Building with blocks is often the first time a child explores the concept of building. This theme is good for a wide age range, from babies, to toddlers, to preschoolers. For older children, offer a Lego building program.
For a storytime hands-on activity, offer some Duplo blocks for a free-play time at the end of storytime. Or make these blocks out of cardstock paper: www.firstpalette.com/Craft_themes/Alphabet_and_Numbers/alphabetpaperblocks/alphabetpaperblocks.html .
Barrett, Mary Brigid. All Fall Down. Toddlers build towers of blocks and joyfully knock them down.
Clanton, Ben. Rex Wrecks It! Toys build with the blocks in the playroom, but a toy dinosaur knocks down the blocks every time!
Dewdney, Anna. Llama Llama Time to Share. Will Llama share his blocks with new neighbor Nelly?
Dickson, Irene. Blocks. Ruby and Benji play with their blocks but don’t share in this very simple but charming picture book.
Doodler, Todd H. Super Rawr! A dinosaur wearing a cape leaps over a stack of blocks during show and tell.
Golan, Avirama. Little Naomi, Little Chick. Naomi plays with blocks at school while her little chick does something similar on the farm.
Haworth, Katie. Terrible Tim! Tim isn’t really terrible, just exuberant, in this funny story. He knocks down his tower of blocks.
Hutchins, Pat. Changes, Changes. In this imaginative story, dolls transform their house made of building blocks into a fire engine to combat a fire.
Meyers, Susan. Rock-a-bye Room. A mother and daughter sing and say goodnight to various things in the room, including the toy blocks.
Ohi, Ruth. Chicken, Pig, Cow’s First Fight. After building a town of blocks, the three animal friends fight and break a toy statue made by the little girl who lives there.