In nearly every early years setting we will find children purposefully building a structure. It may be a boat, a castle or a complex circuit of track for a train set. Building things seems to be a source of both fascination and enjoyment for many children, and so construction play has been a key resource for many years.
The term ‘construction play’ is used to describe any type of play in which children are physically creating structures. It includes ‘block play’, where children manipulate different sizes and shapes of wooden blocks, as well as the interlocking bricks such as Duplo and Lego. Construction play can also come in the form of random real-life objects such as crates, guttering and tubing that children use to create dens or slides for cars and balls.
BENEFITS
Construction play has many developmental benefits as, depending on the resources used, it can offer children a range of open-ended play opportunities. It offers endless opportunities for children to express their creativity, but also to problem-solve.
Emotional and social development
There are many aspects of emotional and social development that construction play supports. First, it offers children a safe way to experience a wide range of emotions. They include pride and a sense of achievement when children feel that they have completed a self-set goal.
Children also experience risk and thrill as they experiment to see what will happen when they explore the physical limits of structures. Children can also feel disappointment and dejection in those moments when their ideas have not worked out. A small slip of the hand or over-zealous enthusiasm by a playmate may also provoke frustration and anger.
All of these emotions are often present in construction play and can be seen as opportunities for children to develop self-regulation, as well as resilience and perseverance.
This type of play also offers opportunities for children to work either alongside others or collaboratively. This can develop children’s ability to co-operate and enjoy working for a shared goal. In some situations, we may also see children learning from each other, copying processes and ideas.
Communication and language
There is a significant link between language and cognition. As construction play becomes more complex, we can sometimes hear this in action as children use language to plan and problem-solve. This they may do with others, but we may also hear ‘self-talk’. Self-talk is wonderful to listen to as it is effectively a window into a child’s thinking. How much children are able to use language to support planning and problem solving does, however, depend on previous adult input.
As well as the tie-up between language and cognition, this type of play also encourages children to use their language to negotiate and also listen to others.
Science and mathematics
Construction play offers children first-hand experiences of both early science and mathematics and is the reason why some experts would argue this is an essential type of play for all children to experience.
Children learn to select according to shape and size and also work out how to fit things together. They learn about scale and measurement as they work out what can or cannot fit. Through the construction of vertical structures, children learn about stability and how to make things stable. Children also learn about sequencing and processes, as quite often a step-by-step approach is needed to complete goals.
Physical development
Construction play develops a child’s hand-eye co-ordination and ability to manipulate objects. In addition, children need some level of stability as they sit, squat or stand while manoeuvring a piece into place.
Spatial awareness is also a key area for development as children need to understand their position in relation to the structure and resources they are using. Where play also involves large-scale resources, children use gross motor skills.
AGES AND STAGES
How children play with construction resources depends partly on their age, but also their experience with different resources.
Babies and toddlers
Construction play can begin very early, although at first it often takes the form of destruction. Older babies and toddlers enjoy watching a tower of bricks, tins or boxes being built before they knock it over.
This is very much an exploratory phase. Toddlers, for example, may simply enjoy carrying bricks and items around or passing them over to an adult. They may also try to stand on items or, in the case of interlocking bricks, pull them apart. When children start to build, they often begin by making a tower or laying out objects in rows. They may also attempt to join interlocking resources together or pull them apart.
Resources
Resources for this age group include:
- stacking cups
- stacking boxes
- wooden cubes and blocks
- biscuit tins and cardboard tubes
- Duplo
- foam blocks.
Two to five years
Once children have mastered some of the early construction skills, such as being able to build a tower with bricks or to join interlocking bricks, their play, over time, becomes more complex.
Increasingly, they select specific resources, such as wheel bases to create cars or arches to create bridges. While there remains an exploratory feel to play for some time, as children develop we will see the emergence of clear plans and goals. Children will articulate what they are doing, such as building a house or a boat.
Over time with increased language and social skills, we will also see pairs or small groups collaborate. For some children, the rationale for their construction play is combined with small-world play. They may import farm animals, play people or dinosaurs into their play.
Where larger-scale resources are available, children may create structures that form the basis for role play, such as making a den out of poles and fabric or a boat from block play. They may also use drain pipes and tubes to create water falls, car or marble runs.
Resources
For this age group, aim to provide:
- wooden blocks
- interlocking resources, such as Lego and Duplo
- train sets
- magnetic building kits
- wooden construction kits with bolts, wheels and screws
- real-life items such as plastic crates, fabric, drain pipes, cardboard tubes and boxes.
PLANNING
To maximise the learning from construction play, the range of possibilities available to children needs to be as wide as possible, and opportunities for construction need to be available both indoors and outdoors. Remember too that children often need time to try out different ideas and can become frustrated if they have to pack away before finishing. Therefore:
- Think about the physical space that children will need in order to use the resources.
- Look out for a wide range of resources so that children have plenty of different options.
- Consider putting out natural materials such as pine cones or small-world play resources alongside the construction resources so that children can incorporate them in their play if they wish.
- Put out paper and mark-making items alongside construction play resources so children have the option of drawing plans and creating signs.
- Think about how you can record children’s work – for example, through photographs or video.
THE ADULT ROLE
Providing and supporting construction play is a real skill. Adults need to be able to alter their approach according to the needs of the child – observing carefully and recognising what is needed at any one time. Here are ways in which we might support this type of play:
Modelling
Some children need us to model the use of construction play. Watching us as we are involved with the materials and resources can entice some children to come over and take an interest. They may then want to join us as either collaborators or to play in parallel.
Initiating projects
There are times when some children may benefit from adults who initiate projects or ideas. This approach is useful as a way of encouraging children who rarely visit the construction area. It works best when the mission feels relevant to children and is carried out in a way that allows them to take ownership.
Supporting children through difficulties
Sometimes, adults are needed by children when there is a temporary difficulty. They may have run out of space or resources or are struggling to make something work.
In this role, adults are helping rather than taking over. There is a balance to be struck when deciding how quickly to help out. Too early and we run the risk of denying children the opportunity to problem-solve; too late and children can lose interest in the play.
Being narrator and recorder
One of the roles that adults can take to extend children’s learning is to act as a narrator during play or as a recorder afterwards. By talking to children and narrating what they are doing, we can model vocabulary and extend their language. We can also act as a recorder of children’s activity. Together we can photograph or scribe what they have been doing.
GENDER
While construction play is developmentally important in helping children’s early mathematics, science and spatial awareness, it is also thought to influence children’s later attitudes towards STEM (science, maths, engineering and technology) subjects. Unfortunately, in some early years settings, construction play is used more by some boys, with fewer girls engaging with it.
Some adults do not appear to be concerned by this, taking the view that it is up to children themselves to choose what to do. In my experience, the same standpoint is rarely taken when it comes to boys who do not engage in mark-making or other early literacy activities!
Close observation
A good starting point for early years settings is to observe carefully the behaviours of children around the construction resources and to focus on three particular questions:
- Are there groups or individual children who do not play with construction resources?
- Are there children who start to engage with these materials but quickly lose interest?
- How do adults engage with construction play?
Widening the appeal
To make construction play appealing for children:
- Look at children’s current play interests. How could construction activity build on these?
- Consider providing props, resources, photographs and materials which provide cues that this can be a female activity.
- Plan adult-initiated activities that involve construction and invite individual or pairs of children to join you.
- Initiate play with construction materials and invite specific children to come and join you.
REFLECTION POINTS
There are three key terms that Ofsted now considers when looking at the quality of education within a setting. These are Intention, Implementation and Impact. Here are some questions that may help you to reflect on your provision of construction play.
Intent
- What are you hoping that children will learn through construction play?
- How do you choose construction play resources for your setting?
- How do you decide which resources to make available?
- What is the role of the adult in supporting construction play?
- How do you ensure that construction play appeals to a wide range of children?
- When do you use adult-guided activities and what is their purpose?
Implementation
- Is there sufficient space for children to play satisfactorily?
- Are there sufficient resources to extend children’s learning through this type of play?
- Do adults monitor which children do not seek out this type of play?
- How do they encourage children to engage with this type of play?
- Do adults help enrich and facilitate learning through play?
- Are adults sensitive to children’s ideas and supporting them?
- How do adults interact with children to extend specific vocabulary and to draw their attention to concepts?
Impact
- Are children engaged and absorbed in their play?
- Do children show creativity and imagination in their play?
- Do older children with experience of this play show increased complexity in their play?
- Do older children have the specific vocabulary needed to talk about their ideas and the concepts involved in this play?