What Can Children Learn From Construction Play?

In this blog, you will learn:

• What Construction Play is and how it helps develop language in Early Years.
• What resources are required for Construction Play and the role Teachers play.
• Examples of Construction Play and construction skills in Early Years Foundation Stage.
• Discover more about our education recruitment services.

In todays’ fast-paced world, the importance of play in a child’s development cannot be overstated. Construction Play offers a unique blend of educational benefits and learning opportunities that are crucial for a child’s growth. 

As a Teacher, it is important to understand the value of Construction Play and how it can positively impact and shape the minds of the future generation. Construction Play provides children with hands-on learning experience through engaging activities and exploration. 

From learning social skills to developing language and vocabulary, there are just a few of the things children can learn from Construction Play.

What is Construction Play?

Construction Play, also known as constructive or manipulative play, is all about building, making and manipulating things to create something new. Children use various materials and objects around them to create structures. They learn from the process and by focusing on what it is they want to build while playing.

Construction Play can begin as early as 2 years old when toddlers start creating intentionally. It is a process that is encouraged for several years as the intentions of the child depends on their age, maturity and experience.

How can Construction Play help develop language in Early Years?

Many nurseries and schools adopt Construction Play as there are lots of benefits for children and Early Years. Construction Play is crucial for children’s development as it enhances their cognitive, physical, social and emotional skills and helps children develop new skills.

Due to its popularity, Construction Play encourages children to cooperate, collaborate and take turns, all of which can positively impact their speaking and communication skills. By being polite and sharing ideas and plans with others, children are practising their communication skills and developing their language in a playful but effective way.

When aiding Constructive Play, Teachers encourage children to describe their creations in order to demonstrate their vocabulary and language skills. Ask the child to go into detail about their creation including how many items they used. This can help to develop a child’s early mathematical vocabulary, as well as general descriptive vocabulary.

What resources are required for Construction Play?

10 resources required for Construction Play:

• Car tyres.
• Crates.
• Wooden blocks.
• Tiles.
• Cardboard tubes and cardboard boxes.
• Cogs.
• Wheels.
• Fabric and craft materials.
• Playdough or clay.
• Natural materials such as sticks, stones, shells, conkers, acorns and leaves.

What is the role of Teachers in Construction Play?

Teachers use Construction Play inside and outside of the classroom and play an active role to encourage children to engage in Construction Play. There are many ways Teachers can have a positive impact on Early Years by actively supporting them when using tools and building things.

Teachers can provide children with opportunities to engage in Construction Play by setting a task such as asking children to create an object (car, house, tower etc). They can provide writing materials so children can plan their creations and demonstrate their thoughts and theories.

Teachers can ask students to consider materials, structure and scale when planning and building and provide children with different materials and examples to construct. They can also help find inspiration outdoors and in different areas to keep things engaging and interesting for students.

Children will no doubt face obstacles and challenges during Construction Play, so it is important for Teachers to answer any questions and provide support to develop children’s problem solving skills. It can be beneficial to get down on the child’s level and encourage less confident learners to get involved; however, it’s important to remember that children lead the play.

What is an example of Construction Play?

There are many examples of Construction Play for Early Years that promote healthy growth and learning development. It can be anything from building and playing with construction toys and blocks, to digging - as long as children are making something intentionally and creatively, Construction Play can be a powerful learning tool.

How to enhance a construction area in EYFS?

Set up a specific area for Constructive Play equipped with open-ended materials and tools to facilitate a space for exploration, creation and fun. Enhance your construction area with the right resources and tools to ensure that children are in an environment that encourages them to engage in Construction Play.

Create a wood workshop or den consisting of real life (these could be objects seen at home or recycled items) to give students a better understanding of the world. Incorporate natural materials and the outdoors to give children more opportunities to discover, explore and learn and foster an enthusiasm for the outdoor world.

Include a variety of different everyday objects and materials to give children the opportunity to explore different textures and their senses, and make sure the resources are easily accessible.

Ensure that the Construction Area is filled with loose parts and malleable modelling materials so children know that objects can be moved, moulded and manipulated into a number of things.

Recruit teaching staff

As a specialist education recruitment agency, we support mainstream and SEND schools with their temporary, permanent and temp-perm staffing needs. 

We currently work with hundreds of schools and have exclusive access to some of the best Teachers and Teaching Assistants in the North West.

If you’re struggling to fill a teaching vacancy, why not get in touch with one of our team to see how we can help?

• Primary schools - Jimmy Callagher 
• Secondary schools - Liam Jones
• SEND schools - Jamie Heath 

Teaching jobs

If you’re searching for your next teaching job, why not take a look at the latest teaching vacancies, or simply upload your CV to be notified when a relevant position becomes available.

Who is Spencer Clarke Group?

Established in 2017, we’re a vibrant and progressive recruitment agency based in the heart of the North West. 

We continually reimagine the recruitment process to challenge convention and defy expectations; from creating a better recruitment experience to remodelling employee engagement, we thrive off doing things differently and turning heads along the way. 

We operate in two sectors:

Private Sector

Public Sector 

In eleven specialisms:

Accountancy & Finance

Education & SEND

Construction, Trades & Labour

Healthcare, Social Care & Nursing

Housing

Corporate Functions & Business Support

HR & Workforce Development

IT & Digital

Property & Asset Management  

Planning, Development & Regeneration 

Highways, Infrastructure & Engineering