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Low-Tech Toys: Blocks

© Angela Ford

How much do kids like blocks? The other day, I gave my 16 month old son some cubes of cheese for lunch. He's going through a fussy-eating phase, so I am hovering like a nervous bird while he sups.

So imagine my delight when he eagerly reached for the cheese and . . . made a cheese block tower? Not terribly nutritious, but it sure is telling about what amuses little toddlers.

Blocks are an absolute staple in the toy box, beginning when babies can first grasp a toy. The smooth lines of wooden 'unit' blocks captivate babies; they put the blocks in their mouths, exploring the corners and edges.

As babies get older, they start exerting control over their environment. A famous brand of learning toys calls the stage between 6 months and 1 year "The Birth of Doing" and it's a good description. Show your baby how to put blocks into a small bucket, then how to take them out. This activity can amuse a little one for hours, especially when your baby becomes proficient at sitting.

For toddlers, the Block Tower is tremendous fun. Stacking the blocks on top of one another is detailed work that requires coordination, fine motor control, and concentration. But knocking the Block Tower over is just plain fun.

I must admit that although I like wooden blocks (which the 'experts' tout as the pinnacle of low tech toys), Lego (or Mega Blocks, or other brands like them) is a personal favourite. Choose Duplo or Mega Blocks for kids under 3--the pieces are too big to choke on, but they work like regular, big-kid Lego.

Duplo or Mega Blocks are fantastic--you can make a tower, your kid can take it apart. As children grow older and develop the motor skills to stick the pieces together, Duplo or Mega Blocks are even better than regular blocks. Toddlers can make taller towers and their building structures are stronger than with regular blocks.

Blocks are perhaps the best toy investment you can make when you have young toddlers. They are the type of toys that grow with your little one, and you can keep adding to your collection to make bigger, cooler things.

For more information on the developmental benefits of Block Play, I highly recommend the article "Block play: toys that grow with kids." Featured on the National Parent Information Network, this article was prepared by child development experts at the National Association for the Education of Young Children.