A classic children’s toy — building blocks — is actually beneficial, according to researchers at Temple’s Infant Laboratory in Ambler, Pennslyvania.
It has been speculated that playing with construction toys may provide a rich environment that would later support learning in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) disciplines. When children play with blocks in an interactive way, they hear the sort of language that helps them think about space; words such as over, around and through.
“When parents use spatial language, they draw attention to spatial concepts,” said Nora Newcombe, co-director of Temple’s Infant Lab. “The development of a spatial vocabulary is critical for developing spatial ability and awareness.” The study was led by Katrina Ferrara.
Spatial skills are not only a component of STEM disciplines, they are also part of many everyday tasks such as assembling a piece of furniture, packing the trunk of a car. And they are a central component of intellect.
“There is evidence that variations in the spatial language young children hear, which directs their attention to important aspects of the spatial environment, may be one of the mechanisms that contribute to differences in spatial ability,” says Newcombe, who is also the Principal Investigator of the Spatial Intelligence and Learning Center (SILC), headquartered at Temple.
To find out how play affected language, investigators watched parents and children in one of three situations:
- Free play where the subjects played with the blocks the same way as they would at home.
- Preassembled play where the subject was given blocks that had been glued together in a preformed, fixed structure.
- Guided play where the subjects where given the blocks and graphic instructions to build a particular structure.
In the guided play setting, parents provided significantly higher proportions of spatial talk than in the other two settings. Children also produced significantly more spatial talk in the guided play setting.
“This study gives parents news they can use. It shows that, rather than leaving kids alone with a preassembled activity, interactive play that draws out conversation is best at facilitating spatial development,” Newcombe said.
Topics like this will be on the agenda at the Brain Power Conference. Join us in Toronto May 3-4, 2012 to explore ways in which we can facilitate childhood development.
Great article and equally great findings. We use something we call “guided phonetic reading” in our program, and it’s interesting to learn that there are researchers in other fields finding that “guided” aspect to be so essential. David Morgan, MD of Easyread System.