Building children’s minds
Kylie Moore, 5, daughter of Travis and Angela Moore of Marianna, adjusts one of the street signs she erected by the road she built with wooden blocks during a Block Party at Bentleyville Public Library.
Harper Hyita, 4, daughter of Matt and Sam Hyita of Bentleyville, drives a vehicle through a bridge during a Block Party at Bentleyville Public Library.
BENTLEYVILLE – Five-year-old Kylie Moore and 4-year-old Harper Hyita spent a sunny afternoon last month diligently playing with wooden blocks at Bentleyville Public Library.
Little did the girls realize that they weren’t just building bridges and roads; they also – and more importantly – were building their minds.
According to the National Association for the Education of Young Children, playing with blocks helps children develop their STEM – Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics – skills and promotes self-expression and creativity.
That’s why librarian Charlotte Carpenter was so thrilled when the library received a grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Education and the Bureau of Library Development for a large set of wooden building blocks and several other educational toys.
“I’m as excited as the kids,” Carpenter said. “This gets kids out and moving. I thought it would be fun.”
The Block Party program provides one hour of dedicated play time for children 3 to 7 years old and their families. The block parties at Bentleyville are held at 1 p.m. the second and fourth Wednesdays of the month. The next Block Party is tomorrow.
“It brings kids into the library,” Carpenter said. “Some families are skittish about coming to the library when they have to read all the time. Some kids don’t sit well through a story.”
Other Washington County libraries, including Chartiers-Houston Community, Donora Public Library, John K. Tener in Charleroi and Monongahela Area, also host block parties once or twice each month. The blocks are accompanied by wooden people, vehicles and street signs.
The beauty of blocks, educators say, is that children can do whatever they want, and nobody needs to tell them how to use them. Children also can play with the blocks by themselves or with others.
The NAEYC says unit blocks are a good investment because children can continue to use them as they grow. Infants and toddlers simply like touching and gripping larger, textured blocks. As toddlers, they develop more muscle control and are able to combine blocks, stack them or line them up. Two-year-olds, the NAEYC says, may demonstrate their first attempts at building structures and show the beginnings of fantasy play.
Around the age of 3, children learn how to balance and fit pieces together to build sturdier towers, then bridges and enclosures. By age 4, children are recognizing designs and patterns, with their towers and buildings becoming works of art.
“The library system lets us know when there are grants,” Carpenter said. “This is money we couldn’t afford to spend. We had the room. We are lucky to have so much room.”
Other benefits of blocks cited by educators include improved problem-solving, increased self-esteem and social and emotional growth.
In addition to the Block Party program, Bentleyville offers a Wee Builders program, which involves brightly colored plastic construction sets, complete with nuts and bolts, for children of all ages. The program is held in the evening, with the next session at 6 p.m. tomorrow.
“Wee Build attracts more children because the whole family can come,” said Carpenter, adding that block play also is available during family craft nights.
“We have a lot of fun,” Carpenter said. “As long as they’re willing to have programming, we do what we can do to bring it in.”