10 easy games you can play with Uncle Goose toy blocks

A perplexed man called us. He said he really liked our toy blocks.

He thought they were beautiful, and he loved the designs. And he loved the idea of getting a hand-crafted, USA-made gift for his nephew.

Sounds great, right? Uncle Goose checked all his boxes! But then the man added:

“But I can’t get them because I have no idea what to do with them. What do you do with blocks other than display them? I don’t get it.”

Do you have the same issue? You don't understand what to do with toy blocks? 

Well, somewhere in the world, there’s probably a book titled “1,001 Ways to Play With Toy Blocks.” We suggest you don’t read it.

Instead, give blocks to a child. They’ll figure out what to do with them. Let them show you!

Children will use their imaginations. In their hands, a block can become anything. Let a child show you the path back to your creative and imaginative self.

And while children are great teachers, adults often want to join in the fun. That’s part of the interactive and social learning you can enjoy with block play! 

Like children, adults make up all kinds of fun games! Here are 10 common ways adults use blocks to play with children:

1. Who can build the tallest structure? The sturdiest? The prettiest?
2. Tell me a story using the blocks. What did you do today?
3. Let’s put the ABC blocks in a bag, and see if we can guess the letter on the block by feeling it!
4. Can you sort by color? By shape? By size? By letter?
5. Draw the shapes you see on the block. Draw the structure you built. Put the blocks on paper, then trace their shadows.
6. Map out the room in blocks. Map your school or the zoo.
7. Make the shape of a letter using blocks. Spell a word using blocks.
8. What kind of music can we play with the blocks? Can we tap them together? How does the sound change when we tap them on different things?
9. Let’s take turn stacking blocks to see how high we can go before it falls down! And let’s count the blocks on the way to keep score!
10. Let’s take a picture of what you built with your blocks, and then let’s see if your friends can build one like it!

There’s no end to the fun and learning you can share with blocks. It’s why they’re a time-tested and treasured toy.

We even feel bad about sharing any tip beyond “give them to a child and let them show you what to do with blocks.” It feels like cheating!

But sometimes, adults need a little help. What else would you suggest?

What other fun ways do you and your children, grandchildren, and students play with Uncle Goose blocks?