As a pre-kindergarten teacher, one of the most important things you can do for the kids in your care is help them develop their fine and gross motor skills. These skills help little learners take on tasks like walking upright, writing and buttoning a shirt.

It’s not always easy to find activities that address both the small movements of hands and fingers, and the movements of arms, legs and other large muscle groups. Building blocks are a great tool for fostering both fine and gross motors skills in the classroom. Not only do they improve the ability to perform everyday tasks, they also give kids an opportunity to learn through play.

Building fine motor skills

As your students stack and manipulate blocks, they strengthen the muscles in their hands and fingers. This can improve their ability to hold a pencil and write, as well as perform other tasks that require precise hand movements.

Here are some activities you can try with the kids:

• Sorting and organizing: Children can practice using their fingers to sort blocks by size, shape, or color.
• Fine motor puzzles: Children can practice using their fingers to fit blocks into a puzzle board or shape sorter.
• Block tracing: Children can practice using their fingers to trace the outline of a block onto a piece of paper.

Improving gross motor skills

Large blocks present a different set of advantages. As kids build towers and other structures with the blocks, they’ll be using their larger muscle groups, including their arms and legs. This can improve overall coordination and balance, as well as their ability to run, jump and play.

Try these activities to foster gross motor skill development:

• Block obstacle course: Children can set up an obstacle course using blocks, and then practice crawling under, jumping over, and stepping on the blocks.
• Building structures: Children can practice using their hands to stack blocks on top of each other to create towers, houses, bridges or whatever their imagination can create.
• Block balance beam: Children can set up a balance beam using blocks, and then practice walking or hopping along it.

Looking to outfit your classroom for block play? At Versare, we help schools and other facilities create the space they need in the space they have with solutions that include room dividers, custom cubicles, and modular blocks, flooring and panels.