Children in Fir Class at St Philip’s Marsh Nursery School have been immersed in construction play this month, building everything from towering structures to intricate small-scale designs.
The children have been working independently or together, either coming up with their own ideas or collaborating to bring shared visions to life. Some children have focused on solo projects, carefully selecting materials and testing their ideas, whilst others have worked as teams, negotiating roles and combining their creative thinking to achieve ambitious builds.
The children have been using a variety of objects and shapes, discovering how different materials can be combined and connected whilst exploring balance, stability, and spatial relationships. Significant problem-solving has been required to resolve issues such as finding ways to balance, developing critical thinking skills, and helping children test, adjust, and retry their constructions until they succeed.
These open-ended construction activities support mathematical thinking, spatial awareness, creativity, and perseverance whilst giving children opportunities to work both independently and as part of a team. Through hands-on experimentation, children are building foundations for understanding concepts such as weight, gravity, and structural design in meaningful, playful ways.