The Effects of Contextualized Construction Play on the Development of Executive Function in 4–5-Year-Old Preschoolers: A Three-Arm Quasi-Experimental Study with a 2-Month Follow-Up

Research Findings: Using a 12-week, three-arm quasi-experimental design, this study examined whether Contextualized Construction Play (CCP)-block-building projects embedded in narrative storyline-enhances executive function (EF) among 90 Chinese preschoolers (Mage = 55.8 months). Children were allocated to CCP, Non-Contextualized Construction Play (NCP), or Business-As-Usual control (BAU) conditions. EF was assessed at three time points (pretest, posttest, and a 2-month follow-up) using a multi-task battery targeting cognitive flexibility, working memory, inhibitory control, and delay of gratification. Relative to BAU, both intervention conditions showed greater EF gains at posttest, and these gains were maintained at the 2-month follow-up. In addition, CCP yielded larger improvements than NCP at posttest, with the advantage persisting at follow-up. Findings provide preliminary support that embedding cooperative construction play in meaningful narrative contexts may strengthen preschoolers’ EF beyond non-contextualized construction activities. Practice or Policy: CCP offers a feasible, low-cost way to enrich everyday classroom play with structured opportunities for planning, rule use, and collaborative problem solving. Practitioners can anchor weekly builds in familiar picture books or locally relevant stories and use brief prompts to support goal setting, turn taking, and reflection.