Wooden blocks are one of the most engaging and intrinsically motivating materials in the early childhood classroom. They can promote as much—or more—learning than any other area in the room. Much learning happens from children simply exploring the blocks. However, if the presentation is thoughtful and the play is supported with careful, intentional teaching practices, learning from blocks can be even further enriched, and the children’s thinking more complex.

Blocks facilitate an array of types of learning. They teach science and engineering concepts, mathematical understandings, language and literacy, art and design forms, social studies concepts, critical thinking, and social and academic skills. They can encourage empathy, perspective-taking, self-control, self-direction, problem solving, and conflict resolution. They can assist in building relationships, promote learning to set goals, aid learning to ask for help, support perseverance in the face of frustration, aid with focus and concentration, foster decision-making skills, and more. In this article, I will explore the types of learning promoted by blocks, and how teachers can provide for and support this learning with purpose. 

The Intentional Setting Up of Blocks for Use, Care, and Clean-up 

How blocks are presented is key to creating an engaging learning experiences. Througy my experience, I suggest the following considerations.

• A simple, uncluttered arrangement of blocks on low shelves with clear shape labels—and without too many distracting accessories—is usually the most effective arrangement to begin with. 
• Organizing the blocks by shape teaches children to put away blocks in a manner that makes them readily available when needed. If children consistently have trouble finding a block they need, they may give up on building.
• The area should be large enough for four or more children to build comfortably. 
• 

  Too many accessories can easily become a distraction if not presented properly. [©Carol M. Gross]

  A substantial number of blocks should be available; at least a few hundred for a group of 4-year-olds, less for younger ages, more for older. 
• Begin the year with basic block shapes (rectangles, squares, columns, etc.) so that children can build structures that stay up and are big enough to be satisfying. 
• Only after children master basic building concepts, such as making a strong foundation, balancing blocks, and forming enclosures, accessories such as cars, human or animal figures, odd-shaped blocks, or pieces of fabric can be slowly added over time.
  If too many accessories or multiple types of blocks are available at the beginning of the year, children often play almost exclusively with those and do not explore building enough to master basic skills. Accessories can also too often end up strewn in the area, inhibiting the builds of others.
• Schedule ample time for children to build, no less than an hour, so children are not unduly interrupted when they are working. 
• The teacher should be prepared to be in the area sometimes to support the building (more on this later!).

Science and Engineering Concepts Through Blocks

Science (knowledge gained through experimentation) and engineering (application of knowledge to solve problems) are linked, and building with blocks can help children learn a myriad of science concepts and engineering principles.

In the beginning, children learn:

• how gravity works by experimenting with how to get buildings (usually towers) to stay up; 
• how blocks of specific weights and size balance on others;
• how to fit different-sized objects or blocks into a space;
• how positioning a block just right helps the building stay up; and
• how what an object is made of (its properties) affect how it stays up (for example, how wood, plastic, or metal fit in or on their buildings).

As they build more, children become interested in experimenting with: 

• inclined planes; 
• ramps at different angles to change the speed of rolling objects;
• staircases (a very complex undertaking); and 
• pulleys to move objects—if simple pulleys and small pieces of are provided from a hardware store.

If schools allow children to continue to build into their primary elementary years, they gain understanding of even more sophisticated science and engineering concepts.     

Math Learning With Blocks

Blocks provide some of the richest offerings in the area of mathematics. Unit blocks are created in whole and part sizes: a unit, half unit, double unit, quadruple unit, etc. Two half units equal a unit, two units equal a double unit. Four units equal a quadruple unit, and so on. Because of this, block play helps children learn math without knowing they are learning it. They sort and categorize based on similarities and differences, express quantities and measurements, and understand basic math concepts: how many, how many more (addition), how many less (subtraction), and what is equal. If there are no more unit-size blocks, children soon learn they can use two half units instead. They learn how geometrical shapes fit together. They begin to estimate distance in their minds, like predicting which blocks they need to make a floor level. Even without articulating the principles behind this knowledge, they can still use them in many practical ways in their lives. 

Language Development, Literacy and Blocks

Complex oral language, problem-solving, and conflict resolution can be developed through block building as children who become adept at building negotiate the differences in their ideas for what will be built, how it will be built, what to include, who will build different parts, where windows and doors will be, how many rooms and floors it will have, what it will be used for, and what accessories are needed. Children learn to express their ideas and re-express them to make their thoughts clear to each other and argue for their plan. Optimally, teachers need to be available to help children when a conflict breaks down the play and the children cannot move forward without support.

Literacy learning can happen in the block area when books, clipboards, and writing utensils are placed in the area and suggestions made about looking up different types of buildings or making signs for the buildings. Initially, some signs such as: house, store, school, and office can be placed in the area by teachers to demonstrate that print has meaning. Later, children can be helped to write their own signs. The most popular sign in one preschool room I visited was, “Don’t touch my building.” There were many of these and children used them all the time.

Extending Block Play Into Social Studies Research

Social studies learning (learning about the community, understanding family life, work, stores, offices, hospitals, rivers, maps, and so on) from block building also provides an endless variety of opportunities for extending the learning through “research” online or in in-person visits.  

Teachers can do a variety of in-depth studies or units with children on any of the above subjects or others of interest to them. They can take children on walks to look at buildings, to check if their memories of a building are accurate or to count how many floors or windows there are. They can read with children and look at pictures about buildings in other places. They can take trips inside the school, to offices or the basement to see what is in an office or what the plumbing or foundation look like. Teachers can then provide accessories, like plastic pipes, in the block area (if children are interested in the plumbing) or open-ended materials children can use for their own ideas of accessories.

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The Art of Blocks   

Art, architectural and design concepts, and visual-spatial thinking are another rich area of learning that block building can support. The building process itself naturally teaches children about symmetry, pattern, and repetition, because these are principles that help buildings stay up or look the way children want them to. Children will often discuss whether the building looks right. Many have an innate sense of art and design.

Older preschoolers (4 years and up) can begin to sketch buildings they see or sketch from photographs. Sketching helps children notice details and practice forming different types of lines. Some children may feel they cannot succeed at sketching, but with teacher support, breaking down the parts, they usually can. On neighborhood trips, provide children with clipboards with pencils attached so they can sketch things they want to remember in the buildings, offices, stores, or homes they visit. 

Children enjoy when things look special and are keen to add decorations and embellishments to their buildings. If a well-thought-out variety of open-ended recyclables are provided, they will use them imaginatively to great effect. Colored tape is a highly popular and sought-after accessory in the block area; it is used to attach signs, decorate buildings, or as part of play.

The Social and Emotional Skills of Blocks

Children are proud of their work in the block area, especially if they have spent considerable time on it. Through this feeling of pride, they can begin to take the perspective of others and understand that others are proud of their work, too, and want their buildings to be respected and not knocked down. Teachers can provide strategies for emotional regulation, such as taking a breath before acting, and help children to express their feelings. They can listen to how children feel and help them find words to describe their emotions.

The New York City pre-K curriculum begins the school year with what they call tools of autonomy. One of those tools is a feelings chart. As they implement this curriculum, teachers read stories and discuss with children what makes them sad or angry or happy or afraid. This builds a base for reminding children about self-control and using words instead of hands to express feelings. Teachers can then add more words like frustrated, anxious, or confused to help children further pinpoint their feelings.

High Scope, an early childhood curriculum used in many Head Start programs, has put out videos on helping children learn problem solving and conflict resolution. There are now clips of these videos on YouTube. They delineate simple processes to use with children to help them learn to resolve conflicts. In this process, the teacher is not responsible for solving the problem. The teacher’s role is to help children listen to each other’s feelings and come up with a mutually acceptable solution. The teacher does not need to feel the solution is workable. Only the children need to agree that it can work and that they will try it. This is an exceptionally important life skill to offer children for the rest of their lives.

The Teacher’s Role in Blocks

In addition to careful set-up of the block area and schedule, the teacher’s thoughtful participation when children are building can also be pivotal in promoting optimal learning from block play. The teacher’s appreciation of their buildings is key to sustaining children’s interest and perseverance. Ideas for engaging children in meaningful interactions include:

1. Begin by spending time, when possible, being silently present in or near the area as children work on their buildings. Children thrive on this simple attention. 

2. After some building has happened, teachers can describe features they notice about the building. This description can help children feel their work is noticed.

3. At an opportune moment that does not intrude on the children’s work, teachers can ask questions about how the children got a particular part of the building to stand up, how they created the window spaces, or other questions the building invites.

4. Teachers should be careful not to ask “what” children are building, especially in the beginning, because it is not always “something.” It may just be exploring, for instance, placing blocks in a pattern or leaning on each other.

5. Teachers can also support children’s building by documenting their work: taking photos or writing down children’s words about the building.

Children may not necessarily be able to articulate their thinking or name the principles, but they intuitively understand a gamut of concepts, and because of these early explorations, will more easily grasp the terms when they reappear in upper grades. Their understanding at this point is kinesthetic (in their bodies), akin to knowing how to ride a bicycle but not how to describe how they do it. The learning is still valid and important without children being able to name it. 

Even though extensive teaching of terms is not necessary, some terms, like “foundation,” may be useful to offer to children to help them create strong buildings. Some questions about how they made something stay up or balance can be valuable to help them reflect on and articulate their thinking.

None of this learning happens quickly—for the teachers or the children. It takes time and practice for children to learn to build effectively and for teachers to learn to support the work/play. Children will often go through the following stages as they learn to build:

Stage 1: The discovery of blocks; e.g., very young children may just carry blocks around. 

Stage 2: Children begin stacking. At this stage, the blocks will often fall. Some children enjoy the chaos of this and some are frustrated by it. The feelings must be acknowledged and children must be helped to deal with the frustration so they can persevere past this roadblock. 

Stage 3: Complex stacking.

Stage 4: Children will begin constructing enclosures after the task of simple stacking is no longer satisfying.

Stage 5: Children experiment with bridges and arches.

Stage 6: Children combine enclosures and bridges.

Stage 7: Children create patterns and symmetry.

At this stage or even earlier, children are on their way to creating an unlimited number and type of buildings. Their creativity and experience will lead them. Below is a summary of a few of the concepts learned through block building. (Some concepts are repeated in multiple areas because they provide multiple learnings.)

Much of the knowledge and skills block building teaches are also nurtured in other areas of the early childhood classroom. For this reason, it is not necessary, as some teachers mistakenly think, to ask children to change areas when they are busy in an area or prefer a particular area. Allowing children to make choices according to their preferences and dwell in one area for long periods of time, within reason, is justified. It is not necessary to push children to use all the areas of the room or even a variety of areas. 

If a child learns to build a tall building that is sturdy and stays up, they can then create anything they want. However, that takes time and practice. Teachers can offer the gift of time and space in the block area. 

To children who are drawn to this medium, blocks offer the rich learning described earlier and more … for many years. If teachers can provide for appropriate use of the materials and support their learning, the children will happily do the rest.

References

Chalufour, I. and Worth, K. (2004). Building Structures with Young Children. Redleaf Press.

Epstein, A. (2007). The Intentional Teacher. National Association for the Education of Young Children.

Garcia, S.N. (n.d.). How SEL Helps You as a Teacher. Understood. Understood.org 

Friedman, S. (2015). What the Research Tells Us about Block Play and STEM Learning. Naeyc.org 

Galinsky, E. (2010). Mind in the Making: The Seven Essential Life Skills Every Child Needs. Harper Studio.

Gross, C.M. (2012). Science Concepts Young Children Learn Through Water Play. Dimensions of Early Childhood 40(2), 3-11.

Herron, J. (2011). Making Speech Visible: How Constructing Words Can Help Children Organize Their Brains for Skillful Reading. Talking Fingers Publications.

Hirsch, E. (1996). The Block Book. Third Edition. National Association for the Education of Young Children.

Machon, A. (2013). Children’s Drawings: The Genesis and Nature of Graphic Representation. Fibulas.

Simon, F. (2021). Engineering with Nature: Learning Through Construction Play. [Webinar]. Early Childhood Investigations Webinars.

Using a Block Center to Teach Engineering. (2018). ExtendED Notes. extendednotes.com