Of all the toys your child plays with, blocks might be the most important. In the early 1900s Caroline Pratt, an innovative and pioneering New York City teacher, recognized the value of a simple set of wooden blocks to expose children to mathematical principles through play. The set she developed, Standard Unit Blocks, vary proportionally in size. However, blocks are important even before your child is old enough to start experimenting with size or proportions.

Children can use a well-made set of blocks for years, getting more out of the activity at each stage, making them a great investment in your child's development. For an infant, learning to grasp, lift and hold a block is a triumph. As toddlers they begin to develop muscles and imagination as they start lining blocks up and building small structures. For children ages 3 and up, blocks become a passage to their quickly developing fantasy world and they can realize larger, more sophisticated structures and develop a finer sense of balance. Block play in schools helps children develop important social skills, like sharing and respecting someone else's creative decision. Blocks also encourage language development and shape recognition as children master a vocabulary for selecting the size and shape block they want. The open-ended possibilities of block play helps children make individual, confident choices that develop their own creative confidence.

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