We all know that children love to explore and create with wooden blocks for kids. They’re a great way to stimulate the child’s creativity and innovative thinking by encouraging them to build structures, express their emotions, and work on their fine motor skills. The best part is that they are so inexpensive you can always have some at home when the creative urge hits!
Benefits of Wooden Blocks for Kids
Kids love to put their creative spin on their creations, and it’s an excellent exercise for kids to learn how to use their imagination and build things up using simple building blocks. They also get the fun of seeing what they can create, and it’s an excellent way for them to develop their fine motor skills.
Blocking toys are also something that will last a lifetime. Because they are made from wood, you don’t have to worry about wearing them out after years of use. They can also be painted to look like other things or used in various creative ways to construct different things. All you need is paint and water, and you can create your masterpiece.
Kids tend not to be patient when it comes to creating wooden blocks for kids. It is something they will learn as they grow up and become older. You want to make it fun for your children, and the simplest way to do this is by involving them in creating new things with the blocks. You don’t want to make it so complicated that it’s not fun anymore.
10 Playtime Ideas and Activities with Wooden Blocks for Kids
- Build a clock! Put two of your wooden blocks next to each other. Grandma’s clock is an excellent idea because it has numbers on it, which will help your child learn how to read and tell time. Cover the blocks with red paint and then cover the face with black paint. Then, write the numbers onto the block.
- Make a picture, and then build it up with blocks! Using paint and water, you can paint on the canvas. Then, once the canvas is dry, you can start building.
- Build a car out of wooden blocks for kids. The car is easy to make because it is the same size as one of your wooden blocks, but this will depend on what league you use. Start by getting four wooden bricks (or any size) and glue them together to create one big brick. It will be the car. Then, tape a piece of paper on top of the blocks and then paint the car white. Next, you can put your wheels on the bottom and make them either turn or stay still (depending on what it looks like on top). Then, you can build a driver, car seat, and passenger onto your wooden block car. You may choose to add tires, windows, and back doors to finish off the look.
- Make a fireplace! To make the fireplace, you will need to take an empty can and cover it with brown paper. Please have your child color on it with crayons or markers until it is uniform in color. Then, take your glue or wood putty and glue it over the whole can. After that, take an enormous can (about two inches bigger in diameter) and glue that over the first one. Now, spread out some newspaper on the floor and put your bricks down onto the newspaper. Then, you can take your glue or wood putty and spread it over the bricks to make the fireplace. Once your child is done with the whole fireplace and has let it dry for several days, then you can put the two cans together (the larger one on top) and tape them in place. Ensure that you cut a hole on the front of your fireplace where you can put a piece of cardboard in to hold fire (or picture) in.
- Build an “Egg Carton House” for your child. This is a fun and easy project! Your child will love to use colorful egg cartons as building blocks and create their own house!
How to make an “Egg Carton House”:
Step 1: Start with an empty egg carton (or any round cardboard that is big enough for your child to put their hands through).
Step 2: Divide the egg carton into squares or rectangles. Use a ruler to draw vertical and horizontal lines (this will help you make a perfect house).
Step 3: Cut out the shapes (rectangles or squares) with a pair of scissors.
Step 4: Take some colorful paper and cut out the window, door, and roof pieces. Glue them onto the egg cartons.
Step 5: Have your toddler put their hands through the hole on the top of the egg carton and start building their new home!
- You can have your child draw shapes on paper and then trace them onto their wooden blocks. Then, have them put together a puzzle using a bunch of smaller wooden blocks. Wooden blocks also make great building blocks to create outlines for picture puzzles. Draw things such as farm animals, flowers, and other stuff onto wooden blocks to outline what you would like your child to fill in the maze with.
- Make a house or a castle. Get some paper and cut out the pieces for the walls. Then, please have your child color them in with markers or crayons. You can glue these onto the walls of their castle or house that they made out of wooden blocks.
8. Make a carousel using wooden blocks. First, decide which wooden block should be the base (back of the carousel). Then, make a circle pattern and cut it out using scissors. Put together your puzzle in any order you like by stacking your wooden blocks on top of one another or glue them all together. Then, you can color in whatever you desire!
- Do a wooden puzzle. You can make a wooden city or town using activity sheets, cardboard, and wooden blocks. Draw the town or city on an activity sheet and cover it with cardboard. Then, take small cardboard pieces and tape them onto the cardboard to make buildings and roads (use double-sided tape). You can also add color to your paintings, especially if you will give them away as gifts!
- Make a dump truck. Use a wooden block to make the body of the car and then draw two large wheels. You can also use cereal boxes, cardboard, and tape to make the dump truck. Just draw what you would like your child to color in on a piece of paper and then cut it out and glue it onto cardboard or cereal boxes. Then, please have your child use crayons to color what you have drawn onto their cardboard pieces.
How to Choose the Best Wooden Blocks for Kids
When choosing the right wooden blocks, here are some things to consider:
- Check the quality of the blocks. Are they made out of wood? Are they made out of a heavy material? Is there any toxic paint on the blocks? These are all imperative questions you should ask before you buy your wooden block set for your child.
- Look at the individual pieces in your block set. Are they all uniform in size? Can your child stack a couple of blocks together and still have a small gap between the blocks? If your child is six years old or younger, then it’s okay to have some gaps in their block set. But if your child is older, then all of the wooden blocks must be the same size.
- Look at the instructions that come with each wooden block set before you buy. Some blocks come with an activity sheet that you can get creative with and have your child build 3D shapes like a house or a tower with them or draw on the blocks before they color them.
- Check out the colors of the blocks in each block set. Are they vibrant and bold? The primary colors are red, blue, and yellow, so look for these colors in a wooden block set for preschool children. Also, look at the secondary colors. You can look for a block set with primary or secondary colors that are soft and muted, like pink, orange, white, and yellow.
- How many blocks does it come with? You want to make sure you get enough wooden blocks for your child to build towers and create three-dimensional shapes with them. You don’t want to buy a vast block set that your child only plays with occasionally because they’ll be bored with the same old blocks after a few weeks.
We all know how important it is for children to get a good education in their formative years. Education begins at home, where they are exposed to many things that encourage them to develop various skills. Many parents today recognize the importance of encouraging their kids early on and choosing wooden toys for them since these toys promote a natural sense of curiosity.
Children learn best when they’re having fun, making these toys a great choice for encouraging learning through play.
Should you have comments and suggestions about how we can better utilize wooden blocks for kids as a tool for child development, please feel free to send us a message. We will be glad to discuss things with you!
