blockS ARE An incredible LEARNING TOOL.
Unit blocks play an important role in the classroom. Blocks support a wide range of cognitive, physical, and social-emotional development. Some of the ways that blocks prove their versatility as a learning tool are:
Puppet Theater & Storytelling.
Mathematics: problem solving, pre-algebraic thinking, measuring, mapping, recognizing and creating symmetry, estimating, comparing number, constructing shapes, counting, organizing, sorting
Motor Skills & Planning: developing fine and gross motor skills through body movement and negotiating space, experimenting with balance & stability
Social-Emotional Growth: developing friendships, self-esteem and self-reliance, building confidence, increasing attention span, increasing resilience, cooperating and negotiating with others, self-advocating, sharing, setting personal goals, risk taking
Imagination, Art, and Creativity: collaborating, idea sharing, designing, engaging in dramatic play, sharing, creating, combining, recreating, and recombining for representational, conceptual, and abstract structure and design
Literacy: practicing writing skills, developing story ideas, engaging in dramatic play, storytelling
Language & Self-Expression: developing language, connecting and communicating with classmates, recognizing, expressing and representing own ideas
Science: developing scientific reasoning, making and testing hypotheses, exploring physical science concepts
Read more about blocks in the NY Times Magazine article, "With Blocks, Educators Go Back to Basics."
"Potential Contributions of Blocks for Curriculum" graphic from the introduction to The Block Book, edited by Elizabeth Hirsch.
Under, over, under, through. Obstacle Course.