A Block Can be anything

With a little imagination a block can become anything you want it to be. From simple rolling on the ground and saying vrom vrom it has become a car. With the same block it your can make a train "Choo Choo!" Stand to blocks up and make them talk to each other "Hi Sally how are you?" says the first. "Good thank you!" says the second. As your child child is ready for more add other toys to make block time more fun. We have lots of animals which are great with the blocks to make a farm or zoo. Blocks make great fences and trees. Your little one love his cars add blocks to the make a town with roads and all. Do you have little people your child doesn't touch add them with the blocks and teach your child to make a home, a store or what ever they can think of. The possibility are endless. Remember your child may need to been shown that a block can be more than a block. Once they see they will think of more things than you and I.

Play to Learn: blocks

From the time Girlygirl was first a toddler I gave her blocks to play with. I remember my mom talking about a workshop she went to (she is a preschool teacher). It was all about blocks she told me how great blocks where at teaching. I have now found the info she told me and I want to share some with you. They have so much to teach.

imagination and creativity

self-confidence by allowing a child to be in control and having a feeling of accomplishment

provide opportunities for dramatic play, sharing and cooperative efforts

responsibility for block care and clean-up

involves math and science pre-number skills ie. size, shape, matching and classification, problem solving is inherent in block play

visual discrimination, a pre-reading skill

insight into concepts of inside/outside, open/closed

development of language and vocabulary through discussion and description

mapping skills

color recognition, patterning

develop gross motor skills through lifting, carrying and stacking

develop fine motor skills with smaller blocks

refine eye/hand coordination

Remember the next your child picks up a block to play that they learning. So you can say you are homeschooling. Your child is learning a lot.