Bricks aren't just for Building!
Did you know that there are so many awesome ways to use building bricks other than for building?! We've got five fun ways to freshen up your brick play!
1. Painting with Bricks
We've tried this one out so many times and every time our kids have loved it. Whether you choose to use larger DUPLO style bricks, or smaller LEGO style bricks, the end effect is pretty cool. Simply set up some paper, paint and a selection of bricks and let your kids explore how to print with them. Kids of all ages will enjoy this novel mark making set up.
Using bricks and paint to copy LEGO pattern towers was also a fun play based learning set up.
What are the benefits?
This method of process art is great for fine motor skill development. Your kid's hands will be having to work to delicately manipulate the bricks in and out of the paint and onto the paper. It is also an opportunity for them to express some creativity with their color choice and print designs.
2. Sensory Play with Bricks
Sensory bins can sometimes seem intimidating to set up but they can be just as successful with only a few materials. All you need is a large storage bin, a sensory base material and some building bricks. For example, you can add bricks to water to make LEGO soup or LEGO tea. If you are feeling brave and want to try something a little messier why not hide some bricks in shaving foam?!
A really fun one to try for the hot summer months is making LEGO or DUPLO ice cubes by freezing the bricks in ice cube trays! Challenge your kids to experiment with the fastest way to melt the ice and release the bricks for an added STEAM element to your play.
What are the benefits?
Sensory development is a huge part of learning for kids. It is how they can explore their surroundings and learn from their senses. Some kids love messy sensory play, and others aren't keen. It can be tough for kids who don't like to get messy, so exposing them to opportunities to combine a toy they like, such as LEGO, with a sensory base, such as water, can be a great motivator.
3. Learning with Bricks
There are so many ways you can use building bricks to learn! We often share fun new ideas with you on the blog so be sure to check them out! Our favorite play based learning activities with bricks are using them for color work and numeracy activities. We also had a ton of fun using our mini whiteboard makerspaces for simple Math activities. Click the links and look at the pictures below for some fun ideas.
Color sorting:
Color mixing:
Color patterns:
Making counting stations with DUPLOs and pom poms:
Number formation with mini whiteboard makerspaces:
Understanding ten frames:
What are the benefits?
If your kids are like ours, they learn much better when they are motivated and engaged. Using a toy they love such a building bricks helps, as well as the fact that it makes the learning hands on. These types of play based learning activities are also great for developing fine motor skills.
4. Making DIY Brick Puzzles
Have you ever used building bricks to make DIY puzzles? Simply use a baseplate and dividing bold color to map out some color sections. Then provide your kids with a starting hint of one brick of each color in the sections and let them complete the rest.
Alternatively ice cube trays make great little brick sorting puzzles!
What are the benefits?
This is a great hands on way to work on kids' problem solving skills. They will use trial and error to figure out the best combination of pieces to fill the section. You can also vary the difficulty according to age, as well as challenging your kids to make their own puzzles for each other!
5. Fine Motor Brick Challenges
Building bricks make fantastic compartments for pom poms! One of our favorite fine motor skill activities is to place pom poms into the holes on the underside of DUPLOs. This is a great one for babies, or to make it more challenging for older kids you can get them using different utensils such as tongs or chop sticks instead of their hands. You can also use the larger holes on the top of DUPLOs to fill with drops of water using a pipette, or with beads using your hand.
What are the benefits?
The most obvious one is fine motor development as these activities are all about controlling the small movements that your hands make. Believe it or not, activities like these even help your child to develop their pincer grip ready for writing. Something we also notice with these activities is that they require patience and perseverance, two very valuable life skills to work on!
What's your favorite way to freshen up your brick play? We'd love to see your ideas- tag us @creativeqt on Instagram or Facebook!
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Creative QT designs quality + innovative toys that declutter homes and inspire creative play. Founded by parents of five, Adam and Dana Sue Hinkle, Creative QT’s vision is to empower parents and encourage a culture of families that Make Time Together. All products are designed to enrich families’ lives through active, creative play and play based learning. Creative QT products are laboratory tested for compliance with CPSC requirements and are free of lead, cadmium and phthalates so you can play with confidence. So, go ahead … today is the day: be your kid’s hero.
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