Young Children's Block Construction Activities: Findings From 3 Years of Observation

The purpose of this study was to explore the development of the complexity of block constructions of preschool children and to determine the effects of various factors on the children's block play. Sixty-five children were observed a total of 421 times, over the course of 3 years. Hierarchical linear modeling was used to determine the effects of disability, gender, and time the child was involved with block construction activity on the developmental complexity of block constructions. Results indicate that (a) the complexity of children's block constructions increase with chronological age, (b) time the child was involved with block construction activity has a positive effect on block construction complexity, and (c) gender did not influence block construction complexity. Implications of findings are discussed in relation to increasing understanding of children's development and to authentic assessment approaches.