At what age a child should be able to build blocks? 

Your child, especially a toddler, loves to play with toys and has a desire for blocks. Blocks have been used around the world for centuries and are perhaps the most basic kinds of toys. These toys are entertaining for kids as they learn some basic concepts of physics as well as mannerisms. Blocks can be boring for you or sometimes irritating, but these will be a source of fun and recreational activity for your kid. So they must be in your kid's toy box. 

Benefits of Block-stacking

Blocks are deceivingly simple as the simplest of the blocks have the concepts of imagination, creation, and destruction for toddlers. Where most adults see just a square shape of a block, a kid sees a world of possibilities. He enjoys stacking a tower of blocks as high as possible and knocking the block tower down. Blocks are exploratory toys that give more complex concepts that your child learns later in life. A few benefits the kid gets from playing with blocks include:

• Hand-eye coordination
• Pincer grasp
• Cause and Effect
• Problem-solving and Observation
• Fine motor skills
• Cognitive development
• Color and Patterns 

At what age a child should be able to build blocks? 

There is a natural tendency in children, especially toddlers, to play with toys. Playing with blocks is one of the most favorite plays for growing children. 

The children love to build blocks towers and knock them down. This activity may irritate you or your other kids, but building block towers and knocking them down helps your child learn a lot. 

Babies start playing with blocks by knocking down or throwing them away. Whenever they see a block tower, there is a natural urge in them to knock them down. With the growing age, the kids are interested in building or stacking blocks. It is due to the skills they learn with growing age. When the question arises, at what age a child should start stacking blocks, multiple factors play a role in the answer.    

What is the first thing a baby knows how to do when they see blocks for the first time? 

 

 

“To destroy is still the strongest instinct in nature” 

Max Beerbohm

  

When a baby sees blocks for the first time either in shuttled form or in a stacked tower, there is a natural desire in him/her to  knock them down or throw them away. This is a good way for the kid to learn different skills that intensify with the growing age. The level of these skills increases with advancing age, the baby starts building block towers and other structures rather than just knocking them down. 

   

At what age should my baby be able to stack his/her first blocks? 

Your child learns to stack his first blocks after the age of  15 months. Before this age, the kid only enjoys knocking down stacked blocks and towers or throwing blocks away. But 15 months of age is the best stage for your child to stack his first blocks. The stacking skills have not yet developed. So, your baby may fail many times before finally being able to stack his first-ever blocks.

At what age should a child be able to stack 2 blocks? 

Your growing child learns to stack 2 blocks between the ages of  15-17 months. This is done by placing one block on the floor and by stacking the other one on top of it. Your child starts learning more skills at this age. 

At what age should a child be able to stack 4 blocks? 

A kid becomes able to stack 4 blocks in a tower form between  18 to 22 months. At this age, the toddler is learning skills and enjoying the fun he gets from stacking blocks and knocking them down.  

At what age should a child be able to stack 6 blocks? 

The number of blocks a child learns to stack increases with growing age. It is due to the increased level of skills and other capabilities. A child learns to stack 6 blocks after  23 months of age. At this age stacking blocks to build a block tower becomes a challenge for the toddler, and they consider it a victory to knock them down. It is a ripe age for the child to learn about various physical concepts that include:

• Cause and Effect
• Gravity 
• Fine motor skills
• Working together
• Object permanence 
• Colors and Patterns 

At what age should a toddler be able to build a block tower? 

A toddler can build a block tower after crossing the age of  2 and a half years. After 30 months of age, the skills of your child have grown up to a level that he/she can stack blocks to make a block tower. But this needs your coordination. You can teach your kid to build a block tower, and he/she enjoys it more rather than just knocking down an already built-up tower.   

 

Lining up blocks in a row

At the age of around 23-26 months, your kid may start imitating you if you line up a few blocks end to end in a row and will initiate practicing alignment. During this lining-up practice, the child will learn precision and patience. 

 

At what age should a child be able to build a block castle? 

Once your child turns  three, his block play habits become more creative and imaginative. He starts building bridges, tunnels, roads, and other creative structures. At the same age, he also learns to build block castles by assembling and stacking blocks in different ways and directions. He also enjoys building roads, pathways, and patterns using different-shaped blocks. Your kid may also start telling imaginative stories about what they build from blocks and the scenes from his/her life.

 

Creative Block Structures

The creative and imaginative skills of your child enhance as he turns three. He may start building:

• Bridges
• Castles
• Tunnels 
• Archways 
• Roads
• Pathways 
• Patterns

At the same age, the child may learn to express his feelings and scenes by telling stories about his blocking structures. 

 

Age-wise Capabilities of Babies to Stack Blocks 

• 6 months

It is the age at which your baby is too young to play with blocks. If you try to teach block-stacking to your child at this age, it would be premature or cause accidents. 06 months is a perfect age for your kid to hold a piece of a block rather than stacking blocks. 

• 12 months

At this age, your baby starts banging items against each other but he would still not stack blocks if you offer him a bundle of blocks at this stage. At this age, knocking down things becomes a favorite activity for your baby, and he feels happy to knock down block towers you have built. If your child knocks down a block tower at least one time, it is a sign that everything is going well. 

• 18 months

At this stage of his life, your child officially becomes a toddler and his learning skills have now increased. You should introduce blocks to your kid if he has not started playing with them. At this age, your kid learns to stack two or three blocks on top of each other and enjoys this activity. 

• 2 years

When your baby turns 2 years, the height of the building of blocks starts getting increased. The stacking skills your baby improves at this age. With your coordination, your baby can stack up to 7 blocks on top of each other. At this age, the children also start learning to sort out things. They start sorting out blocks by color and shapes. 

• 3 years

At this age, the abilities of your child have been increased to play with blocks in different ways. Block-playing is not just limited to knocking down or throwing them away. Your kid starts imagining different structures of blocks and tries to develop these structures with blocks. It is a perfect age for your child to learn teamwork. You can help your child build block towers and construct block castles.

 

Evidence from a Case Study A study was conducted by  PediNeuroLogic Exam as a neurological examination for pediatrics. During this neurodevelopmental approach, it was revealed that the behavior of a child varies with advancing age. According to this study, a  15-month-old kid can stack 2 blocks while an  18-month-old should stack at least 4 blocks. A toddler can stack 5 blocks. The number of blocks a child can stack increases with an increase in age.  To view this case study go to: https://neurologicexam.med.utah.edu/pediatric/html/18month.html

 

Different Block-plays for different ages: 

The type of game or play a child loves to play also varies with age. Some details of block play for different ages are listed below: 

• Tote and Carry:

This block play involves making block piles and moving blocks around that help kids learn about weight and balance. This game is usually played at  2 years of age. With this type of block play, kids learn the concept of Gravity. 

• Stack and Row: 

This play involves stacking blocks and making rows. The child can stack two blocks at the age of  15-17 months, 8 blocks at age  24-29 months, and 10 blocks at  30 to 36 months of age. It involves making patterns, basic math, different shapes, and some physical concepts.  

• Bridging:

Bridging is another block play that involves constructing bridges using blocks. It is done by placing two blocks on the ground and forming a bridge overtop using other blocks. It usually occurs at 3 years of age. It teaches your child about symmetry and organization. 

When will my child grow out of playing with building blocks? 

 

 

 “Sometimes you have to destroy something to build something better”

Brandon Sanderson

 

After utilizing almost 3 years of life in playing with blocks, children may start losing interest in some block-play activities. As they have grown up to a certain age, they start develop an interest in other different types of play, games and even sports. These games and sports furnish their skills and help them to grow to be even better in their life. It is a sign that the children are starting to show other, more specific/niched interests and they are starting to build their individuality. 

  

Are there toy blocks for every age? 

Blocks are not limited to being a source of pleasure for the kids and toddlers, there is also a useful approach of blocks for every age. These blocks are also used by preschool and early elementary teachers to deliver lessons in science, math, language arts, and social studies subjects. Children can still benefit from playing with blocks even when they have grown older. 

Blocks also offer opportunities for learning skills that include: 

• Collaboration  
• Critical thinking
• Problem-solving
• Communication

The evolution of Block-playing

Playing with blocks should not be stopped even after your child reaches age 3. It is the ripe time when concepts and understanding begin. The blocks can help your child in math, science, and speech. As their name implies, these cubes are the building blocks of math, science, and speech. The evolution of block play can be understood by the following concepts.  

• Gives your child more options:

With growing age, your kid can stack blocks in different shapes and structures. It brings the adventure to a new level. He may imagine new stories and scenes while stacking blocks in different shapes and structures. 

• Increased Speed in Stacking: 

Speed of stacking blocks increases as your child's movements become more controlled. Your kid will be able to stack more blocks in a short time. You can encourage your toddler to do it faster.

• A jump to Big Building Blocks:

When your kid has grown up to the level of stacking multiple  blocks in different shapes and structures, you can make them jump to  big building blocks. A child who tries to build with these will exponentially increase their level of spatial awareness, cognitive development and STEM skills. This is because to build with big building blocks requires movements not only in forearms and fingertips, but in the entirety of your child’s body. Luckily for you  GIGI Bloks has the best big building blocks in the market, with a smart, inter-locking system, they are not only extremely fun and highly educational, but they are also ultra-safe thanks to their 100% cardboard composition.

Conclusion 

Babies learn to stack blocks in a tower with advancing age, and it can be a fun activity for kids. With the growing age, the number of blocks a kid can stack increases due to increased skills. They learn to stack 2, 4, 6, and more blocks with the growing age. An increase in age increases the ability to play differently with blocks rather than just knocking them down or throwing them away. The physical concepts have now become clearer for the child, and he ends up playing with blocks by making block castles and complicated structures. These blocks are also used by young children during their learning era to learn more complicated concepts.

 

And remember:

Dream big,

Build big!