The Seven Stages of Block Play
Updated: 1 day ago
A set of blocks is one of those traditional toys that many of us have probably acquired over time. They might not be the most exciting or eye-catching toy in the box, but there is a reason they have stood the test of time.
Blocks are a wonderfully open-ended resource. A baby might explore a block by holding it, banging it or dropping it, while a toddler begins stacking and knocking down towers. Later, those same blocks might become bridges, houses, roads or castles, before eventually becoming part of an elaborate imaginary world.
The resource stays the same, but the possibilities change as children's skills, ideas and imagination develop.
In fact, researchers have been interested in how children’s block play develops for almost a century. Harriet M. Johnson, an educator and pioneer in early childhood education, observed children’s block building and described the patterns and changes she saw in her 1933 book The Art of Block Building. Although Johnson did not explicitly set out a seven-stage model, her observations of how children’s block building changed and became more complex over time later became the basis for the seven stages of block play commonly used today.
Through her observations of children in New York, Johnson identified a progression from carrying and exploring blocks, through stacking, bridges, enclosures and patterns, to increasingly representational and imaginative play.
So what does this progression actually look like? And what are children learning as their block play becomes more complex?
A note about the stages: These stages aren't a checklist, and children don't necessarily move through them in a fixed order or at a particular age. Children develop at different rates, may revisit earlier types of play, and often combine different stages. Johnson didn't assign rigid age brackets to the stages, so think of them as a guide to how block play can develop, rather than a one-way sequence.
Stage 1: Carrying and exploring
Before your baby starts building anything, they need to discover what blocks actually do.
They might:
Pick them up and put them down
Bang two blocks together
Pass them from one hand to the other
Drop them
Throw them
Put them in their mouth
Watch you move or stack them
Carry them from one place to another
It might not look like much to us, but a lot is going on.
Your baby is exploring cause and effect, movement, sound, texture, and weight, while also developing the hand and finger control they'll eventually need for building.
Johnson described this first stage as carrying, where blocks are explored and moved around rather than being used to construct something.
How can you support this stage?
You don't need to show your baby how to build with the blocks. Instead, give them time to explore and follow their lead.
You can add language to their play by simply narrating what you see. You might say: "Bang, bang!" "You dropped it!" or "Where did it go?"
At this stage, exploring the blocks is the play.
Stage 2: Stacking and making rows
Next, your child discovers that blocks can go on top of each other. One block becomes two. Two become three, and before long, you're hearing: "Look at this!" During this stage, they will also begin lining blocks up next to each other, creating their first rows.
These early constructions might seem very simple, but your child is beginning to understand that where they put one block affects what they can do with the next one.
They're developing:
Fine motor control
Hand-eye coordination
Balance
Spatial awareness
Early problem-solving skills
They're also beginning to experiment with an important question: “How can I make this stay up?” When their tower inevitably falls, they have opportunities to experience and work through emotions such as frustration, disappointment, and determination, before having another go. When they finally manage to build a tower that stays standing, there’s often a wonderful sense of pride too.
What about the child who is always knocking things down?
One of the great joys of blocks for some children is discovering what happens when things fall. It can also lead to tears when one child starts knocking down their sibling's creations, but at least knowing about this stage helps explain why your little one keeps doing it!
During this stage, this sort of scenario is commonplace. You build a tower. Your toddler knocks it down. You build it again. They knock it down again. And again. And again! Cue the roars of laughter and the inevitable shout of “Again!” Sound familiar?
Knocking down is actually an important part of block play. Young children are exploring cause and effect and beginning to understand that their actions can make something happen.
They are also learning about movement, balance, and what happens when objects collide. So don't worry if your toddler seems much more interested in knocking down your tower than building one.
Knocking it down is part of learning about building.
For a child who is enjoying this stage, try to give them plenty of opportunities to do it (in a way that won't upset others) by giving them their own set of bricks and play space to build and knock down.
"Here's your tower. Ready?"
CRASH!
It’s also important to begin teaching them that knocking down can be part of the game, but only when everyone is happy to play. They can knock down their own tower, but someone else might want to keep theirs standing, so we need to leave other people’s constructions alone.
"You can knock your tower down, but I'm still building mine, so let's leave that one standing."
It's a simple way to start developing an understanding of other people's play and that others can have different thoughts and feelings from our own. This understanding typically starts developing around two years old but will not be fully understood until around 4 or 5 years (or even later).
Stage 3: Building bridges
Once your child is becoming confident with stacking, they can start experimenting with a different challenge: how to make a block span a gap.
This is where bridges begin to appear.
Your child might place two blocks apart and balance another block across the top.
It sounds simple, but they've now got to think about:
How far apart the blocks can be
Whether the top block is long enough
How to make the structure balance
What happens when they move one of the supporting blocks
They're beginning to think about relationships between objects and how structures work.
Give them a problem to solve
You don't need to show them how to make a bridge.
Try giving them a reason to make one instead; the story of Three Billy Goats Gruff is a great one for inspiring little builders.
"The goats need a new bridge to get away from the troll! How could we help them?"
Then wait. Try not to show them how. Let them experiment and try things out.
You're giving them something to think about, not a model to copy.
Stage 4: Creating enclosures
Next, children can begin using blocks to create spaces.
They might make a fence around an animal, a wall around a house, or a garage for their toy cars.
This is known as an enclosure.
Instead of simply building upwards, your child is now thinking about how blocks can be arranged around something.
"The sheep need somewhere to stay."
"Can you make a home for the teddy?"
These simple challenges give your child opportunities to think about space, position and problem-solving.
They also introduce some useful mathematical language naturally: inside, outside, next to, between, around, bigger, smaller.
You don't need to sit down and teach these words. They're already there in the play.
Stage 5: Patterns and symmetry
As children's block play develops, their constructions can become more deliberate.
They may start arranging blocks in patterns or creating structures that are the same on both sides. They might choose particular colours or shapes and repeat them.
You may notice that they become more particular about where each block goes. This isn't just about making something that looks nice. Your child is beginning to notice relationships, repetition, balance and symmetry. They are also having to plan where different pieces need to go.
Try noticing rather than directing
You could say things like: "I noticed you've used the same blocks on both sides." "You've made a pattern."
"I wonder what comes next?"
You don't need to turn it into a test. Simply noticing what your child has done draws their attention to the mathematical thinking already happening in their play.
Stage 6: Purposeful building (Early Representation)
At some point, your child's construction may start to have a very clear purpose.
"This is a shop."
"This is a garage."
"I'm building a castle."
"This is where the animals live."
The blocks are no longer simply something to arrange. They represent something in your child's mind. They may have an idea before they start building and choose particular blocks because they need them for a specific part of their construction. An important note! Their building might not look anything like the thing they've told you it is. That's okay (and completely normal!). What this stage is all about is that your child has an idea and is using the blocks to represent it.
Let them be the expert
Instead of correcting their creation or showing them how you would build it, try:
"Tell me about what you've made."
"What's going to happen in your castle?"
"Who lives in the house?"
You're giving your child the opportunity to explain their thinking and develop their language alongside their construction skills. If you want to, you could build alongside them too. This can be a lovely way to connect and play together, while also showing them another way to use the blocks. Just be careful not to give the impression that your creation is the “right” way to build, and theirs isn’t. There doesn’t need to be a right answer. Stage 7: Blocks become part of pretend play (Advanced Representation)
The final stage is where something even more amazing happens. The blocks aren't just blocks anymore. They're a football stadium, a tower block on fire, a busy garage, a crumbling castle, a whole town!
Your child might build a structure and then spend more time playing with it than building it.
They might add animals, dolls, cars or other toys and create an entire story around their construction.
This later stage of block play brings together construction, imagination, language and storytelling.
The blocks have become part of a much bigger imaginary world.
How can you support? Try not to bombard them with questions or try to steer their play. Sometimes simply joining in and following their story is enough. "Oh, this is the shop!"
"Who works here?"
"Where is the car going?"
Or simply:
"Tell me about what you've made."
Let your child be the expert, and you'll often be amazed by their imagination and creativity!
The beauty of block play
From a parent's point of view, perhaps one of the biggest flexes with blocks is that they really do stand the test of time. Not only are they sturdy and virtually indestructible, but they can also be played with and enjoyed in different ways for years to come.
The same box of blocks can be explored by a baby, stacked by a toddler, turned into bridges by a preschooler, and eventually become part of an elaborate imaginary world.
The blocks stay the same, but your child's ideas, skills, and ways of playing change.
That's what makes blocks such a brilliant resource for learning through play. The research into block play helps us understand that those seemingly simple actions, from carrying and stacking to building bridges, creating spaces and developing imaginary worlds, are all part of a much bigger journey.
For parents and teachers, understanding these stages can help us see the learning happening in front of us and know how to support it without taking over. A tower falling isn't simply a tower falling. A child arranging blocks carefully isn't simply making a pattern. These moments give children opportunities to experiment, solve problems, develop spatial and mathematical thinking, communicate their ideas and persevere when things don't go to plan.
You don't need to turn block play into a lesson or guide your child towards the next stage. Give them time, space and opportunities to explore, and follow their lead. Sometimes the most valuable thing we can do is simply notice what they're doing and recognise the learning that's already taking place.
One simple box of blocks can offer something new at every stage, making them a genuinely open-ended resource that can grow alongside a child for years to come.
Looking for some blocks to get started? I've put together a list of some of my favourite block-building resources over on my Amazon shop*, including options for different ages and budgets. * This is an affiliate link, which means I may earn a small commission if you purchase through it, at no extra cost to you.
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