Block Party Events:
The Block Party events are for families and their children 8 months to 8 years of age. The events provide an opportunity for parents to interact and play with their children while learning how they can help them develop a variety of skills through block play. Five stations are set up, each with a different set of blocks that aids the children in learning a specific skill. Parents are provided with parenting tips and information on how they can help their child or children develop each skill to the best of their ability. At the end of the event each family goes home with a set blocks to continue the child’s development at home.
Benefits of Block Play:
Research has shown that through block play children can learn a variety of skills such as math, science, social, physical, new words, pre-reading, creative and problem solving skills.
Research has also shown that:
- Early block play provides aptitude and achievement differences by 7th grade and into high school.
- Dramatic (pretend) play predicts greater vocabulary growth in young children.
- Through play children learn to share, take turns, and negotiate.
- Block play teaches impulse control. This control predicts better school performance and less problem behaviors later.
- Young children who hear more words learn more words. Early vocabulary growth predicts later reading achievement in school.