Some children are drawn to blocks. Early childhood educators will be familiar with a group of children who gravitate towards the construction area. Block building can be incredibly social, as children learn from each other and collaborate on group projects.
Children who love block toys may also love real-life buildings and construction vehicles.
Types of construction toys
There are a myriad of commercial block building and construction toys available. Some of the most common in early childhood education are:
Wooden blocks, Mega Bloks, LEGO, Duplo, Mobilo, Poly M, Polydron, Stickle Bricks, magnetic blocks, Weplay large tactile blocks, and foam blocks.
The selection of products available is rapidly expanding to include complex preschool toys with moving parts, like marble runs and gears. But remember, children get as much benefit from building with free loose parts like cardboard boxes and timber scraps.
EYLF learning outcomes
Construction toys are the ultimate STEM and engineering experience. Educators often wonder how to teach babies about STEM - give them blocks! As they grow older, their constructions will increase in difficulty and complexity.
The benefits of block play:
- Learning about size, shape, length, weight, comparison, number, estimation and symmetry.
- Developing balance, coordination, fine motor skills, and muscle strength.
- Developing commitment, enthusiasm, persistence, confidence, imagination, cooperation and creativity (4.1).
- Problem solving, inquiry, experimentation, hypothesising, researching and investigating (4.2).
Learning experiences
Build vertically
Children benefit from working on a vertical surface, but it is rarely offered. It supports children's posture, spatial awareness and coordination.
- Attach Duplo or LEGO boards to a wall, so children can build on them vertically.
- Show children how to create their own marble run by taping cardboard tubes to a wall. This is a fantastic experience for emerging engineers.
- Hang pieces of Mobilo (or a similar construction toy that can easily have string tied to it) from the ceiling or a climbing frame. The children can now build their own hanging constructions.
Film stop motion
There are many apps for creating stop motion animations, so children can make their own films. An easy way to start is by using building blocks. They will look like they are moving by themselves!
- Download a stop animation app and read its instructions.
- Use a tripod or wedge the camera into a lump of playdough on a table, so it doesn't move.
- Place a block on the table in front of the camera. Take a photo.
- Move the block very slightly, or add another block on top of it. Take another photo.
- Continue the process as many times as you'd like.
- Play back the sequence of photos. You now have your own animation!
Build small worlds
Add blocks to a small world scene that includes other loose parts like playdough, bottle tops, ribbons, tiny people, and toy cars. Small worlds can follow a theme (e.g. construction site, city, underwater world) or be open-ended.
Create large-scale, collaborative constructions
What would happen if all the blocks took over your classroom for one day? Consider a project all your children can work on together, using all the blocks. They could create a super-large, collaborative city!
Follow instructions
Many construction toys come with visual instructions to follow. While following instructions isn't a play-based learning experience, some children find it rewarding. It can offer a challenge, teach persistence, inspire new ideas, and allow children to achieve something they couldn't have otherwise. Educators can assist children through one-on-one interactions.
An alternative play-based idea is for children to give their own instructions. In pairs, one child is the builder while another child describes what to do (e.g. "put the small blue block on top of the yellow block"). This learning experience provokes descriptive language, math concepts, and cooperation.
Spot the difference
Construct two, almost identical, buildings out of blocks. Then ask children to spot the difference between the two buildings. The difference might be the colour, shape, position or absence of a particular block.
Learning environments
Add loose parts
Add loose parts to your construction area. How could items like plastic lids, pebbles, translucent fabric, or feathers influence your children's buildings?
Add stationery
Take writing materials away from tables and add them to your construction area. Offer children clipboards, paper, sticky tape, flattened-out cardboard boxes, scissors, pencils and coloured markers.
- Children can make signs for their buildings (e.g. "don't knock me over", "give way" or "fire station").
- Cardboard can be roads for toy cars to drive on. Children can use pens to make their own road markings.
- Children can use tape to stick small loose parts to the sides of their buildings.
Add large materials
Does your service offer large materials that the children can rearrange within their learning environment? This was the original meaning behind the theory of loose parts.
Adding items like milk crates, wooden planks, tree stumps, ladders, and extra-large blocks provides opportunities for heavy lifting and risky play. Gain inspiration from Anji Play, an educational philosophy from Anji County in China.
Family and community connections
Host a construction day
Organise a day (or an entire week) when family members can visit and build with their children. You could make a special space in your foyer, outdoor area or classroom that is comfortable for both adults and children. Offer a variety of building blocks and construction toys.
This is an excellent opportunity to promote your program (tell families about the educational benefits of blocks) and involve family members in play. Most families don't own the variety of construction toys that early learning centres have, and many adults enjoy tinkering with building blocks too!
Interactions
Educators can sit with children and describe their construction play. This will help develop early language and numeracy skills:
- "You have a very big, blue block Samuel. Is it heavy?"
- "Amy, how did you balance that tall tower of blocks? Impressive!"
- "How many triangles are there? Let's count them."
- "It's time to pack away. Can everyone put ten blocks back on the shelf?"
Reflections
- Do you allow children to mix different construction toys? Why or why not?
- Do girls play in the construction area? Are they welcome? Do they play comfortably alongside boys?
- Are there enough of the most popular blocks?
- How can you integrate block play into different learning domains, like art and dramatic play?
Resources
Music
Sing and learn: The build it up song