Brain-Boosting Effects of Stacking Toys

Stacking blocks on top of each other seems like a fairly unsophisticated game. But in fact, a stacking toy offers a surprisingly multifaceted list of benefits for your child. The reason is a stacking toy activates your child’s right brain and left brain simultaneously, training both your child’s creative, visual perception as well as your child’s analytical, problem-solving skills. Curious to know more? Read the full article.

Highlights:

Little children love repetition, and a stacking toy is a great chance to repeat a fun game.
For children, it’s as much fun to see their stack of blocks collide as it is to rebuild the tower.
A stacking toy develops your child’s:

Fine motor skills & hand-eye coordination
Visual perception & shape recognition
Understanding of cause-and-effect & problem-solving skills
Ability to concentrate & enjoy a mindful break

Stack, Knock Down, Repeat

Stacking toys can look different – some are tall, some are low, and some ask the child to put rings onto each other – but they all function in much the same way. Family advisor, Lola Jensen, explains why the stacking toy is so fascinating in the eyes of little children:

“It’s all about the joy of repetition. Little children love to try their strength against familiar objects and to them, it’s as much fun to see their stack of blocks collide as it is to rebuild the tower. That’s also why babies and toddlers like to repeatedly drop things to the ground – to see what happens and carefully investigate the concept of gravity.”

4 Key Benefits of Stacking Toys

Stacking blocks onto each other develops your little builder’s physical and cognitive abilities in several ways. Lola Jensen lists the key benefits little children gain from playing with stacking toys:

1. Fine Motor Skills & Hand-Eye Coordination

“Your child learns to pick up objects, using the smaller muscles in hands and wrists, and they learn to coordinate their hands’ movements with their visual input. This develops both their fine motor functions as well as their hand-eye coordination.”

2. Visual Perception & Shape Recognition

“See if you can find a stacking toy where each individual block has its own colour, shape, or size. This way, your little one learns to tell small from big, light blue from dark blue, and you stimulate your child’s eye for the little details.”

3. Understanding of Cause-and-Effect & Problem-Solving Skills

“Children learn through trial and error, and a stacking toy is brilliant for trying out different strategies. Some strategies will succeed, others will not, but they all pave the way for your child’s understanding of actions and their consequences.”

4. Ability to Concentrate & Enjoy a Mindful Break

“It takes a great deal of concentration to complete a stacking tower and it improves your child’s ability to stay focused on the task at hand. Another positive side effect is the quiet, mindful break your child’s brain enjoys from being immersed in a sorting and stacking game.”