Wooden Building Blocks - 26 pieces

Details

This heirloom set of 26 wooden building blocks is an essential toy. Through play, children experiment with the laws of structural engineering, spatial thinking, and creative design. The shapes include 6 square blocks, 10 rectangular blocks, 4 triangles, 2 bridges and 4 cylinders.

The set has been designed thoughtfully in standard measurement so they build together well and can be used purposefully to foster children's mathematical perception. All HABA building blocks and systems are compatible with each other. This set is made in Germany of reforested, solid, natural, untreated beech wood.

SIZE: 11" x 8.4" x 9.3" (boxed set)
AGE RANGE: 1 year +

Developmental Value

Why do so many classrooms have a large set of wooden building blocks? Because blocks are one of the most flexible toys that provide learning for underlying fundamental brain power. Many consider them to be the first toy for STEM learning.

When considering a build of any sort, children initiate planning and problem-solving skills. Problem-solving activity develops cross-brain thinking skills. Effective problem solving requires a mixture of both logic (left-brain activity) and creative (right-brain activity) thinking. Good problem solvers switch from one set of skills to the other. Switching is not always easy but becomes easier with problem-solving practice.

• Logic (analytic) thinking develops through ordering the pieces, comparing them, contrasting them, evaluating them and selecting the correct part. The child must choose the best alternative from the options available by narrowing down the range of possibilities.

• Creative thinking is developed when a piece doesn't fit because the child must consider a broader set of solving options such as manipulating the part, flipping the piece, finding the alphabet order, or solving surrounding pieces.

When considering a building challenge, children draw on imagination or mental image forming in the mind. Working with friends, a child may build something another child imagines, helping create something he never considered.

There are strong mathematical fundamentals at play such as length, measurement, comparison, number, estimation, symmetry, spatial reasoning, and balance.

There are science and engineering fundamentals at play when children test hypotheses and build scientific reasoning in construction.

Social skills are bolstered as children learn to share materials, develop new friendships, take turns, stay focused, cooperate with others, all leading to the development of self-esteem.

Manufacturer

HABA is a family-owned German firm making children's toys for over 75 years. Committed to safety, sustainability, and quality, HABA's design team thoughtfully develops over 250 new ideas each year. They focus on natural toys with maple and beechwood as a central focus.

HABA has received numerous awards and recognitions each year in its product collection. Over time, they have been recognized by at least 45 industry, governmental and parenting organizations.