11 Building Blocks Activities That Teach Kids Everything From Maths To English!

If you’ve been considering whether to give your child a LEGO set, or other building blocks, let these awesome creations inspire you. From fine motor skills to an understanding of science and maths, these activity ideas prove that the benefits of building blocks are too many to count!

1. Teach ’em Colour and Shape Matching

Source: http://simpleplayideas.com/color-block-puzzles

What to Make: LEGO Block PuzzlesWho needs a store-bought puzzle when you already have a colourful one hiding among the building blocks? And one that teaches them to match colours and shapes brilliantly! Just pick different colored paper/foam and corresponding colors of building blocks. You can then set up the blocks in various shapes on the matching color, trace it out with a permanent marker, and get the kids busy!

2. Measuring Weights Just Became Fun

What to Make: Building Blocks Balance

Source: https://frugalfun4boys.com/build-a-lego-balance/

Is a kilo of tomatoes heavier than a kilo of cotton? Many kids struggle to understand weight and just how it is measured. Why not let building blocks make this an easier task? Just help the kids use connector pieces to allow the arms of the balance to move freely. The trick is to build both the baskets exactly the same and make sure the connector pieces are centred.

3.I’m The King of Fractions!

What to Make: Fraction Teacher

Source: https://www.kidspot.com.au/things-to-do/activity-articles/how-to-teach-fractions-with-lego/news-story/2425078df46af693b8c01302b9b5e435?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=post&utm_campaign=editorial

If you have been struggling to help your child understand fractions – and this can be tricky – building blocks can come to the rescue. This is really easy to do but gets the message across like nothing else. You can use an 8 dot LEGO brick to represent the whole. This is ‘1’. Now, the other bricks can show how the fractions relate to the whole. So, while 2 x 4 dot bricks will be 1/2 of the whole, 4 x 2 dot bricks will be 1/4. Smart, right?

4. Get Their Fine Motor Skills in Tune

What to Make: Chopstick Pencil Grasper

Source: https://www.funathomewithkids.com/2014/06/4-fine-motor-activites-using-lego-bricks.html

Who said chopsticks are only good with Chinese cuisine? They are super with building blocks too! All you need to do for this activity is arrange some LEGO blocks in two bowls, arm your little one with chopsticks (or you can use child-friendly tongs), and get them going on shifting the blocks between the bowls. There may be some slips and falls, but there’s guaranteed to be a lot of fun.

5. Get Them To Speak English Like a Pro

What to Make: Block Contractions

Source: http://indulgy.com/post/G5T39V2yc1

Is ‘do not’ the same thing as ‘don’t’? Just how does that little apostrophe join two words into one? Kids take some time to understand contractions in English, which is where blocks can help. Just label large blocks with the parts of contractions and others with the actual contraction. Nothing like a visual display to understand the point!

6. Mamma, I Know So Many Words!

What to Make: LEGO Hangman

Source: http://pinkandgreenmama.blogspot.in/2013/07/fun-with-legos-diy-lego-hangman.html#.Vxm4xoThntS

Hangman is one of the best word games to teach your child new words as well as spellings. Correct guesses get filled in while wrong guesses increase the likelihood of your hangman being hanged! To create this game easily at home, you can use scrapbook letter stickers, a LEGO guy and a base plate.

7. Help Them Understand The Colour Palette

What to Make: Rainbow Patterns

Source: http://mominspiredlife.com/rainbow-patterns-with-blocks/

How many colours can your child identify? Help them make this home-made rainbow and he will fall even deeper in love with colours. What’s more, playing fun rainbow games using these patterns will also let them understand how rainbows are formed and where they come from after all!

8. Introduce Them To Animals and Birds

Source: http://littlebinsforlittlehands.com/lego-duck-spring-lego-building-idea-for-kids/#_a5y_p=3540253

What to Make: Building Block DuckAs your child is growing up, the animal kingdom fascinates and mystifies him all the more. Did you know you can use blocks to create your own living creatures and then tell stories featuring them? Get these ducks to quack around in a building block pond of their own, and we bet your little one will grow up to be a flora and fauna lover!

9. Make Science Your Child’s Best Friend

Source: http://www.marshall.edu/LEGO/lessonplans/BalloonCar/BalloonCar.html

What to Make: Balloon CarTrust us, this is going to be easy when science gets him his very own, balloon-powered building block car. After the car is ready, fit in a good quality balloon in a 1 by 2 space. Inflate the balloon and bingo! The air power propels the car forward! You only need to make sure that the horizontal to vertical bracing is in place in order to keep the car stable. This is a brilliant lesson in dynamics, action-reaction and overall wonders of science.

10. Help Them Unleash Their Creative Side

What to Make: Tic-Tac-Toe Game

Source: http://mamapapabubba.com/2015/05/06/take-along-lego-tic-tac-toe/

Nothing gets creativity in kids rolling better than when they can design a fun game to play. All kids love tic-tac-toe; indeed adults do too. For this easy to make game, you need to help kids attach some white blocks onto a base plate to create a game board. That’s it! All of you can then pick a brick colour and get playing – easy as that!

11. Anything With Minions Has Got To Be Super

Source: http://littlebinsforlittlehands.com/lego-minion-building-activity-with-basic-bricks/

What to Make: Minions!
Don’t you agree? Erm, we couldn’t resist closing our list with these adorable minions made completely with building blocks! Plus, making these will definitely teach the kids a thing or two about symmetry and engineering.