Creation of structures by 4, 5 and 6-year-old children, considering the conditions for the structure

Abstract

Determining constructional conditions constitutes an essential aspect of erecting buildings. Consideration of constructional conditions is evident in the natural constructional play of preschool children. They formulate the conditions of the structure and strive to fulfil them. In specially organised task situations (such as a bed, a gate, or a bridge), children were presented with a problem and asked to build a construction meeting the specified conditions (one, two, and three). The study examined whether and how 4, 5, and 6-year-old children fulfil the set constructional conditions. Conclusions were drawn based on recordings, and photographs of the constructed structures were evaluated for compliance with the conditions set in the task. The level of the constructed buildings was also assessed. The research revealed that three-quarters of the examined children completed the task with one condition, two-thirds with two conditions, and one-quarter with three conditions. It was noted that in addition to meeting the conditions, children also strive to pay attention to the details and aesthetics of the structures (these elements were recognised as independently set additional conditions). Attention was drawn to the diversity in the constructional aspects of bridges and individual differences in the abilities of 4 and 6-year-old children. The task situations adopted in the research method revealed the constructional capabilities of the examined children. They allowed for inferring the potential use of these tasks to support children's development (cf. Paramonow, 1976).