
Benefits of Architectural Play
Simply put, architectural play supports children’s capacity to learn. Here’s how open-ended and creative architectural play experiences support healthy brain development:
Construction play is meaningful. When children build freely from their own imagination, creating houses and other structures, they connect their prior knowledge with new inventions and experiences. Making meaningful connections stimulates networks in the brain associated with logical thinking, metacognition, and creativity.
Construction play is actively engaging. The physical tasks associated with construction play—such as lifting, stacking, and balancing—activate areas of the brain associated with decision-making, executive function, and self-regulation.
Construction play is iterative. An iterative process is one that involves repetition, experimentation, and exploration. During construction play, towers fall, roofs cave in, and walls tumble. Most children are eager to try and try again until they find success. The perseverance demonstrated during construction play engages neural networks that are associated with flexible thinking and creativity.
Construction play is socially interactive. In most early childhood classrooms, construction play takes place in pairs and small groups. Collaboration and conversation promote plasticity in the brain that helps children develop empathy and social skills.
Construction play is joyful. The block corner is often the loudest area of the classroom—and for good reason. Joy is noisy. The excitement of building with blocks or any material makes children laugh and call out to each other with joy. This sets the stage for a lifetime of health and well-being, as joy is associated with chemicals that are linked to enhanced memory, attention, and motivation, such as dopamine.
From Young Architects at Play: STEM Activities for Young Children by Ann Gadzikowski. Copyright 2020 by Ann Gadzikowski.