10 Cool Ways to Use Building Blocks for Kids

How many of you think that blocks are just for building and stacking? A good many of you I would bet. And those are the most common ways. However this is a place to think outside the box – or block as the case may be. You can use building blocks in a lot of different and creative ways. Check out 10 cool ways to use building blocks for kids.

1. Learning colors: The nice thing about building blocks for kids is that they come in such bright fun colors. You can build with the blocks with your child and while you build you can say what color the block is. As your child starts to learn their colors you can ask them to hand you a red block or another color to reinforce their learning.
2. Teaching them addition and subtraction: You can use anything to teach addition and subtraction, but you already have the blocks so why not use those? Gather up the blocks and ask your child what 1+1 is. Then show them with the blocks, if I add one block to another block how many would I have? If they hesitate, help them count the blocks. This will become especially necessary as you get into adding bigger numbers. Many times showing a concept visually will help your child learn quicker.
3. Teaching them multiplication: When teaching multiplication let your child know that multiplication is repetitive addition. So if you multiply 2×3 you will need to put up three rows of two blocks. If they can count by 2’s all the better. Show them that they can just do 2, 4, 6 and get the answer. Or they can count all of the blocks and get the answer too.
4. Use them with play dough: Many block sets come with several cylinder pieces that can be used as a rolling pin to roll out the play dough. You can then show your child that by pressing the blocks onto the play dough they will be able to make the different shapes.
5. Use them to paint with: Most paints will wash off the blocks as long as the blocks are sealed so this craft should do no damage to the blocks. By dipping the blocks into different washable paints and pressing them to drawing paper your child can make an imprint of that shape. Then they can use the different shapes and make houses, robots or anything else that their imaginations can dream up.
6. Make a path with them to practice soccer: Do you have some blocks that your 4-5 year old isn’t playing with as much? Use them instead of cones for your new soccer player to practice dribbling around. Use the bigger blocks and set them out about 3 feet apart at the beginning and push them closer together as your child gets better at dribbling.
7. Decorate for a birthday party with them: This is a particularly good theme for a toddler because they love building blocks at this age. Stack the blocks on the cake table as a cool centerpiece or put them in various stacks on the mantel or side table. Bringing the theme around the room will just reinforce your theme and make it all the more unique and adorable, not to mention at a very low cost to you since you are decorating with something you already own.
8. Use them as a cupcake stand: While you are decorating with the blocks for the party you can use them to make a one of a kind cupcake stand. Stack the blocks in various levels or steps and fill with cupcakes. The display will be fun and colorful and the kids and adults will love it.
9. Play games with them: Need games for the party? Break the kids up into several smaller teams and give each team a bucket of blocks. Start the timer and see how high they can build a tower in 1 to 3 minutes. Then let them knock them down. You can also use the blocks in a scavenger hunt. The kid to find the most blocks in the yard wins a prize.
10. Use them as cool wall art: A contemporary art piece is easy enough to create yourself using some old building blocks. Let your child help you. Take a board cut as big as you would like the art piece to be. Paint the board and then stack the blocks up in an interesting shape, only 2-3 layers deep. Once you have decided on the final shape hot glue the blocks down and give them a final paint job if you’d like them to be all one color that matches your décor or if you are using it in a kid’s room you might want to leave it bright and colorful. You’ve made your own art piece for next to nothing.

Taken From Babysitting Jobs