Using Blocks to Develop 21st Century Skills

During lunch, several 4-year-olds begin telling stories about machines that do various jobs. Mrs. Michelson writes down the stories as the children share them. Later, she reads the stories, which include tales about machines that feed the cat and make beds, to the class. After reading the children’s stories, Mrs. Michelson says ,“I really enjoyed hearing about your machines at lunch today. I was wondering what they might look like. I think that you could create these machines in the block center. And before you build your machines, you can plan them on paper in the writing center.”

The children transition to the writing center to draw their plans. As they work, they excitedly discuss their drawings with Mrs. Michelson and each other. Mrs. Michelson takes this opportunity to scaffold their learning by asking questions during the design stage. She says to Jelani, “I see you have gears on your machine. Do you think the unit blocks or the magnetic blocks might work better for your building?” Mrs. Michelson tells Alice, “I noticed your machine has a long, thin base. What shape blocks will you need to create the base?” With a hypothesized plan and some ideas for materials, the children eagerly head to the block center to begin building.