This month our School-age 1 friends at RisingOaks Early | John Sweeney have been busy making block creations. We are always so excited and curious to see what the children's imaginations will think of next! One day Cassia came up to her Educator and said “Kara, can you come take a picture of my creation?” I said “of course! What did you build?” Cassia explained that her friend Aahana and her built a shopping mall. They were both so proud of their building they wanted to show me and show their parents a picture of it. The children were hard at work creating a bunch of different buildings, a rocket ship, a store, and all types of imaginative structures. It was fun to watch how each child would ask another to help them design and create. The construction of these ideas kept getting bigger and bigger until they had it all completed. Once the structures were finished, the children brought other toys into their play, such as race cars or barbies to help explore their creations and enhance their play. Children have such great imaginations and creativity. Building activities encourage the children to concentrate and focus on their actions, using their hands to carefully place and arrange each block. The children smiled every time they finished their project and asked for a picture knowing their parents would see it. When a child was unable to achieve their vision or showed frustration, their peers always offered to help, creating a sense of belonging and community within the classroom. Seeing all the children work together towards a goal, was great to experience. Providing the children with support and encouragement allows them to build self-esteem and self-confidence. As the children seek approval from adults, it allows them to raise the bar for their success and future goals. Through the exploration of blocks the children have developed turn taking skills, developing the ability to label the different size and shapes of the materials, and create new friendships with children they do not normally engage with.
