Tip—Take advantage of children’s natural interest in blocks to establish concepts that will later help build math and science skills.

Play is serious business when you are a child. Far from being a frivolous pursuit, it’s how young children learn about the world and it builds an important foundation for later skills. It’s hard to overemphasize how important early, good play is. Fortunately, we all know how to do it.

Preschool teacher Sandi Dexter, author of Joyful Play with Toddlers: Recipes for Fun with Odds and Ends, says, “You are the most important teacher your child will ever have. What you help her learn about herself will give her confidence to move ahead. Children watch and learn by copying what they see you, and others, doing.”

Tools—Dexter recommends providing a variety of block play experiences for your toddler. When you play with him, he can see new ways to interact with the blocks and copy what you do. Sometimes, however, follow his lead and copy what he does with the blocks. Above all, have fun!

• Help your child play with the blocks. For example, begin lining up the blocks, end-to-end. Say, “Let’s make a road for your cars,” or, “Let’s make a fence around your farm [or zoo, or wild] animals.” You can use the toys your child already has in many ways.

  

• Stacking is an important skill to learn and practice. Watch your child as he plays with the blocks. Toddlers begin building towers with one or two blocks. By age two they can balance six or more blocks on top of each other. When your child stacks blocks say, “You stacked that block on top of the other. Can you do that again?”

• Encourage sorting. Some blocks come in bright colors. Your child can sort them by color or by shape. Say, “Let’s find all the yellow ones and put them over here.”

You’ll find more practical tips you can use right now in Joyful Play with Toddlers: Recipes for Fun with Odds and Ends by Sandi Dexter.

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