Parents who wish to nurture their children's intellectual development may want to provide them with building blocks, as new research reveals that these simple toys can later influence their grasp on topics in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).

To see how playing with blocks can influence learning, researchers from Temple's Infant Lab placed children and their parents in three different study scenarios. In the free play situation, participants were allowed to use the blocks as they normally would at home. During preassembled play, blocks were glued together in fixed structures, and in guided play, kids followed graphic instructions to create a particular structure.

Children who took part in the guided play situation formed a better understanding of space and spatial talk, or words such as "around," "over" and "through."

"This study gives parents news they can use," said Nora Newcombe, co-director of Temple's Infant Lab. "It shows that, rather than leaving kids alone with a preassembled activity, interactive play that draws out conversation is best at facilitating spatial development."

Parents who are wondering what impact, if any, their children's playing habits are having on their intellectual development can have them take a kids spatial IQ test.