Types of Play: Constructing

Types of Play: Building and Constructing with Kids

What is Constructive Play?

Constructive play (also known as constructing play or construction play) involves manipulating elements of the play environment to construct something new. This may involve all sorts of different construction methods – stacking, assembling, disassembling, sorting or molding, to name just a few.

Why is Constructive Play Important For Children?

Constructive play develops a vast range of skills and behaviours, including;

  • The physical skills (both fine and gross motor) necessary to manipulate and control the chosen toy or material,
  • Problem solving skills,
  • Flexible thinking skills,
  • The ability to plan the use of materials to see a design idea become a reality,
  • The ability to test ideas,
  • Perseverance in the face of construction challenges, and
  • When working with others, team work behaviours necessary to successfully and collaboratively complete a task together

Children should be encouraged to fully explore and enjoy constructive play for all of the fabulous developmental opportunities it offers, and, according to Piaget, as an important stage of play in and of itself.

Ideas for Constructive Play

Most commonly when we think of construction play, we think of building blocks or other commercial construction sets but construction play also includes activities such as;

Constructing play ideas

Download the Construction Play Ideas list above as a mini poster.

Making the Most of Constructive Play

There are so many ways to play! Here are thirteen simple ways to invite (or extend) construction play experiences in your home, childcare centre or classroom;

1. Add a range of open ended loose materials to your child’s block play (or to other construction sets) – pieces of vinyl, pieces of fabric, balls of wool, small tiles, shells, bottle tops, lengths of ribbon, planks of wood, stones.

2. Add lengths of PVC pipes, clean tin cans, and measuring tapes to your block play area.

3. Add a variety of figurines and vehicles to your construction area, to be used with construction sets.

4. Look for interesting block shapes to stretch the child’s constructing abilities.

5. Add clipboards, paper and pencils to your construction area so that children can draw their building ideas.

6. Buy a bag of wood off cuts and some strong glue as an introduction to woodworking. Over time, add a small handsaw, nails and small hammer.

7. Build cubbies or blanket forts from sheets, chairs, milk crates, large boxes, paint, hay bales, tyres, lengths of bamboo or dowel.

8. Add lengths of plastic pipe and guttering to your sandbox or mud pit.

9. Add creative materials when constructing with boxes and other recycled materials – popsticks, buttons, googly eyes, string, sequins, felt tipped pens, tape, stapler, cotton wool, paint.

10. Adding open ended materials to clay or playdough – matchsticks, popsticks, patty pans, lengths of curling ribbon, googly eyes, buttons, sequins.

11. Set preschool aged children building challenges which require them to work together to develop co-operative and language skills.

12. Teach preschoolers and primary school aged children to weave, finger knit or sew.

13. Choose engaging construction challenges for school aged kids.

What constructive play experiences do your children enjoy? Is there a new way of playing constructively you would like to try?

15 awesome building and construction toys for kids

9 Comments

  1. SquiggleMum says:

    We have a lovely but simple Plan set of blocks which the kids enjoy building with. It's been fascinating to watch my daughter's progress and development with construction as she has grown through the toddler years. I think it's important for girls to have blocks as well as boys.

  2. This is the most natural type of play for my preschool son. He can spend a long time constructing things. I have to work harder to get him involved in imaginative play and he is not yet independent (or not often) with imaginative play.

  3. katepickle says:

    Love construction play…. you can do so much more than simply build! We like to mix things up a little.. get out the duplo and the wooden blocks together and go a bit wild! LOL
    Fab post!

  4. Raising a Happy Child says:

    Great ideas on mixing materials in construction play. I really need to get better in it. Daughter loves building with Lego and with blocks, and one of her favorite toys is a big cardboard box 🙂

  5. sunny kumar says:

    Building blocks toys can advance learning and create physical aptitudes in kids. They are one of the most established and least difficult of all toys; in different shapes and painted distinctive hues. The greater part of us recall these from our own childhood. Our guardians, grandparents and numerous eras before that would likewise recollect, affectionately, the hours went through building with these toys.

  6. Construction play is so important for children’s development. Thanks for sharing these great ideas.

  7. Thank you so much for your insight! This is great for boys and girls! “Building” foundations in spacial abilities are especially important in our current educational and technological time.

Comments are closed.