Abstract
Spatial language is an important predictor of spatial skills and might be inspired by peer interaction and goal-oriented building behaviors during block play. The present study investigated the frequency, type and level of children’s spatial language during block play and their associations with the level of block play by observing 228 young children in classrooms equipped with unit blocks and allowing free play on a daily basis. The findings showed that during block play, young children used more words about spatial locations, deictic terms, dimensions, and shapes and fewer words about spatial features or properties and spatial orientations or transformations. Spatial locations were used most frequently, and young children tended to use vertical location words to represent the corresponding location. Most young children used gestures in conjunction with spatial deictic terms. Among shape words, tetragon words were frequently used, and the representation of spatial shapes showed alternatives, collective tendencies and gender differences. The use of spatial language during the play process had a significant positive correlation with age, the construction structure, and form of block building.
Highlights
We examined the use of spatial language during block play in 228 children from the younger, middle, and older age groups, to examine the features and related factors of young children’s spatial language
The purpose of this study was to explore the frequency, type, and level of spatial language in the context of block play and the differences that vary by age and gender in young Chinese children
The following conclusions were drawn: (a) spatial locations were used most frequently, and young children tended to use vertical locations to represent the corresponding location; (b) most young children used gesture in conjunction with spatial deictic terms; (c) tetragon words were more frequently used in the shape words, and the representation of shapes showed alternatives, collective tendencies, and gender differences; (d) the frequency of spatial language in children was related to their construction structure and form; and (e) the age class of young children was associated with the frequency of spatial language
Summary
Spatial skills in the early years may predict young children’s later academic performance in mathematics, science, engineering, and technology learning (Wai et al, 2009; Newcombe and Frick, 2010; Vasilyeva and Lourenco, 2010; Zhu, 2017) and are an important domain of children’s mathematics learning and development (Wai et al, 2009; Verdine et al, 2014; Lauer and Lourenco, 2016; Verdine et al, 2017; Simoncini et al, 2020). Spatial language is the language used to communicate spatial information to others and represent the location and spatial relationship of objects (Pang et al, 2008). It is the internal process of thinking, reasoning, and operation of spatial information, which is one of the important forms of children’s external spatial representation (Pang et al, 2008). The use of spatial language enables children to pay attention to and process spatial information (Shusterman and Spelke, 2005), so it may improve the effect of spatial reasoning (Levinson, 2001) and promote the development of spatial skills. Goal-oriented construction behaviors and the related thematic context in block play can inspire children’s spatial
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