Blocks are a childhood staple, but did you know that learning to build a tower of blocks is also somewhat of a developmental milestone? Toddlers must use cognition and fine motor skills to stack one block on top of another…the more blocks he stacks, the steadier his hand must be. Your doctor may even ask at the 18 month checkup how many blocks your child can build a tower with.
Here’s just a guideline (according to What to Expect the Toddler Years):
- 17 months: Build a tower with 2 blocks
- 20 months: Build a tower with 4 blocks
- 24 months: Build a tower with 8 blocks
So break out the blocks and get building! They’ll need to be small enough for your child to manipulate with one hand, but of course large enough not to choke if he puts one in his mouth.
If your little architects are anything like mine, the fun isn’t so much in the building…it’s in the knocking down!