip up a coat, or draw you a picture. Frequently using building blocks helps kids continue to hone and improve their motor abilities.
3. Creativity

One of the best parts about block building for kids is that it allows them to use their own imagination however they decide. Because blocks are loose parts, children can build or break them apart in endless different ways. Unlike single-use toys, these toys can also resemble anything in a child’s mind. A toy truck is just a truck, but a block can be anything—an animal, a superhero, a phone; the opportunities for play are endless!
4. Problem Solving
If you want to encourage learning cause and effect with your tot, try a construction blocks game. As your tot experiments with different methods of stacking and building with blocks, their mind will have to think through and overcome different challenges.
You can encourage their growth with simple questions like “What happens if we move this block?” or “What if we try stacking the blocks this way?” The process of trial and error block play will inspire resilience in your child, fostering a problem-solving mindset that will become important as they grow older.
5. Spatial Reasoning

Just as this type of play aids in problem solving, it also encourages developing early spatial reasoning. Sorting and experimenting with block placement helps little ones understand how objects in the physical world interact with one another. Toys like unit blocks are excellent tools for encouraging this skill.
6. PSED (Personal, Social, and Emotional Development)
PSED is paramount for every child to learn, especially in preparation for preschool, where they’ll interact with other kids much more, and maybe for the first time. To help foster these cognitive skills, use building blocks games that require your child to negotiate and cooperate with others. Have kids take turns stacking blocks or encourage them to work together to solve problems while playing.
7. Hand-eye Coordination

Building blocks help fine-tune babies’ and toddlers’ hand-eye coordination. Block play requires precise movements during stacking and arranging. The visual feedback of aligning blocks enhances coordination between their hands and eyes. This type of developmental play nurtures a connection between sensory input and motor control. It also lays the groundwork for more advanced fine motor skills in the future.
8. Increased Attention Span
You already know by now how blocks for kids cultivate many important skills. When young minds practice using these abilities, it takes a lot of focus! Challenging games like “build the tallest tower” lets kids focus and devote their time solely to the task at hand. By doing this, they both increase their attention span and ability to focus, while giving you a much-needed break.
9. Independence and Self Esteem

Opportunities for self-guided play lets children experience a sense of achievement as they stack and create. Its open-ended nature encourages self-directed exploration, empowering them to make their own choices. Toddlers and babies come up with their own building block ideas too, enabling them to build self-confidence. The way kids play independently with blocks reinforces that confidence again and again, preparing them to attack problems with confidence.
10. Science
Building blocks easily lend themselves to an early understanding of science. They help your child foster curiosity about how concepts like gravity, weight, and balance work. Directing your little one to observe and note certain attributes of blocks also develops early scientific reasoning skills, encouraging them to form their own hypothesis. You can encourage their scientific understanding by asking questions like “Which of these blocks are the heaviest?” or “Can you show me the smallest block? The biggest block?”
At Toys Central, we understand the importance of toys that don’t just occupy your child’s time, but teach them important skills. You can find all kinds of educational toys on our online store, from building blocks to activity books. For more information on all things child development, don’t forget to visit the rest of our blog!