Playing with building toys like blocks, Legos, and K'Nex can encourage a basic understanding of engineering concepts and free-form play creativity. Yet these activities are often seen as a "boy" thing, and girls can be reluctant to engage. Let’s discuss some easy ways to get your girls playing with building toys.

Construction toys have been shown to help children develop:

• Motor skills and hand-eye coordination,
• Spatial skills
• A capacity for creative, divergent thinking

There is also evidence that complex block-play is linked with advanced math skills in later life. The challenges that girls face is that building sets are marketed as a “boy’s activity”. Girls are often attracted to story-based play. Building sets and blocks can feel unemotional. Building kits are often structured – you follow directions to get a specific end result; many girls prefer some creative flexibility.

So how can we adjust the perception of building toys? By adding other items to the play area such as beads, fabric in bright colors with various textures, silk flowers, removable stickers we can change the perception that building with plain plastic blocks is the only way to build. Adding photos of friends and loved ones to blocks has other benefits too. Little ones will be drawn toward stacking as they add an emotional attachment to the building process. You can purchase photo blocks from a company like One Step Ahead, or you can make your own like we did in the video.

As kids get older they may already have an attachment to their favorite toys. You can explore ways to incorporate their favorite toys, for example if your daughter loves playing with dolls, encourage her to build a castle for her princess. Or if she’s into My Little Pony, build a stable for the ponies.