Object inquiry skills, Problem-solving
Toddlers explore building simple structures for toy turtles.
Be Prepared: Make a simple enclosure with three blocks (one open side) and place one vinyl turtle inside the structure.
Invite 3–4 toddlers to join you in the block area. Draw attention to the simple enclosure and the toy turtle inside. Encourage toddlers to construct houses for the toy turtles. Sit on the floor facing the toddlers to foster effective interaction.
Describe and demonstrate how to make the simple structure by making a second similar structure, or taking apart the existing structure and rebuilding it. Emphasize that our toy turtles need places to sleep and rest. Our houses do not need to be alike. Some toddlers may wish to construct other structures for the turtles.
Give each toddler a toy turtle. Hold and animate a toy turtle to promote imaginative play. Example: Make your turtle say “I am outside. It is cold outside. I want to get inside a house. Who wants to make me a house?”
Describe each toddler’s efforts with the blocks. Speak clearly and pause for a possible response. Encourage toddlers to tell what they are doing. Repeat and extend a toddler’s comments. Example: A toddler says “It he house.” Reply “It is his house. This house is for Turtle.” Point to the inside of the structure. Say “Turtle is inside the house you made.” Draw attention to the words inside and outside during conversations with toddlers. Move your turtle from inside to outside.
If some toddlers readily build a three-sided structure, demonstrate and describe how a fourth side could be a door.
Some toddlers may be accustomed to stacking blocks, which is common in early stages of block play, and not experienced in building structures. Provide encouragement for building a house and positively recognize toddlers’ representations of a house. If a toddler lines up two blocks and says it is a house, for example, accept his/her idea and existing skill development. Some toddlers may eagerly copy the house you offer as an example.
The toy turtle is included to support imaginative play and provide a reason for building a structure. There may be other types of objects in need of a house that are of stronger interest to some toddlers.
Extra support
Enrichment
Object inquiry skills, Problem-solving
Toddlers use blocks to build houses for toy animals of different sizes.
Be Prepared: Use current interests of toddlers in your gathering to select farm or zoo animals for the activity. The activity description assumes zoo animals are used. Secure both larger and smaller sizes of toy animals.
[Invite several toddlers to play with you in the blocks area to build houses for some zoo animals.]
Here are the animals that need a home. Some of the animals are big. Some of the animals are little.
[Display a larger and a smaller toy animal, one at a time. Say its name and indicate whether it is big or little.]
At the zoo, each animal family has a home. We can use our blocks to build zoo homes for our animals. You may build on your own or with a friend.
We have big blocks and little blocks for building.
[Place a big block and a little block side by side. Point to each block as you say the size.]
[Distribute the toy animals equally, 1–2 per toddler. Toddlers may have preferences. Within your gathering, include both large and small animals.
Say the name of the animal(s) you give to a toddler and ask “Does your zoo animal need a little house or a big house?” Also, ask a follow-up question. Example: “Do you want to start building with big blocks or little blocks?”
Help each toddler remove a few blocks of his/her choice from the shelf and move to a suitable building spot. Say the size of blocks a toddler is securing. Example: “Darcy, you are getting little blocks for your animal house.”
Assume the role of building partner. Select a toy animal and build a simple house for it. Describe your actions and what you are building. Example: “Our penguin is little. I am building a little house. I am using little blocks.”
Demonstrate making a box shape with four blocks. Place one toy animal inside the enclosure. Do not expect or coax toddlers to copy your model of a box shape.
If a toddler shows signs of concern or frustration about the size of his/her building, such as building a house that is too little for a big elephant, offer problem-solving assistance by gently (1) encouraging the toddler to show or tell what is of concern, (2) state the problem, such as “The elephant is too big for the house,” and (3) ask the toddler what might be done, such as “How can the house be made bigger?”
Stay close to toddlers and maintain active involvement until the activity ends.]
We used blocks to make zoo houses for our animals. Some animals are big and need big houses. Some animals are little and need little houses.
[Briefly point to and describe size differences in what toddlers created and/or animals used.]
This activity option continues the Option 1 attention to building a structure and offers more challenge than Option 1 by emphasizing the concept of size. As noted in Option 1, some toddlers may be accustomed to stacking blocks, which is common in early stages of block play, and not experienced in building structures. Your demonstration of building a simple three- or four-sided enclosure may help toddlers think about possibilities for an animal house. Interest in making a roof typically does not arise at this age (but see Enrichment tip).
Some toddlers may focus on building an enclosure and have little or no interest in whether the structure is an appropriate size for the toy animal. Some toddlers may decline the invitation to build an enclosure, and play in their own way with the blocks and animals. Seeing enclosures other toddlers make may lead to further discoveries with blocks. Positively accept different forms of participation in the activity, and avoid directing toddlers’ building efforts.
Big and little are appropriate size descriptors at this age. Important learning may potentially occur when a toddler considers the size of his/her animal in relation to a structure he/she might build. Support toddlers in making size discoveries on their own, and avoid offering directions and rules, such as using small blocks for little animals. A toddler may wish to make two structures, one for a big animal and one for a little animal.
If a toddler becomes discouraged when blocks fall down, acknowledge the child’s feelings and offer to help. Move close to the toddler and encourage him/her to rebuild the fallen section.
Extra support
Enrichment
Object inquiry skills
Toddlers use blocks to build a house for an animal they are pretending to be.
Be Prepared: Cut a three-inch paper headband for each child. You may wish to add paper strips to represent antennae and triangles to represent ears. Place the headbands and markers on a low table.
Invite several toddlers to join you at the low table to get ready for building with blocks. Explain that each of us can pretend to be a big or a little animal and draw a picture of the animal on a headband. Then we can build a house for the animal we are pretending to be. Offer examples of animals, such as lion or bird or butterfly, if toddlers seem uncertain about possibilities.
Support each toddler in drawing his/her pretend animal on a headband and putting on the headband. Say what animal each toddler is pretending to be and then invite toddlers to the block area to build a house for their pretend animal.
Help toddlers think about whether their pretend animal will want to build a big or a little house. Example: “McKenzie, you are pretending to be a lion. Would a lion like to build a big house or a little house?”
Also, help toddlers decide whether they want to use big blocks or little blocks or maybe a combination of big and little blocks. Help toddlers remove blocks from the shelf and place them in a building area. Support each toddler in building a structure. It may be helpful for the toddler to decide whether he/she wants his/her pretend animal to mostly sit, stand, or lay down in the house. Remind the toddler of the animal and the animal size (big, little) he/she is pretending to be. At this age, one level of building bricks is generally suitable for representing a house. If a toddler builds upward with wooden blocks, be sure to remind him/her to stop building when the structure reaches his/her shoulders or whatever guideline your room uses. Demonstrate building a one-level structure, if appropriate.
Move from one toddler to the next, talking about his/her pretend animal and the house. Use spatial vocabulary, such as inside and outside. Make comments that show you understand the child’s purpose or meaning.
Typically at this age, toddlers are beginning to explore new ways to use blocks, often involving pretend play. The current activity builds on this natural progress in block play by providing a pretend element that potentially offers a toddler the cognitive challenge of realizing the pretend animal is smaller or larger than his/her body. Look for opportunities to ask questions or make brief comments that support this discovery. Example: “A butterfly is little. You are big.” At the same time, recognize that toddlers will differ in their readiness to consider the size of their pretend animal in relation to their own body as well as in their familiarity with the pretend animal. This activity plan continues the Option 2 focus on size. The structure-building task may involve a larger or smaller house than constructed in Options 1 or 2.
Extra support
Enrichment
Materials Needed: Rosie’s Walk by Pat Hutchins; Up, Down, and Around by Katherine Ayres; Where’s Spot? by Eric Hill; other books that emphasize spatial words; several large boxes; shoebox-size containers; crayons
Place the large boxes in an open activity area in your room. Encourage toddlers to sit in the boxes as self and/or as a pretend animal. Toddlers may use a box for a vehicle or a house. Encourage toddlers to color the boxes with crayons. Also, provide shoebox-size containers the toddlers can fill with toys or make into a pretend car for a doll or soft animal. Talk with toddlers about what can fit inside the box. Share the books in one-to-one or small gatherings. Emphasize the spatial words.
Materials Needed: soft toy, one-quart container, small boxes, animal or people figures, barn, Where’s Spot? by Eric Hill, The Napping House by Audrey Wood
For an infant who sits independently, put a soft toy inside a one-quart container and playfully pretend the container is the “house” for the small toy. Emphasize the words in and out as you play with the infant. Cover the toy with the container and encourage the infant to find it.
Toddlers will enjoy playing with small boxes and animal figures. Encourage toddlers to make marks inside the box. Place small boxes next to blocks to encourage building. Add animal or people figures to promote imaginative play. Talk with toddlers about their structures.
Place a barn and animal figures in the building area. Talk with children about where the figures are located. Example: “Who is inside the barn?”
Toddlers and preschool-age children will enjoy hearing you read the book Where’s Spot? Emphasize relational concepts, such as behind, inside, and under. Toddlers like to answer “no” to each question in the story, such as “Is Spot in the box?”
The Napping House will be enjoyable for preschool-age children. Invite children to name something that is always outside and something that is always inside.
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