Make a cube with 8 unit blocks for a child to begin play.
A child begins to put blocks together and match them.
Children play to construct their knowledge about the world and reconstruct their experiences.
Stacking one block on top of another is the first step in building.
The generally accepted standard for schools, preschools, and kindergartens is the standard unit block: 5-1/2 by 2-3/4 by 1-3/8 inches.
Unit blocks were created by Carline Pratt for the City and Country School she founded in 1914 in the Greenwich Village of New York City.
Based on the child-centered approach to education of Friedrich Froebel, the curriculum of the City and Country School was drawn from the environment of the child: observations about the neighborhood inspired each child to reflect on their world directly so that they could make sense of their experiences.
Unit blocks are based on the shapes of play gifts created by Friedrich Froebel, the originator of kindergarten education.
Friedrich Froebel gave a child blocks that are fractions of a standard unit block to create more possibilities for play and suggested this combination of shapes:
18 unit blocks:
5-1/2 by 2-3/4 by 1-3/8 inches
12 half unit blocks:
2-3/4 by 2-3/4 by 1-3/8 inches
6 unit block pillars:
5-1/2 by 1-3/8 by 1-3/8 inches
These unit blocks are made in the United States from FAS quality, knot free Michigan and Indiana maple hardwood. All blocks are rounded on the long edges and sanded and softened on the ends and corners. Tolerances are within .01 inches.
Begin with 8 unit blocks, which you can buy online for $26 plus shipping.
To give a child the combination of shapes, suggested by Friedrich Froebel, buy more blocks online.
The Froebel Gallery provides a comprehensive service to assist families and kindergartens to create sets of unit blocks to meet your needs and your budget.