Building Toys

Are blocks the best wooden baby toys? One of the most iconic toys for a young toddler who is just learning how to walk are these building toys.

We’ve all seen babies stacking these toys, knocking them down, and spending hours entertained by these silly little blocks.

If you have a baby, you may be wondering why you should check these out for your child. There are a few reasons why these are quite good, and we will discuss them in this post.

This toy set is timeless has been around for generations and has recently seen a surge in popularity again.

Thanks to toy business manufacturers like Melissa & Doug.

Let’s take a look at why.

 

Why ABC’s game?

• There are many types of blocks out there. Some are made of plastic, for example. However, wooden blocks are still our personal favorite for a few reasons. First, wooden blocks are just more durable. They are long-lasting compared to other blocks. That means, you can keep your wood blocks set to use through all of your children. 
• Also, they tend to be made from non-toxic paints that don’t chip off, or they aren’t painted, to begin with. Solid wood blocks like those made by Melissa & Doug are amongst the safest toys and games on the market. These are even great as baby toys. Melissa & Doug makes a whole line of wooden toys that are safe and non-toxic because of their sustainability and environmental friendliness. 
• Wooden blocks just look great, too, and there is a reason why wooden toys have been making a comeback. Many of them are hand-painted, adding to the appeal of the ABC blocks. With that out of the way, let’s look at some other benefits.

Good For Learning The ABCs

If you want your child to get a head start on learning how to read or identify letters, these do help. Your child can see the giant letters painted on them and feel them if they are sculpted on. You can tell them what each letter means, and chances are, your baby will repeat it once you’ve said it a few times. Learning their letters early can help improve your baby’s literacy skills by quite a bit.

Early learning can be a key factor in your child’s growing up to do well in school. Wood blocks allow your child to be exposed to reading letters daily. You can check out the Melissa & Doug ABC/123 Blocks 50-piece set that has 1-inch sizes with letters and numbers for learning. Melissa & Doug have been doing wood toys for quite some time, so you’re bound to be impressed. 

Try out the Melissa & Doug set today, or any other preferred set, and see what we’re talking about. 

Hand-Eye Coordination 

Ah, hand-eye coordination. When your kid is a toddler, learning hand-eye coordination is important. This sets the stage for the rest of their lives. Toys and games that teach this valuable skill are about so much more than just playing. Eventually, your child will use them to build up a tall tower. Stacking certainly takes hand-eye coordination. 

When they are stacking blocks, they must be mindful of where they are placing them. If they stack it in the wrong place, the block tower will fall. Making sure they keep the tower high is a goal of any toddler, and learning hand-eye coordination can help them with that. So, while this is a learning toy that teaches letters and numbers, it also teaches physical skills that humans need throughout their lives. 

Good For Toppling Down 

• Most babies will want to stack up a tower of blocks, but it’s also fun to knock them down. This can help the toddler relieve some stress if they are feeling it, and, it’s always fun watching the tower of blocks fall. Just make sure that your baby knows how to pick them up when they are done. Most likely, they’ll want to start stacking blocks again so they can keep knocking down their block tower over and over. block tower over and over.

Eventually, you can challenge your little one. You can ask them to stack their Melissa & Doug Alphabet ABC/123 Blocks in proper order either based on the letters or the numbers on them. It’s a fun and easy way for them to start counting. You can also start talking to them about the sounds the letters make and match the words up with the pictures on the side. You can even have your son or daughter start spelling their name with their Melissa & Doug toys.

Teaches About Shapes

• When your baby is stacking the blocks, they’ll start to notice the shape of the block and how it contrasts with the shape of the letters on there. This is a cool way to teach them about the many shapes. For added fun, try stacking the blocks to form a shape like a triangle or a rectangle, and show the baby what those shapes are. This can be a fun lesson for everyone involved. 

If you go with the solid wood Melissa & Doug ABC/123, you’ll get classic ones that also have pictures of different shapes along with the hand-painted letters and numbers on some sides of them. You can’t go wrong with this toy for any small child. 

Teaches About Spatial Awareness

When your baby is a toddler, their sense of spatial awareness may not be their strong suit. Building blocks can show them the space between them and the blocks, and how they in the same space can stack up. This is a cool little way to develop their awareness that you may have not thought of before, but it’s worth checking out.

They’ll learn that stacking means you have to make them touch each other. The Melissa & Doug ABC/123 set is perfect for developing your child’s spatial sense. They can also use these toys for matching, and when your child outgrows it, it can be used as decor. 

Great For Engineering

When you think of blocks, you rarely think of engineering. You may imagine engineering as more of putting together machines. But in a way, they are an early form of engineering. Your kid must place them precisely together or else they will fall. They will figure out the heaviness of the block and see what happens when you stack too many in a row. Your baby may become creative and learn some cool ways they can stack and stack and stack until they have made some impressive shapes.

Playing with blocks for building lays the very early foundation for physics and analytical thinking. The design of this toy lets children see the opposite side of the letters, which makes them have an easy time learning it.

Fine Motor Skills

As your baby is growing, their sense of fine motor skills starts to improve. Fine motor skills include using their fingers, and blocks require some tricky fingerwork. For example, it can involve your baby placing their fingers around the edges while trying to prevent their fingers from slipping. This sounds easy as an adult, but when you’re a toddler, it can be a big challenge in and of itself. Make sure that your baby has a head start on their fine motor skills by buying them a set of building blocks that make the whole process easier. You’ll watch them develop those fine motor skills right in front of your eyes when they’re stacking into a tower.

Logical Thinking

You may not associate building this toy with critical thinking skills but think about it from the perspective of the toddler. Your toddler is stacking those and thinks they will stack up to space without toppling. Then, it topples. Why? Your baby starts to notice that when they put those a little too close to the edge when stacking, it can increase the chances of the tower toppling. Therefore, it’s wise that your baby starts to stack them in a way where all of them are fitted to the center if possible. This helps improve the logical thinking of your child in ways you didn’t think were possible. This is yet another reason why this toy is a fun learning toy.

Being able to think logically means your child will have some good problem-solving skills. In the example above, the child encounters a problem, the toy keeps falling down. He or she then has to figure out how to keep this from happening. They decide to try stacking the ABC/123 blocks in different ways to see if they can fix the problem. These learning toys are helping them develop problem-solving skills.

Interest In Other Building Toys 

Okay, so building toys are going to lose their novelty fast. When your baby becomes too old, this toy can become boring. However, this is where you can encourage them to look into more advanced toys if your baby has an interest. For example, they may look for blocks that can be snapped together. These include Lego sets. Or, you can look into other solid wood toys and games made by companies like Melissa & Doug. For instance, the Melissa & Doug Construction Building Set in a Box would be a perfect upgrade from the ABC/123 Blocks. Any toys shop will have plenty of options for building toys that you can get kids who are too old for them.

This may cause your child to go down a path where they are building more complex things until they are a little engineer, then an adult engineer. Of course, they may just want to build for fun too, and that’s okay. A solid wood block set can be loved for many reasons.

So if you have a baby who just learned to sit up, crawl, or walk, a set of building blocks is right up your alley. And, you’ll get all sorts of benefits out of sets like the Melissa & Doug ABC/123 Blocks.

Frequently Asked Questions

Questions for Additional Information and Insight

Are The Wooden Alphabet Blocks Toy Safe For Babies?

• Yes, they are. Alphabet blocks made of wood have no BPA, PVC, or phthalates in them, making them safe for children of all ages.

What Size Are These Blocks Normally?

• These are classic educational toys that measure 1-inch square each. It is a perfect size that features two different letters and four blank sides. You can get the Melissa & Doug solid wood block set and have ABC blocks, as well as numbers. Each block will also feature a fun picture.

Are These Wooden Blocks Better Than Plastic?

• At some point, yes, they are. Wooden alphabet toys are environmentally friendlier than plastic. It has a biodegradable nature that lessens any parents’ worries. A wooden block will also last longer than a plastic one, typically. With this material, they don’t break nearly as easily.

What Age Do Toddlers Start Building With These Alphabet Blocks?

• A 15-month-old kid can use alphabet blocks. This is a great time for them to start learning their letters and numbers, which the Melissa & Doug Wooden ABC/123 block set can help them do.

What Age Are These Good For?

• These wooden alphabet blocks are suitable for children 18 months up to 3 years. Alphabet blocks for building are the perfect educational tool, which you can find in the toys and games section of popular retailers. These are also amazing baby shower gift ideas since these items are sold at an affordable price.

What Does A Child Learn From Building Toys?

• These wooden alphabet blocks are essential in children’s development because they help improve vocabulary, math skills, balance, as well as geometry. A solid wood block set will also help with problem-solving skills, spatial awareness, fine motor skills, and more.

What Is The Purpose Of Blocks In Kids’ Learning?

• These blocks are all about shape, size, and weight. It also caters to the child’s ability to leverage and balance. The Melissa & Doug Wooden ABC/123 Blocks teach colors, numbers, fine motor skills, letter recognition, and word association, too.

How Many Pieces Should A Two-Year-Old Stack?

• Your baby can stack up to two or three blocks. That is on top of each other. If your baby is taller, he might be able to stack four to seven blocks. Solid wood blocks won’t break, so even if your child builds a tall tower to knock down, the blocks should be just fine.

What Are The Benefits Of This Toy?

• Children who are playing with alphabet blocks develop spatial awareness and hand-eye coordination. They’re also amongst the toys and games that promote problem-solving, fine motor skills, and logical thinking. The Math blocks for kids enable them to learn Math easily in a fun and creative way. 

Why Are These Specifically Vital For Children’s Development?

• Aside from helping children get enhanced motor skills, alphabet blocks made of wood also allow kids to have a sense of awareness. Playing with blocks promotes an increased attention span, self-esteem, as well as social cooperation with others.

What Is The Technique For Making Building Toys?

What Is The Importance Of ABCs In Teaching?

What Is The True Benefit Of Log Toys For Kids?

Who Invented ABC?

Does Using Building Toys Help Learners Develop Creativity?

Yes, they do. That’s why you should purchase these learning toys, for example from the brand Uncle Goose. Uncle Goose offers alphabet blocks that help your kids learn the ABCs. They have great quality which wouldn’t make it a danger to your kids. It is also a very sturdy and reliable material, as it lasts for a long time.

Last Updated on May 13, 2023 by Lisette Lao

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