Explore Through Movement and Play with Your Toddler
Activity: Block Play
Note to parents and caregivers: Block play teaches a lot of developmental skills. Toddlers can learn problem-solving, like how to make their tower taller without it falling down, and beginning math, such as comparison, balance, and symmetry. Blocks also allow children to use their imagination, be creative, and build social and emotional development such as sharing materials, increased attention span, and working with others. Playing and building with any blocks is great! Below are some suggestions for materials to build with that you may have at home or can get access to.
Materials:
- Plastic solo cups
- Paper towel tubes
- Egg cartons
- Empty cardboard boxes and gift wrap
Instructions:
- Plastic solo cups: Stack up solo cups to create super tall towers. Balance them on top of each other in different patterns to create sturdier designs.
- Paper towel tubes: Cut paper towel tubes into smaller tubes to stack on top of each other. You can also cut different slits and notches into the tops and bottoms of the tubes to allow them to nest into each other to create sturdier towers. You can also invite your child to color the tubes to make them more vibrant.
- Egg cartons: Clean out cardboard egg cartons and then cut apart the cups the eggs would sit in. The cups from the egg carton can be stacked on top of each other and in different patterns to create towers. You can also invite your child to color the cups to make them more vibrant.
- Empty cardboard boxes and gift wrap: Reuse empty cardboard boxes to make blocks. Reseal the boxes shut and then stack them up to build tall towers. To add more color to the boxes, wrap them in gift wrap.
Questions to Ask While You Play
- How high can you build that tower?
- Your tower fell down. What can you try this time to do this time so it stands up and does not fall?
- What if you try balancing your tower by making that side look like this other side?
- Why do you think your tower fell down?
Activities Prepared by:
Discovery Center Museum
URL: www.discoverycentermuseum.org/
Fun & educational science museum with exhibits, workshops, crafts & experiments for kids.
