Friedrich Frobel, the originator of kindergarten education, who believed in the value of play to shape behaviour and aid in children's intellectual and emotional growth.

Unit blocks, developed by early childhood education pioneer Caroline Pratt in 1913, are wooden bricks, in carefully chosen sizes and shapes, found in classrooms in America.

Frobel spent the first half of the 19th century tinkering with the oddball notion that even very young children could learn scientific, artistic and natural principles simply by playing with various physical objects.

Educational theorists cite a laundry list of the benefits that children derive from playing with unit blocks.

This was a big departure from the idea of learning via adult-led activities.

Frobel's principles were widely adopted after his death in 1852, the idea of using concrete objects to establish a basis for later abstract knowledge remained at the centre of this approach.

The different shapes of unit blocks lay the foundations for basic maths and geometry.

The need to place blocks carefully develops hand-eye co-ordination.

Balance and collapse teach the nature of gravity.

Ramps and columns can be used to make simple levers and fulcrums.

In fact, multiple studies over several decades back up these claims, with some finding that children who play with blocks significantly outperform those who do not, not just in infancy but over their entire academic careers. Thank you.