Building up towers of building blocks and knocking them all down again is a real favourite playtime activity of toddlers.
But did you realise what this sort of play teaches them about their place in the world?
In the video below, Dr Michelle Peter explains how it helps them to understand cause and effect.
Michelle:
Was it you?
As children are navigating their way through the world, they're learning about cause and effect all the time.
It's the concept that they need to understand that their actions and their behaviours have an effect on the people around them, on the objects around them.
And there are some things that we can do to encourage their understanding of that.
One thing that we're going to do today, is to build a tower and we're gonna knock them down!
Shall we build a tower? Shall we? Look, shall I start?
That's it, well done. Look at that.
Most toddlers like to do things over and over and over again. So building it up, knocking it down, building it up, and knocking it down.
That repetition really helps to embed their understanding of the concept.
Mum:
Oh, it's wobbling.
Michelle:
Developing their understanding of the fact that you know, that their actions have effects on the world, can help with their other skills as well.
So the ability to make predictions about the world, the ability to problem solve.
Mum 2:
What happens? Uh oh!
Why are building blocks good for toddlers?
Building blocks might seem like a simple toy for children, but they offer loads of benefits to learning and development.
When children try and make a tower, they develop their problem-solving and concentration skills.
Blocks also help boost fine and gross motor skills, as well as hand-to-eye coordination. The more they practise, the more precisely they'll be able to stack the blocks.
Even from a young age, building blocks can help children learn about cause and effect - that their actions have an effect on the world around them. The more a child builds up a tower and knocks it down, the more they'll come to expect what happens and why.
Developing an understanding of how their actions can affect the world helps toddlers with other skills too - their ability to make predictions and solve problems.
Playing with blocks can boost creative thinking, spatial awareness and early numeracy skills. If you have multi-coloured blocks, playing with them is also a great opportunity to chat about colours.
Image caption, Children are learning about cause and effect all the time - that their actions and behaviours have an effect on the world.
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