Nursery World - Learning & Development: Blockplay

A deeper understanding of children's blockplay and significant improvements in practice in different types of settings were discovered in a unique research project by early years consultants Daniel Spry, Pauline Latchford and Annabel Hollis.

Using Government money allotted to help early years settings improve their resources, we offered blocks and training to 96 childcare providers with a view to developing this as an action-based research project. Our aim was to explore how blockplay can support sustained shared thinking across all areas of learning and development for children aged two to five, particularly boys.

The project has enabled practitioners to:

Two groups were involved in the project. The first, comprising 48 pre-schools and day nurseries, were offered in-depth training. They received:

The second group, 48 childminders, received training (a one-day course and evening cluster group meetings), a set of Community Playthings mini-unit blocks, and a camera.

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