What looks like a pile of construction materials is actually a powerful learning experience! At the ELC, block play gives students opportunities to build much more than towers. They build confidence, communities and brain function. As students plan, construct, knock down, and rebuild, they are developing skills that extend beyond the block area.
When students build together, they practice sharing, cooperation, turn-taking, and problem-solving, while using language to share ideas, explain their thinking, and work with friends. Blocks also invite creativity and imagination, as simple materials are transformed into houses, bridges, roads, castles, and anything else imaginable.
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And there is plenty of math and engineering happening, too! Students are naturally exploring counting, shapes, size, measurement, balance, patterns, spatial relationships, and cause and effect. When a tower falls or a bridge doesn't work, teachers question, “What can we try differently?”, building critical thinking, persistence, and confidence in our young learners.
At the ELC, we know that when students build with blocks, they are building skills for life, as they Grow Greatness Together!
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