Balancing Blocks
Block building isn’t just about construction; When children build with blocks, they are developing motor skills, hand-eye coordination, social skills, imagination, and creativity! They are simultaneously exploring concepts like early math, geometry, problem solving, and cause and effect.
Materials
- Unfinished Wood Balancing Blocks
- Tempera Pain (it works better with porous material than acrylic)
- Painting Tape (if you want to make straight lines)
- Tray
- Parchment Paper
How To
- Place a strip of tape on your block to paint half of the block with a straight line—I recommend two layers of paint. Wait for the first to fully dry before applying a second layer.
- Lay the blocks on parchment paper to dry overnight.
- Include your child in the tape peeling! Peeling tape (like stickers) is fun way to strengthen the muscles in their little fingers that they will need for writing skills later on.
Skills
Hand-eye Coordination
Cause and effect
Early Math Skills (Number Sense)
Fine motor
Tips with Miss Charlotte
Your child can absolutely be a part of this project! If you wish to make straight lines and your child is helping you paint, I suggest covering the entire half of the block with painters tape. If you are painting solo, you only need one strip of tape across. I chose to do the colors of the rainbow and alternate large and small blocks to allow for some fun color mixing and matching to happen later on!
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