Block Play - Make It,
Break It, Recreate It!
Duplos, Legos, Tree, Cube and Unit blocks are valuable
concept-building materials. During block play, while
children explore the various sizes and shapes in a set,
they will be making comparisons, classifications and
predictions. They will both fail and succeed while
balancing and exploring the principles of cause and effect.
As toddlers develop, they become interested in exploring
and using many types of materials to CREATE their own
“products.” The emphasis here is on the creation process,
however, and the product may be destroyed, created again or
left behind. It is in the process of creation that toddlers
learn about the attributes or specific characteristics of
materials (size, weight, texture, etc.). And, it is in the
process of creation that the toddler’s curiosity moves to
inventiveness and problem solving.
The typical progression of block play is cumulative in it’s
development from infancy through early childhood. Briefly,
the phases include:
Phase I. We see children simply mouthing, handling or
carrying the blocks.
Phase II. Children begin to make rows and lines of blocks –
sometimes quite long!
Phase III. Stacking and building simple bridges becomes the
focus.
Phase IV. We see the evolution of simple enclosures like
fences, to enclose or cover other items, like toy farm
animals.
Phase V. Children begin to construct patterns which might
be symmetrical or balanced like sculptures they have seen.
Phase VI. This phase include naming structures and using
them in dramatic play; dinosaur caves or fairly castles.
Phase VII. The construction and naming of structures begins
to represent familiar buildings like home or school.
For more information paste the following links into your
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www.communityplaythings.com/c/Resources/Articles/BlockPlay/Buildingachildsmind.htm
www.teachingstrategies.com/pages/page.cfm?pageid=53
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