Blocks!

What children learn through block play...

*Explore cause and effect

*Represent a thought or an idea

*Develop problem solving techniques

*Form creative and critical thinking skills

*Match objects in one to one correspondence

*Use social skills appropriate to group behavior

*Estimate quantities

*Use language to establish and maintain relationships in a social structure

*Demonstrate an understanding of parts and whole

*Use vocabulary to compare same and different objects

*Form data sets, or groups,by sorting and matching objects according to their attributes

*Understand the consequences of social interaction

*Acquire non-loco motor movement skills

*Create, repeat and extend patterns

*Develop eye-hand coordination

*Observe and follow safety rules

*Put things in order using specific criteria

*Understand mapping skills

*Use the physical representations of addition and subtraction

*Develop classification skills

*Differentiate between sizes and shapes

*Understand object relationships and recognition

*Discuss how people help each other

*Express and explore relative size

*Understand gravity, stability, weight and balance

*Think creatively to make and implement plans

*Realize the properties of matter

*Discover the names and functions of buildings

*Develop respect for the work of others

*Make decisions and choices