Block Play

Block play is a very important aspect of each child’s play during the early years. As children are engaged in building different structures, I can see future scientist, construction workers and architects. I have been teaching for seven years and I have seen some simple to elaborate structures that children created with meanings. Some teachers in Day Care and Head Start programs refuse to open the block area within their classrooms. The reason they give is that, they fear that children might hurt each other with the blocks instead of building something constructive. I often tell those teachers to explain to the children that blocks are for building structures and not for hurting each other. When children are engaged in block play it is very important that teachers give them encouragement, guidance and proper supervision.

Block play incorporates all the different subject areas such as Math, Art, Social Studies, Science, Language Arts and Physical Development. Harriet Johnson(1997) state “blocks have been found to be the most useful tools for self education that children can play with and work” (p.98). Children really enjoy talking about their structure and what it represents. I am very impressed when I teach anew concept and see the children create a structure which is a follow up of what they had learned. For example, we talked about the fire station and the work of fire fighters. The children went to the fire station and they came back and were constructing a fire station and to add to it use the fire men props we had to go with their structure.

It is very important that teachers allow students to work in the block area. The benefits that the children gain are social skills, problem solving techniques and creativity.