As a mom with a bit of a shopping addiction, and two girls at home ages 4 and 5, I have seen a lot of toys pass through our doors.  Some have been great, but a whole lot more have been unmemorable.  When I find a toy or game or art supply that is truly awesome, I want to share it.  These DIY building blocks have stood the test of time and deliver over and over again.  My girls have played with them for years, since my youngest was one. I washi taped the blocks five years ago on a crazy washi bender and they are still totally in tact and awesome.

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We absolutely love these blocks. They are soft, not hard.  They just look like wood, but they are actually made from a kind of foam.  So when they fall, no one gets hurt.  They are light as a feather and can make anything you and your child can think up.  Here are my girls at 1 and 2 playing with the blocks.  Five years later they are still a total favorite we keep out in our playroom.  I just want to warn you though, they’re expensive. I know, bummer.  BUT, we’ve been playing with them for five years!! I really would not recommend them like this if I didn’t think they were 100% worth it.  The holidays are around the corner and these blocks are a totally special awesome gift to get your kids.  Plus, you can personalize them for your child or friend’s child or grandchild, with washi tape and make them totally awesome.  Washi tape comes in every print under the sun so if you have a child into cars, or dinosaurs, or rainbows, or unicorns, you got this.

**A Note About Blocks** 

Building with blocks provides one of the most valuable learning experiences available for young children.  Block play stimulates learning in all domains of development, intellectual, physical, and social-emotional and language.  The current research shows that block play is fundamental for later cognitive success for learning math and numbers.  In a research study, “Block Play Performance among Preschoolers as a Predictor of Later School Achievement in Mathematics”, published in the Journal of Research in Early Childhood Education, the researchers proved that children who play with blocks when they are three, four and fives years of age will do better in math, especially Algebra in middle school. via Clayton Early Learning

The Supplies…

Soft Wood-like Blocks (available on Amazon)

washi tape

*A note about washi tape – The quality of washi tape over the years has seriously gone down hill.  Five years ago when I bought it on etsy, it was very sticky and lasted on our blocks all these years.  When we did this again with my girls a few months ago, a lot of the tape I got peeled off the next day and we were super bummed.  Make sure you’re using high quality washi tape to do this or it will come off.  If it does peel, you can add a little mod podge or white glue, so it’s not a lost cause, but here are some tapes I recommend.

good washi tape on etsy

Good washi tape on amazon (anything by this brand should work great)

a scissor

Steps…

You can do this any way you want.  I mean, there are no rules.  I just set out the washi tape with some scissors and said make these look awesome girls.  They had a blast with it.

We moved into a new house about 7 months ago and this was one of the first art activities we did once the dust settled. It’s such a treat for me to see these pics on our polished concrete floors that I am totally in love with.  It was a dream of mine and my husbands to have these floors.  They are no fuss and super easy to clean.

Anyway, just keep adding tape on each of the blocks and you can’t go wrong. The more complicated blocks you see in the pics, I did.  This is something you can do on your own and give as a gift to a little one, or something you can make with your kids, especially if they are different ages.

If you like this post please let me know in the comments below.  I’m trying out some ideas for the blog and i’d love to know if this is something that interests you. We have a ton of great games that we love here, not just the DIY building blocks, so if you like this, I’d be happy to share them.  Thanks so much! Happy building.  xo, Meri