Toy blocks

These blocks were a toy played with by Maya Shaw between the ages of one to three years old. Building or stacking the blocks and then knocking them down was a favourite activity shared by Maya and her mother.

Building blocks are an old favourite for many children and come in many difference shapes, colours, sizes and materials. This brightly coloured plastic set shows the type of blocks many New Zealand children play with in the 2000s. Blocks are known to be an important educational tool for children to learn about construction, colour, numbers, shapes and texture.

The blocks are part of a group of objects collected to represent some of the key moments and everyday life of three year old Maya Shaw, who is part of Te Papa's collecting contemporary New Zealand childhood project. This is an ongoing project that includes children in the University of Auckland's Growing Up in New Zealand research.