A parent's guide to block play

You probably expect to see a set of building blocks in your child's pre-school or reception class. You might even remember playing with something similar yourself. They've been around for a very long time. So why are they so important in education?

Importance of block play

Blocks help children develop spatial awareness. They help them to build 'mental maps' of spaces around them. They are comfortable to hold and manipulate and they can be constantly re-arranged. There is no right way to build with them, and this 'open-endedness' encourages children to be creative and to think for themselves. While playing, children can increase their awareness of shape, pattern, symmetry or number. They are also problem-solving, using their imagination and, if they are allowed to play without interruptions, they are developing concentration skills and the learning disposition to persevere.

Block play can tell us a lot about how our children are thinking and what fascinates and interests them. Educationalists call these patterns of actions 'schemas', and they help to identify how to move learning forward.

Playing with blocks

Some researchers think that children have a tendency to be a 'patterner' or a 'dramatist' when they play with blocks. A 'patterner' will focus on the shapes and patterns they make with the blocks, perhaps laying them on the floor, or stacking them high. A 'dramatist' will construct objects (such buildings, beds) to tell a story around, especially if they can use other small toys too.

We want to encourage children to be both patterners and dramatists, so they need lots of pure block play to experiment, as well as mixing blocks with 'small world' objects such as cars, animals or people, for making stories.

What kinds of blocks are there?

There are two main types of blocks used in early years settings.

Hollow blocks are large and wooden, with open sides so they can be grasped easily. Because of their size, children can walk, sit and lie on them and create life-size structures to climb on or hide in. These blocks exercise the imagination as well as the muscles.

Unit blocks are smaller multiples and fractions of a unit, plus curves, arches, cylinders and wedges, for use on floor or table top. Ideally the length of a unit block is exactly twice the width and the width exactly twice the thickness. A full set is needed for quality play - just a few won't satisfy the young architect.

Duplo and Sticklebricks and other products which stick together in some way are equally valuable, but serve a different purpose to the basic free-standing, stackable, wooden blocks described above. They are known as construction toys rather than blocks.

What about safety?

Settings must supervise all activities to ensure that children are using equipment safely. But if children are to learn how to use things safely and make the most of their learning, they need to be able to experiment and take risks. The practitioner's role is to enable them to do this, often playing alongside them as a partner, or observing them closely to record the learning taking place. Blocks can be used both indoors and out, and although carpet can be helpful to reduce noise and wear, building boards can help to keep blocks and constructions stable.

Block play at home

Although good-quality blocks might seem expensive, they often last longer than the latest computerised gimmick. Sets may have to be of a smaller scale than those used in school, but will be just as valuable. Don't try to take over children's building - build your own! Don't worry too much about asking questions or getting them to describe their buildings. Listening to what they want to tell you is just as important. Using a board to build on means that you don't always have to knock it down, although that's part of the fun, too. Make clearing up and tidying away part of the game, and it won't seem a chore. Try to keep blocks in a box or bag, so they don't get lost, and you'll all still be enjoying them years later.