Article Link: http://exchangepress.com/article/block-play-is-for-all-children/5010342/
The block center can be the most exciting place in the early childhood classroom. A center that is attractive and well stocked with unit blocks is an invitation to learning that will last a child a lifetime. Why is it, then, that in many classrooms it is only a select group of boys and the occasional girl who are taking advantage of these blocks? In room after room, it is primarily boys that are building with the blocks. In these same rooms, the girls are busy in the housekeeping center. Much learning is taking place in both of these centers. The learning that can take place in the block center is learning that should be available to all of the children - not just a small group that is usually boys.When looking in your classroom, do you see the girls playing in the housekeeping center, the reading center, the art center, and the manipulative and/or math center? And do you also see the boys playing in the block center, at the computer, and the manipulatives? Probably your first response is "Well, a few of my girls play with the unit blocks sometimes." ...