Deanna Macioce, MS, OTR/L
We
find more and more that we are moving away from traditional play with
our children. The fun and exciting things that have entered our world of
play in the form of technology is amazing, however by partaking less in
the toys that require imagination, manipulation, and self-generated
play our children are growing up with weakened developmental skills.
Typically these days, if it doesn’t light up, talk back to you, play
music or require the downloading of an ‘app’, it is not the ‘coolest’
toy or activity. But if we took some time to encourage play with blocks,
stacking and building toys, we would not only be improving a child’s
fine motor skills, visual motor/perceptual skills, imagination, and
attention, we would be giving them a new opportunity to fun. In
addition, research suggests that children who engage more in block play
tend to perform better in the areas of math and science. Parenting
Science (http://www.parentingscience.com/toy-blocks.html)
Blocks
come in a variety of shapes and sizes, and it is not only to give
companies a reason to market more products. From a therapeutic
prospective, the differences enhance various developmental skills while
adding some fun. There are cardboard blocks, wooden blocks, Lincoln Logs®, LEGOS®, Duplo blocks®, and many others. As well as, the creative shapes and designs found in building toys, such as those offered by Southpaw; the Better Builder Series, and Totter Tower.
And we cannot forget the simplicity of those common household items
such as boxes, soup cans, and plastic cups. There are so many ways to
incorporate stacking and building into your child’s play, no matter what
age or skill level.
Blocks
and other building toys play a huge role in fine motor development,
especially looking at grasps and hand arch development. Starting with
the large cardboard blocks, moving down to the 1-inch wooden blocks and
then those similar in size to LEGO® blocks,
children progress from a gross grasp to a refined pincer or 3-tip grasp.
A well-developed grasp is beneficial in all daily tasks, including
eating, performing handwriting activities and manipulating fasteners,
such as zippers and buttons.
Breaking
apart the task of stacking in more detail, we find that these
activities also help with developing improved shoulder, elbow and wrist
stability. When children have stronger stability at the shoulder, we
find that they are able to perform fine motor tasks such as handwriting,
scissor activities, and tool use with increased refinement and
endurance.
Visual
motor skills are enhanced with building activities. Whether copying a
design, stacking or creating a self-generated design, building pulls in
3-dimensional work addressing depth perception. As children continue to
develop these skills, moving from plain blocks onto more complex
building with LEGOS® or K’nex® systems where they have to follow a book of directions are beneficial.
