Rye Park Nursery School

                     To Build a Structure/Model using Blocks, Loose Parts or other Materials

Core Skill  To be able to select and use a wide range of materials and resources 

Possible sequence of learning

 Carrying: Explore wooden blocks, banging them together and carrying them from place to place

 Stacking: Build rows and towers. Stack blocks until they fall. Line blocks up, pushing them into an even line. Builds multiple rows and towers resembling walls and floors

 Bridging: Apply bridging or roofing the space between two upright blocks, getting the two uprights the correct distance apart. Repeat this over and over. Moves on to building bridges on top of bridges

 Enclosures: Use blocks to enclose space, working out how to turn blocks to enable and create this. Experiments with four blocks to create a square enclosure. Repeats, making many enclosures, experiment with shape and size and beginning to connect them

 Building complex structures: Use blocks to form patterns and symmetrical designs. Learns to overlap blocks and bolster the bases of towers for stability. Incorporates towers, rows, bridges, enclosures and patterns in the same structure. Names structures whilst building or afterwards

 Dramatic play with complex structures: Say what they are going to build before they start. Buildings resemble familiar structures. Design features represent actual structures, e.g. windows, doors, bridges. Creates and adds own accessories/loose parts to the structure, supporting their dramatic play

Core Skill  To seek help from others 

Possible sequence of learning 

 Explores the learning environment

 Plays alone and then alongside others, begin to notice and copy what others are doing

 Shows an interest in being together and playing alongside other children

 Select resources, having their own ideas

 Cooperates within a small group supported by an adult

 Plays happily alongside others and begins to share resources

 Knows how to ask for help from an adult

 Seeks out preferred peers and/or adults

 Chooses to play with a familiar peer/friend who has similar interests, sharing experiences

 Shares knowledge and skills with others and asks a friend for help when they need support to achieve their goal. Offers help to others too

Core Skill  To talk about what they are doing, give instructions, explain and reason

Possible sequence of learning

 Uses different types of everyday words or gestures sometimes with limited talk

 Begins to put two words together

 Begins to ask simple questions

 Learns new words rapidly and uses them in communicating

 Uses language to share experiences and thoughts – here and now

 Uses talk to explain their activity

 Gives instructions to a friend or adult in play

 Uses more complex sentences to link thoughts and ideas

 Uses intonation and phrasing to make meaning clear to others

 Uses non-specific mathematical language to describe

 Names 2d shape  Uses positional language  Named 3d shape

 Uses language of comparison

 Creates collaboratively with a peer, sharing ideas and giving instructions to complete their goal

 Talks about their design, explains and gives reasons for choice and answers further questions

Things adults can do 

 Provide well-organised large and small scale construction opportunities for children indoors and outdoors

 Provide a range of different materials for children to build with

 Provide open-ended construction resources such as, crates, planks, cardboard boxes, tubes, carpet squares and tyres

 Model ways of building using a range of materials

 Allow children time and space to explore, problem solve and complete their structures/models

 Provide a space to store models so that children can return to them and extend learning

 Play alongside children narrating and commenting on models and designs as they develop

 Model using mathematical language and the language of investigation when discussing constructions

 Provide images of buildings and books about building with different materials, include real-life jobs

 Challenge gender stereotypes, provide non-bias images

 Provide grab and go boxes with mark making/recording materials. Support children to record their structure/model using a variety of media

 Encourage children to evaluate their work and revisit

 Value all creativity