Why Building And Construction Toys Are So Beneficial For Kids

Building and construction play sets or kits have always been regarded both by parents and by child development experts alike to be one of the most beneficial types of toys especially when talking about development and growth among children.

Image credit:  Pixabay

In case you’re wondering, here are the common benefits of building toys for kids.

Enhances visual motor coordination and spatial intelligence.

Playing with building blocks require children to have a fair understanding of the position of a block or brick relative to the other parts in a particular space. This helps develop and refine their spatial intelligence. 

This is important in enhancing their ability to coordinate their motor movements with the sensory inputs from their eyes. This simply means that when children look at a brick, they will have an idea of its shape and how it should be placed in the board in relation to other building pieces.

Refines the development of fine motor skills.

There are building blocks that are smaller than usual and this requires an excellent control of fine motor movement. This is especially true when snapping these blocks into their respective slots so kids need to have precision movement of their fingers. 

Develops math skills.

From the number of blocks needed to complete a particular model to the different geometric shapes that will be formed, kids can learn a lot about the basics of mathematics every time they play with building toys. They also get to appreciate the concepts of area, equivalents, sizes, and even sorting which are all very important ideas in mathematical processes.

Stimulates creative thinking.

Most building play sets have a guide on how to build a particular model. However, this doesn’t mean that the playset cannot be modified to produce an entirely different model. Kids learn soon enough that by manipulating certain blocks, they can essentially create something totally different. And this lays the groundwork for the enhancement of children’s creative and imaginative potentials.

Fosters divergent problem solving.

Closely related to creative thinking is the development of divergent problem thinking. Here, kids begin asking questions as to what other models or structures can be built using the same building and construction blocks that are available to them. 

They begin to ask questions that start with “what if” and are often rewarded with fantastic creations. For instance, the model may actually be designed as a house, but using the power of what-if thinking, kids might as well turn it into a ship or something else. 

Problem solving is a very important skill that children must be able to learn and master as it lays the foundation for successful problem solving in adulthood.

Introduces and reinforces science and engineering concepts.

There are many scientific principles that can be learned by kids just by playing with construction toys alone. They can learn to experiment, the effects of gravity, how to achieve balance, and the establishment of cause and effect relationships. 

All of these will result in the formation and development of a more scientific approach to problem solving. In such cases, engineering concepts will be a lot easier to teach. 

Sooner than you can expect, your child might as well be on his or her way to building some of the best innovations known to man. 

Allows for dramatic play.

These construction models are not completed for display purposes only. Kids use them to narrate or tell a story. In many instances, they will be telling you about how such models will change the way we live. These become important tools for them to play out the scenarios they have formed in their heads.

Building toys are important tools for children to grow and develop optimally. Getting them one or two of these types of toys can do a lot for their future.