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About The Author
My name is Eleni from the Dutch company Eerste Hulp Bij Spelen (loosely translated: Play Survival Guide). I’m on a mission to bring more free, open-ended play back into children’s lives, because play is not a luxury but a necessity for their development and wellbeing. I advocate for less instruction and more imagination. I’m a genuine fan of Avdar, whose products align beautifully with my vision of meaningful, child-led play.
3 Simple Wooden Block Play Ideas for Kids
We as adults often wonder, “What is a child supposed to do with the wooden toys?” We might only think of stacking blocks, but with a wooden rainbow or wooden cylinders, we have no idea at all. Over the years, adults have lost much of their creativity. Thinking outside the box becomes increasingly difficult. Fortunately, this isn’t the case for children. They are incredibly creative and see many possibilities in the same toy. As a result, children can entertain themselves for a long time. Open-ended toys greatly encourage independent play, which is beneficial for your child’s development and very convenient for you.
With AVDAR, we created a Play Guide for parents to gently navigate developmental milestones, understand how block play evolves with age, and discover meaningful ways to introduce wooden blocks at every stage.
Here are 3 simple ideas you can try anytime.
1. Bowling Fun with Cylinder Blocks
This is a perfect game for children who love to throw! Line up the cylinder blocks like bowling pins and let the fun begin. Use bean bags to knock them over and see how many you can hit!
Want to add a fun twist? Assign points to each cylinder: the biggest cylinder is worth 1 point, while the smallest one is
worth 4 points. After each round, help the children add up their scores — a playful way to sneak in some early math practice.
Extra game ideas:
● Team play: Split into small teams and take turns throwing. Which team can score the highest together?
● Challenge round: Move the throwing line farther back after every successful round.
● Timed game: How many points can you score in 30 seconds?
This simple setup boosts hand-eye coordination, gross motor skills, focus, patience, and basic counting. All through active, joyful play.
2. Travel the world
Place the Abstract Building Blocks on the ground — each block represents a part of the world, like oceans, mountains, or deserts.
Invite your child to decorate these worlds with natural treasures such as shells, twigs, stones, or leaves.
Let the peg dolls become explorers! Move them from world to world. What do they discover along their journey? Maybe they find hidden caves, mysterious rivers, or magical forests. Who do they meet? Encourage your child to create little stories about what happens in each place. There are no limits to their imagination!
This activity blends storytelling, creativity, and sensory play, while also connecting children with nature.
Recommended toys: Abstract Building Blocks
3. Star making
Stick a fun shape, like a star, on the floor using tape. Hand your child a basket of blocks and invite them to fill the star however they like, by size, by color, or a wild mix! There’s no wrong way to play. While they’re busy, they’re also sharpening their fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination, and early sorting skills, all without even noticing!
Recommended toys: Metropolis Block Set, The Lodge Travel Set, The Trailer Travel Set
If you’d like to discover more age-appropriate play ideas,
creative invitations to play, and gentle ways to support different developmental skills through block play, explore the AVDAR Play Guide.
And in the comments, tell us - what are your children’s favourite games with wooden blocks?
Discover 3 effortless, open-ended play ideas using wooden blocks that spark creativity, fine motor skills, and endless imagination in kids!