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An Education in the Construction Aisle

Parents and gift-givers alike hold high expectations for their toy purchases. Whether it is seeing the smile on your child's face when they tear away the wrapping, watching their imagination expressed in their play, or your amazement at their creations, there is great pride in picking the perfect toy. In addition, every parent hopes that their children will learn from their toys. Toys can be wonderful educational opportunities, especially those offered in the Construction Toy Aisle.

Having been children once ourselves, we can remember the endless hours of fun and education provided by Erector Sets, building blocks, Lincoln Logs, and Tinker Toys. Our early dreams of growing up to become an architect or engineer inspired us to build bigger and bigger structures. We hope that our children can experience the same wonder and educational foundation from building that we enjoyed!

What are the educational lessons we expect from toys purchased in the Construction Aisle? Let me provide an educator's perspective into the lessons children learn while playing with construction toys.

• Hand-eye Coordination:

As children grow and develop, they are constantly coordinating actions between their hands and their eyes. When our children were young we watched them maneuver their thumb or a cup of milk up to their mouth. Similarly, children develop coordination skills through building toys. Stacking blocks, interlocking logs, building brick structures and snapping together rods and connectors all provide our children with the hands-on experiences that will strengthen their hand-eye coordination. Each experience builds new skills and refines a child's ability to complete tasks.

• Fine Motor Skills:

Gross motor skills are developed through running, jumping, and sports. Fine motor skills, on the other hand, come through play of a different sort. Building with construction toys allows children to develop and practice fine-motor skills and to enable smaller muscles, in conjunction with the nervous systems, to complete delicate and precise movements.

• Following Diagrams/Instructions:

Products from the Construction Aisle come with instructions and diagrams that enable your child to build the awesome models they see on the product's box. Following step-by-step instructions helps children cross an important developmental milestone: understanding how to create 3-dimensional models from 2- dimensional diagrams. Kids will soon be refining and incorporating skills they learned from using instructions, into new creations that they build entirely using their imagination.

• Discovering How Things Work:

As youngsters build models from instructions or design creations of their own, they are constantly making discoveries about how things work. They begin to see the relationships between moving parts in a mechanical system, such as gears and wheels in a toy car or the motor in a roller coaster.

• Creativity and Innovation:

Toys from the Construction Aisle allow children to create their own designs, experiment with new ideas, and build using their imagination. Allow them this opportunity by encouraging their creativity and refrain from explaining how to build toys "the right way". Children will create new structures and models by continually adding innovations, solving problems, and slowly learning what works and what doesn't.

Take time to allow your child to explain their creations to you. Ask questions and encourage them to explain all they can about what they have created. They are likely very proud of their projects and crave the chance to see your pride in them as well.

The benefits listed above are only a small list of the educational possibilities that toys in the Construction Aisle can bring to your child. If you would like further details, you can visit the web sites of the ITEA (International Technology Education Association) at http://www.iteaconnect.org/ and the ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education) at "http://www.iste.org . These educational organizations have developed technology standards for educators and can help you identify educational opportunities through toy building experiences.

To get the best experience out of your child's toys, I suggest spending some time in the Construction Aisle reading packages, checking suggested age ranges, and comparing products. Research done by Bloom defines child development in terms of stages. Provide your children with toys that allow them to progress from the simple to the complex over the course of their childhood. Basic experiences that build in complexity provide the foundation upon which future learning will stand.

Robert Jesberg M. Ed. – 30-years classroom experience, K'NEX Education

If you would like to learn more about K'NEX Education workshops, please call K'NEX Education at 1-800-ABC-KNEX and visit www.knexeducation.com.

Need more information on K'NEX events and activities? Please emails us at abcknex@knex.com or call us at 1 800-KIDKNEX.