WOODEN BLOCK – DIVERSE APPLICATIONS

A wooden block as a toy component can have a wide variety of uses and applications in your kid’s day care or play school. Most schools use it as a jigsaw puzzle wherein pieces of wooden block are given to kids and they are asked to assemble a particular building or structure that resembles a building or a dam or a bridge etc., by this activity, kids get the confidence that they are building something. This also improves the color and shape perception of the kids when they try to fit each block into something else to make a new thing.

The creativity of your kid takes a new dimension when he/she does this activity or game with a wooden block. They try to create new things or structures using existing blocks. This is a small simulation of real time situation where you have to create a solution from existing bits and pieces of data. This largely helps them to think out of the box and enhances their intelligence.

Apart from the educational use of this wooden block, there are other uses to it. Wooden block printing is a technique of printing on textiles, paper and other material which originated from the East Asian part of the world. The wooden block is first taken and cut into the required shape either square or rectangular. The required pattern to be carved is sketched and then a carve of the same is made. This wooden block can be dipped in different dyes and when pressed on cloth or paper, the same pattern gets replicated on the base material.

Ukiyo-e was the best form of wooden block printing which originated from japan from a long time. The pattern which has to come on the base cloth has to be not carved out. Or in other words, the part of the pattern which comes out is the one which is to be printed. Hence, carving is made for those portions which have to be excluded from printing. This way, the whole pattern gets replicated on the base material.

It is interesting to note that the wooden block can also be called the predecessor of the modern press. When machine press was not available, these wooden blocks were used as presses with heavy weights put on top of them to make the pattern come on the base material. Hence, the wooden block has a strong legacy behind it and hence is historical to have your child also play with a wooden block game.