Construction

Activities to help develop construction play

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Construction

Construction play involves manipulating one or more pieces of play materials to create something new. This may involve a variety of methods – stacking, sticking, putting together, taking things apart, sorting or moulding, to name a few.

Construction play develops all types of skills and behaviours;

  • The motor skills necessary to create and manipulate the items
  • Imagination skills
  • Planning & ideation skills; the ability to try out and test ideas
  • Perseverance when things don’t work
  • When working with others turn taking and collaboration skills

Activity Ideas

  • Give your child plenty of opportunity to play with construction toys; not just Duplo or building blocks but playdough (see below for homemade playdough recipe) and making things from everyday objects e.g. toilet roll tubes and shoe boxes.
  • Build things with your child, talking to them all the time.  Introduce them to new worlds through your imagination.
  • Construct an obstacle course together using pillows, cushions and duvets.
  • Have a look at your ‘Play at Home’ book for other ideas.
  • Putting together a train track.
  • Making cars, rockets or houses out of cardboard boxes.
  • Building sand castles.
  • Building models with recycled materials.

 

Further Activity Ideas

  • Add new materials to your child’s building block set- empty plastic tubs, pieces of fabric, balls of wool, shells, bottle tops, lengths of ribbon, stones etc.
  • Make models from a cereal box or toilet roll tube adding lollipop sticks, buttons, googly eyes, string, sequins, felt tipped pens, tape, cotton wool, paint.
 
  • Add new materials to playdough (see below for homemade playdough recipe) – matchsticks, lollipop sticks, googly eyes, buttons, sequins etc.

Please be aware that playdough (both shop bought and homemade) may contain wheat.  Make sure you use a wheat free alternative if there is a known wheat allergy.

  • Build a den from sheets, chairs, large boxes.
  • Follow instructions to build a lego model.