Child Development: Blocks Help Language Acquisition?

A small study reported from the Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine and reported in Reuters seems to indicate that playing with blocks helps advance language learning. The study was relatively small and funded by Mega Bloks, so there's a bit of an asterisk hanging over it but it's interesting nonetheless.

I'm not sure that blocks are really key here, though. From the article:

Such play may also substitute for less stimulating activities such as watching television, [Study author Dimitri Christakis] said, adding parents ought to be skeptical of some toy-makers' claims.

"An increasing number of media-based products are making unsubstantiated claims that they can make children smarter, more literate, and more musical," Christakis wrote.

Bottom Line:
Interacting with the real world and doing physical problem-solving is much better than TV for child development. However, for language acquisition, blocks will not be enough. Interactive reading, talking and playing with your child not only do wonders for building your relationship, but also help with all manner of development including language.

Source
Playing with blocks helps with language, study finds

See Also
Kids Health: TV and Attention Problems
One More Reason to Kill Your TV