Watching children construct things allows us to document so many things from our kindergarten curriculum….
We can see them engaging in conversations with friends, listening to other points of view, and we can see who they play with (Belonging & Contributing). We can see how they communicate their needs and wants to each other, how they react when social issues arise, and how they persevere with tasks (Self-Regulation & Well Being). We can see students interacting with materials and other students to find the best solution, we can hear specialized vocabulary being used and discussions about how projects are made (Problem Solving & Innovating). We can see students exploring, sorting, and comparing attributes of 3D shapes as they manipulate them into place, we can hear students counting out materials and we can hear so much communication going on as children share their ideas and knowledge (Demonstrating Literacy & and Math Behaviours)
The best part is that we can use any of our observations as a starting point for guidance and instruction. If a student is trying to build the tallest tower and we see them using skinny blocks, we can ask them if there are other materials they could consider using. If a student is not getting along with a group, we can model how to ask to play or how to ask for a share of materials or offer alternatives about where to work.
All of this can happen with large scale construction or small-scale work, with one child or with a group of children. And some people think kindergarten is just play!
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