Improving Parent-Child Relationships through Block Play

Blocks are one of the most popular playthings for children. The purpose of this article is to describe the use of block play in developing parent-child relations. This paper has two major parts. First, a brief historical overview highlights the critical roles of child's block play in learning and development. Block play contributes to children's cognitive development, social-emotional development, and motor development. Second, we discuss block play time as an opportunity to enhance parent-child relationships. A Reciprocal Model of Parent-Child Interaction is developed and discussed that involves four strategies: observing, listening and supporting, talking and extending, and understanding. Use of these strategies increases healthy relations and communications between parents and children in family settings. (Contains 1 figure.)