This episode’s focus is the block area. We look at what’s going on in those busy building centers of the early childhood classroom, and why it’s important to keep those big spaces open for construction, even when there’s pressure to move the blocks out to make room for “real school”.
Don’t underestimate the simple nature of a collection of rectangles, squares, and triangles made out of hardwood maple. When children play with construction toys (which include the ever-present unit blocks, of course, but also other open-ended building toys like Legos, magnet tiles, bristle blocks, architectural blocks etc.) they get hands-on experience that simply can’t be replaced by virtual imitations.
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Notes from the Show:
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Effect of Block Play on Language Acquisition and Attention in Toddlers (2007)
Block Talk: Spatial Language During Block Play (2011)
Block Play Performance Among Preschoolers As a Predictor of Later School Achievement in Mathematics (2009)
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