![]() ![]() Recognition of work and effort is important, building confidence and inspiring further intense block play.Ĭlean up is a life skill and can be a positive experience. Before packing up, use the opportunity to acknowledge each structure. When it is not possible to save constructions, take a photo to display. This allows learning to be extended over time and shows children that their work is respected. Let children save their creations at the end of the day whenever possible. The group will need to think through basic rules, such as no throwing of blocks and respect for others constructions. Or define the area with pieces of furniture such as the block shelf or low cabinets, thereby providing security and teacher visibility. Nursery planners recommend a room corner, which provides protection from traffic. Establish a designated area for block play. A well-made cared-for set of blocks will outlast decades of children. Location and care of the block set are important too. Allow enough time for the children to become engrossed in what they are creating. If you only have fifteen or twenty minutes, don’t attempt block play. ![]() Setting up the environment for block play By being quietly present, the teacher supports children’s happy focus. Be ready to provide accessories or interesting materials that might add play value. Be an enthusiastic bystander, ready to ask open-ended questions that begin with ‘Why do you think…’or ‘What if…’ But never make suggestions unless it becomes necessary to intervene should a child need encouragement to get started or for safety reasons. Your presence in the construction area will build children’s confidence. ![]() The teacher’s role in block play is vital, to know each child and to quietly observe. A frustrated child may find release in knocking down towers. The diffident child may gain confidence, because there is no right or wrong way of building with blocks. ![]() A shy or insecure child may create a safe haven in his building. Children learn to create, bouncing ideas off one another and thinking for themselves, thus fulfilling the ultimate goal of education.Įach child is unique, and personalities often surface during block play. As children naturally group and regroup during block play, interaction leads to cooperation in ideas, construction, and problem solving. Frank Lloyd Wright said his decision to become an architect was shaped by playing with blocks. For four, five, and six year olds, block play becomes a doorway to discovery of maths, technology, engineering, design and even architecture. It offers natural exposure to likenesses and differences of shapes, counting, sizes, and amounts. Block play is developmental, for it progresses as a child discovers and applies new possibilities. Teachers note improvement in fine and large muscle control and of motor skills such as lifting, stacking, and balancing. Through interrelating, the social skills of language and communication develop. Have you ever stopped to think why this is so? Just why are they so brilliant?īlock play offers a vast range of experiences. The wooden unit block has become a password, the core of the curriculum for many who work with groups of young children. Block sets are now readily available containing the full range: the base unit block, doubles, quadruples, halves, triangles, ramps, cylinders, and arches. It is many years since Froebel, followed by American educator Caroline Pratt, focused the eye of early childhood educators on the value of the ‘ unit block’ and block play. ![]()
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