Block Play Builds Math Skills, Boosts Complex Thinking In Preschoolers, Study Finds

Preparing preschoolers for kindergarten can be a source of fear and excitement among young parents. Many find themselves wondering: “Is my child ready?” New research shows that one brain-boosting building block to school readiness is semi-structured block play.

Researchers at Purdue University say that preschool children who spend time in semi-structured block play experience improvement in two important skills for their jump to kindergarten: mathematics and executive functioning.

“As an early childhood expert, I feel like I’m constantly being asked by parents and teachers, ‘What can I do with my child to support their school readiness skills?’” says Sara Schmitt, an assistant professor in the university’s Department of Human Development and Family Studies, in a media release. “What I find myself saying a lot, among other things, is block play. But there’s actually not a lot of empirical evidence to support this statement, particularly with regard to mathematics and executive functioning development. That’s why I wanted to do this study: I wanted to understand if these suggestions I was making to parents and teachers were actually valid.”

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