Children who have a love of learning are more likely to be successful at school. Play is an ideal way to create that feeling of joy when they learn.
We built our Yay4Play kits with the bricks as the main feature. Why?
Children are naturally drawn to the bricks. The colours are immediately appealing for starters. They feel good in the hand and because there are so many combinations, no one ever tires of them. They are also suited for all age groups – I am sure as adults you still remember the happiness you felt when you were playing with the bricks.
Once children have grabbed a handful of bricks, they are on the way to mastering a whole basket of skills. Here are just some of the benefits of playing with bricks:
- When children use of their hands to click and unclick the bricks, they are able to test out ideas. If they don’t work out, it’s easy to try again. No one feels a sense of failure. You are simply able to try another way of doing it – and build confidence at the same time.
- Children can build in creative and imaginative ways. They learn to create stories. The bricks are ideal for free play where children can truly find endless ways of combining the bricks into different formations. The models can also become more complex as children develop their skills in combining the bricks.
- They master fine motor skills and develop strength in their hands and fingers. The bricks are just the perfect way to build the skills they need to be able to write and perform everyday tasks.
- Children improve their focus and concentration as they listen to instructions. In these days where there are so many distractions, children need to develop their short-term memory skills so that when they are at school, they can listen carefully and follow teachers’ directions.
- They learn to play with others and communicate in teams. The instructions for team activities help children to learn how to take turns and be patient with others. They also learn how to coach team members who might not be as fast as the others. Children also learn how to share and develop social and emotional skills at the same time.
- Playing with bricks is also a lesson in persistence. Often children give up too quickly and don’t try and try again. This type of play is a way of helping them to remain motivated and give it another go. They aren’t ever criticised and this in turn gives them self-belief and the courage to try again.
And there’s a whole lot more too!
That’s why we are passionate about the power of using bricks in play – and in particular the Six Bricks method.
We don’t know of any other set of resources that does this much for your child!