Building blocks and keywords. At first glance, these two topics may seem completely unrelated. However, they both play crucial roles in their respective fields.
This beginner’s guide will explore the fundamentals of building blocks – those colorful plastic or wooden bricks that have sparked creativity in children and adults for generations. We’ll cover the most popular types, brands, and uses of building blocks.
And since this is the information age, we must also understand how to optimize our content – such as blog posts about beloved toys – so people can easily find it through search engines like Google. So in the second half of this guide, we’ll explain keywords, search engine optimization (SEO), and how to strategically include keywords in your content.
Let’s start with the bricks!
A Brief History of Building Blocks
Building blocks trace their origin back over 100 years ago to the kindergarten movement in the late 1800s. The concept centered on learning through play and hands-on activities. Wooden unit blocks emerged as a popular manipulative, touted for enhancing math and creativity skills.
Unit blocks took the form of small wooden cubes, ramps, arches, and other geometric shapes. From these simple forms emerged boundless ingenuity as children experimented and invented new structures. Educators raved about the endless play potential from simple wooden blocks.
The early 1900s saw the material transition from wood to plastic, which enabled mass production. Brands like Lego launched in the 1930s. As demand grew, companies offered more types, sizes, themes and specialty pieces.
This brief history illustrates an enduring appeal. Building blocks equip kids to engineer, create, and dream. But how do the classic wooden blocks of yore compare to the building toys today? What are the options?
Types of Building Blocks
While today’s building block options may seem endless, most fall into a few basic categories:
Traditional Wooden Unit Blocks – These classic blocks come in geometric shapes like rectangles, squares, cylinders, arches. Usually made of finished hardwood like maple or oak, with a natural stain. Promote hands-on learning, problem solving skills.
Good for: Open-ended creativity, design, early math concepts
Interlocking Blocks – Pieces connect through protrusions (pegs) inserting into recesses (tubes). Lengths snap together instead of relying on balance. Most popular options include:
Lego – Interlocking plastic bricks in bright colors. The quintessential building toy, inspiring innovation.
Mega Bloks – Larger version of classic Lego, compatible with Lego. Chunky blocks for easier grasp.
Good for: Structure, symmetry, replicating or expanding real-world objects
Magnetic Blocks – Colorful plastic blocks embedded with magnets to connect. Oval, triangle and square shapes. Popular options include Magna-Tiles (which sometimes use hexagons) and MagFormers.
Good for: Early geometry, new shapes not possible with interlocking bricks
Foam Blocks – Soft, lightweight foam shapes in bright colors. Easy to grip, stack. Often large jumbo pieces. Includes alphabet blocks. Best options: Edushape foam blocks or My First Manipulative Blocks.
Good for: Toddlers, alphabet learning
Jumbo / Oversized Blocks – Massive building bricks in plastic or wood. Sized for easier grip. Enable creation of extra large structures. Look for Community Playthings Jumbo Hollow Blocks.
Good for: Giant structures, developing spatial skills
This overview shows that whether you need math manipulatives or open-ended construction toys, blocks offer limitless options. Parents can tailor selections based on a child’s age, interests and the desired benefits or learning outcomes.
Next let’s peek at some example building block activities…
Creative Building Block Play Ideas
Building blocks inherently lend themselves to creativity, requiring only imagination to unlock their play potential. Still, it never hurts to spark fresh inspiration. Here are 5 creative building block ideas to try:
- Bigfoot Stomp – Create giant Bigfoot feet and legs with jumbo blocks. Take turns stomping through block structures like buildings or cities pretending to be the abominable snowman on the rampage. introduce storytelling!
- Race Track – Craft zig-zagging race track routes using long wooden blocks or Lego. Children race toy cars through the tracks, adding narrative like play-by-play commentary. Time trials add suspense.
- Alphabet Match – With alphabet unit blocks, adult calls out letter names and child finds corresponding blocks. Also helps reinforce phonics and letter sounds.
- Patterns / Math Sequences – Build repetition in patterns using attributes like color, shape, size or orientation. Baby can stack rings toy in size order. Add number stickers to blocks and arrange numerically.
- Buildings From Around the World – Use blocks to construct famous real-world buildings like the Parthenon or Eiffel Tower. Compare architectural elements like columns, arches, domes. Add toy figures and vehicles to populate your city!
The unstructured nature of blocks gives kids control over their play. Like a blank canvas, they allow children to experiment, take risks, and direct their experience.
Now that we’ve covered building block fundamentals, let’s shift gears into understanding keywords and SEO…
Keywords 101: What Are Keywords and Why Do They Matter?
As our world has migrated online, keywords have become the holy grail for visibility. Keywords help web surfers find relevant information among the billions of web pages through search engines like Google.
Let’s quickly define what keywords are:
Keywords – Specific words or short phrases that web users enter into search bars to find information on a topic. Such as “building blocks”, “benefits of blocks”, or “block play activities.”
Paris Hilton wanting to learn about blocks (hey, it could happen!) might type “are blocks good for toddlers cognitive development” into Google. So those words represent keywords someone would actually search.
And therein lies the power! Keywords represent the exact phrases and terminology web visitors use. If content creators (and SEO magicians) can integrate those same popular keywords into their pages and posts, search engines connect the dots. More keyword matches signal stronger relevance in the eyes of algorithms.
Therefore keyword research and strategic placement provides the first step toward getting found by interested audiences amid the digital noise.
Now that we understand their immense importance, how exactly do we conduct keyword research? What tools help us discover these magical phrases?
The Land of Keyword Tools: Finding Your Perfect Match
An array of free keyword research tools exist to reveal popular search terms and phrases:
Google Keyword Planner – Part of paid Google Ads platform, but offers free keyword data like volume and competition for planning SEO.
Ubersuggest – Plug in root keywords and Ubersuggest generates extensive long tail suggestions along with monthly searches.
KeywordTool.io– User-friendly interface to find keyword ideas grouped into semantic clusters. Shows historical and location-based search data.
Answer the Public – Cool visualization of questions people ask around broad topics. Great for sparking blog post ideas!
These tools uncover actual user search queries you can integrate right into your content.
Our building block keyword might be “blocks for toddlers”, showing 10,000 monthly searches. We plug that core term into Ubersuggest to unearth long-tail cousins like “best starter blocks for 18 month old” (480 searches). Analyze competition levels across phrases to prioritize keywords.
Then pepper these directly into page content to forge strong search engine connections so audiences can discover your wisdom!
Seasoning Content with Keywords: Finding the Perfect Balance
Congratulations! After intense research sweat and toil, we’ve unearthed a mouthwatering buffet of juicy keyword opportunities. Now comes the fun part – seamlessly blending our hard-won keywords into blog posts and web copy without ruining the entree.
Let’s explore tips for smoothly incorporating keywords without overdoing it:
Avoid awkward repetition – Readers notice when a term awkwardly repeats 10 times for no reason. Work keywords in naturally where they flow instead of force-feeding.
Use synonyms / related keywords – If you already used “building blocks” 10 times, swap in some LSI keywords (close semantic relatives) like “manipulatives”, “unit blocks” or even “construction bricks.”
Apply keywords across page structure – Use main keyword in key places like headings (h2, h3 tags), opening paragraph, URLs, meta descriptions, image names/ALT text, bolded term sprinkled in paragraphs. Enough density without killing readability.
Vary keyword placement – Sprinkle keyword variations not just in visible text, but also supporting backend code and metadata search engines see.
Blend keywords fluidly into narrative without bludgeoning readers. Check overall flow and quality by reading aloud – convolutedKeywordSoup sounds robotic. Prioritize engaging content above all.
Conclusion: Bringing Blocks and SEO Optimization Together
In our two-sided tour, we explored both the colorful world of building blocks alongside vital digital visibility drivers like keywords. Though seemingly unrelated worlds, the core concepts align.
Just as creative structures derive from simple blocks, quality content connects audiences. Build wisely with core foundations, expand ideas, and delight readers. Optimizing digital blocks enables discovery.
Keywords supply that crucial added visibility to augment even the most compelling content. Integrate target terms seamlessly to help readers connect. Keyword optimization paired with engaging storytelling ensures ideas find eager minds ready to build and create!
Now grab those blocks and keywords and build something amazing!
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the best building blocks for a 2 year old?
The best starter blocks for toddlers and 2 year olds are large, colorful blocks with easy grips that are challenging enough without frustrating little hands. We recommend starting with mega bloks, jumbo wood blocks, foam alphabet blocks or magna-tiles.
Can I make my own DIY building blocks?
Absolutely! Many parents make homemade building blocks from wood or cardboard. Customize blank blocks by adding color, letters or other decorative elements. Make sure any paints or materials are non-toxic.
What skills do construction bricks develop?
Playing with building blocks fosters skills like creativity, spatial reasoning, fine motor control, problem solving, balance and early math concepts like grouping, patterns and fractions. Building together also teaches teamwork and communication skills.
Should I buy more generalized unit blocks or go for themed sets?
Open-ended basic unit blocks in a variety of geometric shapes tend to inspire more creativity than fixation on themed kits. Simple blocks offer endless possibilities over one trick pony sets tied to a single end result.
Is there an ideal age for introduction to blocks?
Blocks appeal to a wide age range, but infants as young as 6 months can start playing with large soft blocks. Focus on manipulatives over construction at this age. Formal structured building progresses through developmental stages, moving from simple stacking to elaborate creations.
Are colorful magnetic bricks safe for kids? What about lead?
Reputable magnetic block sets from brands like Magna-Tiles and MagFormers are completely safe with enclosed magnet systems fully coated to prevent corrosion. They have no lead or toxins, using child safe water-based dyes for bright colors. Only buy quality tested sets!
How do I choose wooden blocks – maple or oak?
Maple and oak are both quality hardwood options for wooden blocks. Maple costs less and offers light creamy color. Oak is denser for durability and features dark richer stain. High end sets like Grimm’s rainbow blend different woods. Prioritize non-toxic stains and finishes.