A Constructivist Approach to Block Play in Early Childhood

This new text provides a fresh and holistic look at the continued relevance of block play to today's children. Students of early childhood education will benefit from the current research, theory, strategies and examples of block play and related topics that are the main focus of this text. A complete history of block play in early childhood education leads the student to current research on brain development. The text links block play to learning by exploring brain-based research and constructivist theories of learning. The role of the early childhood teacher is fully explored, including organizing the classroom, providing blocks and other materials, and documenting the children's learning.

Preface. SECTION I: Chapter 1: The History and Evolution of Blocks for Learning and Play. Chapter 2: Brain Development and Learning. Chapter 3: Stages of Block Play. Chapter 4: Teacher's Role in Promoting and Assessing Block Play. SECTION II: Chapter 5: Block Play in Infancy and the Toddler Years. Chapter 6: Block Play for Preschool and Kindergarten Children. Chapter 7: Block Play in the Primary Grades. Chapter 8: Including Everyone in Block Play. Appendix A: Toy Preference Inventory. Glossary. Index.