Construction or building play is a vital aspect of early childhood development, offering opportunities to build, create, and explore. When children engage in construction or building play, they are intentionally and creatively engaging with materials with a predetermined goal. That goal may be to match an existing design or to randomly come up with one of their own. When children construct, they are behaving curiously, and using that curiosity to engage in hands-on inquiry work.
The learning benefits offered by building play are many. These include the following areas:
Motor skill: Construction play exercises children’s fine and gross motor abilities, developing strength, precision, and hand-eye coordination.
Imaginative play: Building play allows children to construct and create visual representations of imagined worlds and scenarios.
Language: When children engage in construction play with others, they typically use language to negotiate play, communicate expectations, challenge competing perspectives, and advocate for their perspectives.
Creativity: With open-ended building play, children use the materials creatively to express their internal vision for the construction of a project. This freedom to create fosters innovation and exploration of new ideas.
Critical Thinking: Construction play helps develop spatial awareness and encourages children to think logically and solve problems.
Mathematics: During construction play, children explore mathematical concepts such as counting, shapes, sizes, symmetry, mass, weight, balance, spatial positioning, and more.
Science: With building play, children explore cause & effect, gravity, balance, physics, and more.
Resilience: When a structure collapses or doesn’t turn out as planned, children learn to adapt, reassess and try again.
Emotional Regulation: Building something intricate can be challenging, and children learn to manage frustration, remain patient and regulate their feelings.
Confidence: Perhaps one of the most rewarding benefits is a sense of accomplishment. The process of planning, building, and completing their project gives children pride and reinforces their belief in their abilities.
Incorporating construction play into a child’s daily routine not only supports their holistic growth but also instills a lifelong love of exploration and learning.
Discovery Toys offers a rich collection of award-winning, time-tested, kid-powered Construction Play products for all ages!