Toddler activities with blocks
14 activities in the library use blocks, for toddlers aged 12 to 36 months: 6 starting 12–17 months, 4 starting 18–23 months and 4 starting from 24 months. A set of plain blocks is used across the whole toddler range: knocking down, stacking, lining up roads, sorting by color, counting and building houses for toy animals.
Updated
Blocks: 14 activities to try
Safety: Choose blocks too big to fit through a toilet-paper tube, without peeling paint or splinters.
14 activities
- Two-Block Tower Trade 12–20 months · 3–8 min · Indoors · Calm You and your child take turns adding big blocks to a short tower, practising a controlled release, two-hand coordination and the rhythm of a shared game.
- Copy My Box Moves 13–20 months · 3–8 min · Indoors · Calm You and your child each get an empty box; you do one simple action with yours, pause, and see whether they copy it, a playful imitation game.
- Two-Basket Copy Playdate 14–24 months · 5–15 min · Indoors · Calm Two toddlers each get an identical container of the same few toys, which makes it easy for one to notice and copy what the other child does.
- Does It Roll? Ramp Test 15–26 months · 5–10 min · Indoors · Calm Your toddler sends a ball, a block and a lid down a tilted baking sheet and discovers that round things roll while flat-sided things slide or stop.
- Cars Here, Blocks There Tidy-Up 16–26 months · 3–8 min · Indoors · Active At tidy-up time, toy cars go into one container and blocks into another, so putting toys away becomes your toddler's first two-group sort.
- Stir the Pot Like Me 16–24 months · 5–15 min · Indoors · Calm While you cook, your child gets their own pot and wooden spoon on the floor and copies your stirring, lid lifting and tasting, practicing imitation of real chores.
- Dough Pancake Press 18–28 months · 5–15 min · Indoors · Calm Your child squeezes, pats and pokes a ball of soft dough into a flat pancake, then presses a block into it, strengthening hands and fingers.
- Block Bed for Teddy 19–28 months · 5–12 min · Indoors · Calm Your child builds a simple bed and wall from big blocks for a stuffed animal, putting building to work inside a small pretend story.
- Cardboard Box Circle and Square 20–30 months · 5–10 min · Indoors · Calm A cardboard box with one round and one square hole becomes a homemade sorter: the ball goes through the circle and the blocks through the square.
- Tall Tower, Short Tower 22–32 months · 5–12 min · Indoors · Calm You and your toddler build two towers side by side, one tall and one short, then compare, add blocks and knock them down while naming 'tall' and 'short'.
- Copy-My-Bridge Block Build 24–34 months · 5–12 min · Indoors · Calm You build a simple bridge of two standing blocks and a roof block, then your child copies it, practising careful placement, balance and spatial words.
- Which Cup? Toddler Shell Game 24–34 months · 5–10 min · Indoors · Calm A toy hides under one of three opaque containers that you slide slowly around; your child follows it with their eyes and picks the right one.
- Under, Over, Through Car Roads 25–35 months · 8–15 min · Indoors · Calm You set up a box tunnel and a cardboard bridge, then invite your toddler to drive a toy car under, over and through, practicing position words in play.
- Tube and Block City 26–36 months · 10–20 min · Indoors · Calm Your child builds a small city with blocks, standing cardboard tubes and an open box, then drives a car between the towers and under the bridges.
Nothing matches these filters. Try another age band or "Anywhere".
Blocks at a glance
| Activities | 14, 4 on the low-prep menu |
|---|---|
| Ages covered (corrected) | 12–36 months |
| Focus time | 3–20 minutes |
| Main domains | 4 early concepts, 4 fine motor, 3 cognitive, 2 creativity & pretend and 1 social-emotional |
| Where they happen | 14 indoors |
| Quickest start | Cars Here, Blocks There Tidy-Up, 3–8 minutes |
Every activity with blocks
Sorted by the first month each one fits (corrected age for children born early). Quick picks: for a calm moment, Two-Block Tower Trade; to burn energy, Cars Here, Blocks There Tidy-Up; with no prep at all, Copy My Box Moves.
| Activity | Ages | Minutes | Domain | Prep |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Two-Block Tower Trade | 12–20 months | 3–8 | Fine motor | None |
| Copy My Box Moves | 13–20 months | 3–8 | Cognitive | None |
| Two-Basket Copy Playdate | 14–24 months | 5–15 | Social-emotional | 2 min |
| Does It Roll? Ramp Test | 15–26 months | 5–10 | Early concepts | 2 min |
| Stir the Pot Like Me | 16–24 months | 5–15 | Cognitive | None |
| Cars Here, Blocks There Tidy-Up | 16–26 months | 3–8 | Early concepts | None |
| Dough Pancake Press | 18–28 months | 5–15 | Fine motor | None |
| Block Bed for Teddy | 19–28 months | 5–12 | Creativity & pretend | None |
| Cardboard Box Circle and Square | 20–30 months | 5–10 | Fine motor | 5 min |
| Tall Tower, Short Tower | 22–32 months | 5–12 | Early concepts | None |
| Copy-My-Bridge Block Build | 24–34 months | 5–12 | Fine motor | None |
| Which Cup? Toddler Shell Game | 24–34 months | 5–10 | Cognitive | None |
| Under, Over, Through Car Roads | 25–35 months | 8–15 | Early concepts | 5 min |
| Tube and Block City | 26–36 months | 10–20 | Creativity & pretend | 5 min |
How each activity uses blocks
- Two-Block Tower Trade (stacking blocks, 3–8 minutes): Sit facing your child on the floor with a few large blocks between you.
- Copy My Box Moves (imitating actions, 3–8 minutes): Sit facing your child, each with an empty box and a matching block.
- Two-Basket Copy Playdate (copying other children, 5–15 minutes): Put the same three large blocks in each of two identical containers and set them an arm's length apart.
- Does It Roll? Ramp Test (colors and shapes, 5–10 minutes): Set the block at the top and say 'Square. It stops.' Then pause.
- Stir the Pot Like Me (imitating actions, 5–15 minutes): Set up your child's pot, spoon and a few large blocks on the floor where they can see you but cannot reach the stove.
- Cars Here, Blocks There Tidy-Up (sorting, 3–8 minutes): Put the laundry basket and a second bin side by side and say 'Cars here, blocks there.'.
- Dough Pancake Press (squeezing and rolling, 5–15 minutes): Press a block into your pancake to leave a print, then offer the block.
- Block Bed for Teddy (building and constructing, 5–12 minutes): Say "Teddy is sleepy. Let's make a bed," and lay two blocks side by side.
- Cardboard Box Circle and Square (shape sorting, 5–10 minutes): Cut one round and one square hole in the top of the box, each just bigger than the ball and the blocks.
- Tall Tower, Short Tower (size words, 5–12 minutes): Build a short tower of two blocks and a tall one of four, side by side on the floor.
- Copy-My-Bridge Block Build (stacking blocks, 5–12 minutes): Build a bridge slowly in front of your child: two blocks standing apart, one long block on top.
- Which Cup? Toddler Shell Game (finding hidden objects, 5–10 minutes): Let your child watch you hide a block under one, and ask 'Where's the block?'.
- Under, Over, Through Car Roads (spatial words, 8–15 minutes): Open both ends of the box for a tunnel and lay the cardboard strip across two blocks for a bridge.
- Tube and Block City (building and constructing, 10–20 minutes): Stand two tubes up and lay a block across them: "A bridge!"
By age
12–17 months: 6 activities, 3–15 minutes. 18–23 months: 4 activities, 5–15 minutes. From 24 months: 4 activities, 5–20 minutes.
Starting 12–17 months
Starting 18–23 months
Starting from 24 months
Words that come up
Across these activities you will model “on”, “your turn”, “tall”, “crash”, “my turn”, “tap tap”, “in the box”, “same”, “out”, “in”, “you too” and “round”. Say one at the moment it happens, then pause for your child's turn.
Safety with blocks
- Choose blocks too big to fit through a toilet-paper tube, without peeling paint or splinters.
- Pick up blocks after play so they are not tripped over.
Prep tips
- Start with a handful of large blocks rather than a whole set.
- Store them in an open basket your child can tip out and refill.
No blocks? Use instead
- Plastic food containers.
- Small cardboard boxes taped shut.
- Large sponges.
Combine it with
Blocks are most often paired with cardboard box (4 activities), plastic food containers (3 activities) and toy cars (3 activities). The skills practised most: building and constructing (4), spatial words (4) and imitating actions (3).
Often combined with
Skills practised
Frequently asked questions
What can a toddler do with blocks?
14 activities here use them, for example Two-Block Tower Trade (12–20 months), Copy My Box Moves (13–20 months) and Two-Basket Copy Playdate (14–24 months). 4 are on the low-prep menu: no prep and 10 minutes or less.
Are blocks safe for toddlers?
Use them only with an adult close by. Choose blocks too big to fit through a toilet-paper tube, without peeling paint or splinters. Pick up blocks after play so they are not tripped over.
What can I use instead of blocks?
Plastic food containers, small cardboard boxes taped shut or large sponges can stand in for most of these activities.
What ages are activities with blocks for?
They cover 12–36 months of corrected age: 6 starting 12–17 months, 4 starting 18–23 months and 4 starting from 24 months.
Related
Monitoring, not medical advice. Talk to your pediatrician about any concern. Our sources and method.