Construction play – what it is, its developmental benefits, and how settings can best provide, support and resource for it. By Penny Tassoni
Adults should observe what children are doing in order to cater for individual needs around construction play
Adults should observe what children are doing in order to cater for individual needs around construction play

In nearly every early years setting we will find children purposefully building a structure. It may be a boat, a castle or a complex circuit of track for a train set. Building things seems to be a source of both fascination and enjoyment for many children, and so construction play has been a key resource for many years.

The term ‘construction play’ is used to describe any type of play in which children are physically creating structures. It includes ‘block play’, where children manipulate different sizes and shapes of wooden blocks, as well as the interlocking bricks such as Duplo and Lego. Construction play can also come in the form of random real-life objects such as crates, guttering and tubing that children use to create dens or slides for cars and balls.

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