Oh my wild toddler, why won't you stack blocks?

A few possible wild toddler solutions to a common problem with blocks.

Wild Toddler Problems: You bring out blocks, but your toddler doesn’t want to stack them. They only want to: 1) throw the blocks, 2) tip over my stacked blocks, 3) dump out all the blocks out of its bag or bin, or 4) lay in the spilled blocks and swish them around like they are making snow angels. Why do they do this? How can you support your wild toddler to start stacking blocks?

Wild Toddler Solutions: There are possibly a few things going on here. To get us started, your toddler may be trying to do container play. Container play is filling up a container and dumping it out. If they are just starting container play, they only do the dumping out part! Similarly, in a play sequence of stacking blocks and crashing them down: crashing comes first. Basically, you are loading up the game and they are finishing it. If that is what is happening, that’s okay! You are modeling the first part of the game and they will figure out the rest eventually.

And guess what, building blocks and container play are a language building opportunities! Remember, any simple game with joint attention (paying attention to the same thing at the same time) is extremely helpful for emerging talkers! Turn off distracting screens. And be sure to model predictable simple words to go with that repetitive play. (Try to model simple words only - no prompts or questions.)

In, in, in, in. Aaaall out.

Up, up, up, up. Craaaash. Up, up, up, up. Craaaash.

1, 2, 3, 4. Fall down! 1, 2, 3, 4. Fall down!

So, that might help explain the kids who want to dump or crash, but what about those kids who are just throwing the blocks or swishing them around? There are a few things you can try for supporting these kiddos.

First, reduce the number of blocks out at once. Try 5-10 blocks out at a time. If there are more than that, put those into a back and tuck them away into a closet somewhere. Too many pieces out at once can be visually overstimulating for toddlers. This simple hack can make all the difference.

Second try, change the building materials to something with a sensory element. Something like magnatiles or squigs can provide just enough sensory feedback to a toddler to help them focus where they may not be able to do so with plain wood or plastic blocks. Again, try just 5-10 at a time. Sit on the floor and model what to do with them while using words the whole time.

Third option, active sensory play before sitting down together. Many toddlers need vestibular input and heavy work spread out through their day. Every person has different sensory needs and differences. But you might find your child is throwing… because they need to throw. And jump. And climb. And run. And push around heavy things. And swing. And slide. Follow their lead, if they are showing you they need to move and challenge their body, make sure they have a safe place to do so. Cheer them on and talk about it. (Jump, jump, jump.) Then, try blocks after they are nice and regulated and ready to sit down for a minute or two.

Finally, remember to have fun. Learning and language acquisition happens most naturally in play. Relax. Be silly. Enjoy these simple moments together. If you are stressed, often so is your toddler. Put down the phone and your worries for a few minutes and just be in the moment with your little one. Exaggerate your face and your voice and body language. Soak up the giggles.

Up, up, up, up. Craaaash. Up, up, up, up. Craaaash.

1, 2, 3, 4. Fall down! 1, 2, 3, 4. Fall down!

Bonus Point. Are your attention span expectations realistic? We are looking for toddlers to be able to sit down and play for about 3 minutes at a time. Some may be able to do more than that. Great, that’s bonus time! But it isn’t a concern if they can’t do more than 3 minutes at a time. That may seem like a very short time if an older sibling liked to do sit down activities. Your current toddler may be working up to it. Did they stack for a little bit and then move on? No problem! Try those sensory stackers or the sensory activities before stacking, you might be surprised how much that helps your toddler’s attention span. You also might be sitting with the blocks while they take a lap or two around the coach before coming back to try again. Again, very common. As they get older, we are looking for the attention span to increase and the breaks to shorten, but that may take time and that’s okay. Gross motor breaks are totally appropriate! Kids need to move. And stacking blocks can be a new, frustrating fine motor challenge that takes time to master. Wherever they are at on the road to mastery, as long as they are showing interest, keep modeling and playing together a little bit every day. If they are not showing interest in stacking, even after trying these techniques, put it aside for a few weeks and then try again.

One last thing. Please always remember, I am an early intervention speech therapist, but not your speech therapist. Most influencer rhetoric invites the audience to feel like they are being spoken to personally. In this case, please don’t. I want you to remember that actually I don’t know you. I don’t know your child. This is general information based on time spent with thousands of toddlers over decades. My obvious hope is that it might be helpful for your family, but I am very aware any of this information might not be helpful to you at all. For literally dozens of logical reasons that only your own therapists can explain. If you have concerns about your toddler, please find your own local early intervention team to do an individualized evaluation. Every state, by law, has an early intervention program of some sort, usually for no cost to you. You can usually self refer on the state website. No internet search or newsletter will ever help you as much as individualized services. That being said, I obviously hope the information presented in this newsletter is helpful to a broad number of readers. If this newsletter has been helpful to you, please consider subscribing to help support future posts.