I've got about 2 weeks between my last day of school and the boys last day of school to really clena the house. And by clean, I mean get rid of as much stuff as possible.
Yesterday I walked into the living room to find our box of blocks skattered all over floor. Of course I made the boys pick them up, but it made me think, when was the last time I saw them play with the blocks and not just dump them out all over the place.
My boys are 4 and 7. Do you think they've out grown the blocks? Or is this just a phase? What is the age range for playing with blocks?
By the way, with have both foam blocks and wood blocks, if that makes any difference.
The 5 year old girl that I nanny just built herself a huge tower with her blocks yesterday.
My 2.5 year old son is JUST starting to get into blocks.
Still. If the kids don't play with them, get rid of them! :)
My son was done with blocks once he discovered Legos, around 4 or 5.
My girls played with them, but not as much, and not really beyond the age of 3.
I say donate, I am a firm believer that toys should be PLAYED WITH!
Every kid is different, but usually you can tell which ones they are done with by how often they play with them. My boys aren't really into blocks past the age of 3, unless it is to build "Angry Bird" setups and launch their Angry Bird stuffed animals at them ;-)
Mine only played with the simple wooden blocks as infants and toddlers. By the time they were two they started playing with the Lego Duplo and Megablocks instead, and by five or six they switched to the regular Lego. I'm sure they would have continued to play with the wooden blocks had they not been replaced with the Lego blocks, and I think they had wooden blocks at school, even in the grade one classroom. I just wasn't about to keep that many different types of blocks around the house.
My kids, 3 and 5, have access to a variety of blocks, plastic, big cardboard ones, etc. they play with them all the time.
the trick is not so much to get rid of but to store them properly. get a big basket or box that they go in. when they want them they have to get them out and when done put them away. you will then be able to tell exactly how much they really play with them vs shove them out of the way to get to other stuff.
my sons all played with them until well into middle school as they morphed them from being for building towers to being used for math stuff etc. my grand children now play with the same wooden blocks my older kids used.
How did they get on the floor if they weren't playing with them. Using creativity and imagination means that a block isn't just a block, it's a car, a soldier, building, boat, a piece of a game the kids are playing.
So if the blocks don't have magic powers...lol...then they are playing with them and using much needed skills while doing so.
My 6 year old still enjoys playing with them. He's recently started adding the little green army men to his buildings. I figure we'll get another year or two out of them.
Blocks are great at any age. They inspire creativity and boost hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills. I would keep them.
My 7 yr. old just recently rediscovered blocks and plays with them all the time. He says that he wants to become an architect and spends a lot of time inventing buildings and houses with them. I love that blocks inspire creative play.
I would not get rid of them. Blocks come in handy for many things in their world!
I don't think it's a matter of age, they haven't played with them, get rid of them. If you are hesitant, pack them up and store them for a few months, if they don't ask about them, get rid of them. I get rid of tons of stuff that is still age appropriate for my daughter, but she doesn't play with it anymore. She has yet to notice one of her toys missing. If she hasn't played with it if 2 months, it goes either to a donation or storage for when my boys are old enough to play with it.
Blocks are s great creative toy that can be used for a long time. I would keep them. I would also tell them that they have to pick them up at a certain point (end of the day, end of playtime). Or you can put them away for a little while.
I have known boys to still play with blocks into their early teens, and maybe beyond. I have known some to stop after the age of 8 or 9. I suppose it depends on the kids.
The ones who play with them longer, use them in very VERY creative ways. I knew younger boys, maybe about 6 or so, who would set them up into obstacle courses for their cars or other action figures they had. I have seen some pretty cool castles built by some older boys, about age 11 or 12. I knew one boy who would build something like model sets and use the blocks to build the landscape. I think he was 14 or 15.
NO!! You may have to challenge them to do MORE with the blocks but if you take the time to show them neat ways to use them they will do so. I have a daycare so I have blocks of all sorts and the 4 yr olds play with them the most. My kids (10 and 13) will build amazing things out of them still. And when cousins (6 - 15 ) come over they build even BIGGER and better things.
Show them how to make a marble run, how to build castles, give them pictures of famous buildings and see if they can recreate them. Use the blocks for bowling pins. Look on Pinterest for "blocks" and you will see lots of neat ways to use those blocks. And lots of reasons why blocks are great for future engineers, archetects and so many other careers!
