Blocks Rock! is a Competitive, Educational STEM Game That Really Rocks

We love playing games at my house — it’s one of our favorite things to do as a family.

Games are so much a part of who we are that we even have an entire closet in our home dedicated to all our games: it’s stuffed with board games, card games, puzzles, you name it. 

Since we’ve been staying home a lot more, we’ve been playing a lot more games (hello, pandemic and stay-at-home orders). So, when we heard about Blocks Rock!, we were super excited to add this fun game to our collection.

Blocks Rock! is an educational game where players compete against each other to build block structures in the shortest amount of time. Players choose a card from one of the decks — you can choose the beginner deck for younger players, or the intermediate deck if you want more of a challenge. Players turn a card over, build the structure that is pictured on the card quickly and accurately, and then ring a bell that’s included in the game. The first person to complete the picture accurately and ring the bell wins one point for that round. The winner of the game is the person with the most points.

Right off the bat, one of the things that I appreciated about Blocks Rock! is that the rules of the game were simple enough for my younger son to understand within seconds. And although the idea behind the game is simple, the game play was challenging and fun for my older kid, too. Because everyone understood the rules of the game quickly, we were able to jump into playing and having fun right away.

My sons, ages 5 and 8, had a blast working their way through the beginner deck of cards. What made the game even more fun is that some of the challenges have you “build up” (make the block structures 3D and standing up) and some have you build flat on the table. You never knew which kind of structure you might be building, so my kids had to think fast and adjust their thinking throughout the game for a new cognitive challenge with each round.

Of course, I had to get in on the fun too! So, my 8-year-old and I took out the intermediate deck and competed against each other. I think my older kid liked the intermediate deck the best because it offered him more of a challenge, and by the end of the game, he was getting really good at building the structures quickly — he even beat me at several rounds!

Blocks Rock! is a competitive game, but after several rounds of competing, we found another way to play with this game: building awesome towers. The wooden blocks included in the game are really well-made, colorful and just asking to be played with — the game itself inspired us to build our own structures with our imaginations.

My early-elementary-aged kids had a lot of fun with Blocks Rock!, but preschoolers and toddlers can learn a lot from this game, as well. Our Blocks Rock! game came with an expansion set of cards for preschool-aged children (Preschool STEM Cards), in which kids can place the blocks directly on the card themselves. These cards serve as an introduction into the Blocks Rock game, and help kids learn colors, shapes and other important skills. 

Blocks Rock! also has something fun for players who are up for an even bigger challenge beyond the intermediate deck. You can download the free Blocks Rock app to find challenging 3D structures to build on your own or with another player. 

I have always encouraged my kids to play with blocks — research has shown over and over that blocks help with developing spatial ability, reasoning and STEM skills (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math). And now with Blocks Rock!, we have an entertaining and educational way to play with blocks that the whole family can get into!

For more information about Blocks Rock!, visit blocksrock.com.

Brought to you by Blocks Rock!