Build towers
A classic, extendable play for all ages using blocks, Duplo/Lego, magnetic tiles, boxes, whatever "bricks" you have on hand
So no one told me being a parent entailed a part-time gig in construction. That I'd suddenly spend a lot of my day building towers, knocking them down, and pretending I'm totally cool when the bub gleefully demolishes it 1 block before I'm actually done... but here we are!
There's a reason towers are just the go-to for block and construction play: foundational STEM lessons, fine motor skills, those all-important social & emotional skills. With each build, we practice patience, concentration...
Materials
Prep
Lay your building materials in a pile. Keep it simpler the littler they are, just a few blocks to knock over and hold are enough to keep babies and toddlers engaged (and will avoid overwhelming them too).
Play
Step 1:
Like most plays, engagement will come if you start playing yourself. If this is their first time, model stacking just one block on top of another first, and then invite them to give it a go.
Step 2:
Model knocking a tower down and let them have a go.
Extend
Number towers: Pop some numbers down and ask your little to stack that many blocks beside each number.
Tower : Grab some balls and add an even more fun way to knock your towers over
Dice roll towers: Roll a die and stack towers that number high.
Measure things: Stack towers next to objects or people to measure how high they are.
Tower race: See who can build the tallest / most creative tower within a set amount of time.
Build towers for a city skyline: Draw a big backdrop and get them to build their own city skyline
: Starting with one block on the floor, hammer to the beat of the first verse "Johnny works with 1 hammer", then for each additional verse (Johnny works with 2/3/4... hammers) add a block to hammer on top.
