Engineering

Engineering can be vital in assisting young children in becoming creative by motivating them to take part in practical inquiry and problem-solving (Stone-MacDonald et al., 2015). Building, testing and redesigning simple structures helps children to use flexible thinking and in turn building confidence in their ideas (Pantoya et al., 2015). It also develops other essential skills like persistence and curiosity which are the foundation of future learning on STEM subjects (Major, 2018). The presence of early childhood educators facilitates this process by designing the playful atmosphere and making children feel safe to be creative and to invent (Zabawa, 2019; AGDE, 2022).

Theories and Perspectives:

Constructivist theory supports the idea that young children learn to build knowledge when involved with the environment actively (Stone-MacDonald et al., 2015). According to the sociocultural approach proposed by Vygotsky, educators involvement and interaction is rather helpful in encouraging creativity and problem-solving (Pantoya et al., 2015). Creative thinking is fostered by engineering activities that give children the opportunity to experiment and learn new things through mistakes and be able to modify the solutions (Major, 2018). The theory of multiple intelligences by Howard Gardner adds that the engineering activities also involve logical and bodily-kinesthetic intelligence, which provide children with various possibilities to show their creativity (Zabawa, 2019; ACECQA, 2022).

Resources for Different Age Groups (0-8 years):

Babies (0–2 years):

Soft sensory blocks,
Stacking rings,
Large building blocks,
Wooden puzzles,
Push-pull toys (University of Nevada Corporate Extension, 2019).

Toddlers (2-3 years):

Stacking cups,
Foam blocks,
Cardboard tubes,
Child-safe tape,
Bowls (Pantoya et al., 2015; Major, 2018).

Preschoolers (3-5 years):

Wooden blocks,
Straws and connectors,
Ramps,
Recycled materials,
Magnetic blocks (Stone-MacDonald et al., 2015; Zabawa, 2019).

Older Children (6-8 years):

Engineering costumes,
Props,
Measuring tapes,
Blocks,
Cups (Pantoya et al., 2015; AGDE, 2022).

Creative Learning Experiences

Babies (0–2 years)

Sensory Block Play

Material list: Soft sensory blocks

Activity: Babies play with the blocks, they stack and knock blocks over. This teaches them to be aware of cause and effect (Stone-MacDonald et al., 2015).

Object Exploration

Material List: Wooden Puzzles, push-pull toys

Activity: Babies touch various toys and see how objects move, babies see wooden puzzles and they get more curious and learn to solve their problem in early years (University of Nevada Corporate Extension, 2019).

Toddlers (2-3 years)

Cup Tower Building

Material List: Stacking Cups

Activity: Toddlers use cups to create towers or different structures, they experiment, and balance which helps them develop their spatial skills and creativity (Stone-MacDonald et al., 2015).

Cardboard Bridge Making

Material List: Cardboard tubes, boxes, tape

Activity: Children will be doing construction with boxes, tubes and tapes. Children will learn about structure and strength, which gives a significant boost to the construction of bridges using cardboard (Pantoya et al., 2015).

Preschoolers (3-5 years)

Straw Bridge Challenge

Material List: straws, paper, ribbons.

Activity: By using straws, preschoolers get to design and construct bridges as this teaches them to plan, to experiment, and to be creative-minded (Stone-MacDonald et al., 2015).

Wooden block constructions

Material List: Wooden blocks

Activity: Children will create a wooden block tower under educator’s observation. They will learn how to place blocks, construction, maintaining balance and retrying even after failure (Major, 2018).

Older Children (6-8 years)

Egg Drop Challenge

Material List: Cotton balls, paper, little container

Activity: Children will be making a soft landing containers for the eggs to test their problem-solving skills and design skills (University of Nevada Corporate Extension, 2019).

Construction of Toy Car

Material List: Bottle caps, straws, cardboard

Activity: children will create a toy vehicles with wheels using recycling materials and learn about engineering techniques, thinking and creativity (Zabawa, 2019).

Digital Reflection

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Building Cup Tower

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Building Wooden Block Tower

Critical Reflection

The Cup Stack Tower game with toddlers worked well as a practical method of teaching height, balance, and spatial awareness. Children used persistence and were persistent in experimenting with the stacking process (Stone-MacDonald et al., 2015). This play allowed problem-solving and creativity and also fostered fine motor progress. The enthusiasm and engagement was one of the strengths that was witnessed whereby children would form and reform towers. There was however, frustration when towers tumbled and this occasionally caused interruption of engagement. The cups of different sizes that I would introduce during subsequent sessions would encourage creativity in the designs and will make it more stable, thereby keeping the interests and minimising frustration.

The Wooden Block Tower preschool activity promoted a more extensive thinking and planning. Children discussed the ideas of strong base, weight, and structural stability as they worked with each other and exchanged their ideas (AGDE, 2022). The activity also enhanced language development since children explained their designs and they compared heights. One example of a positive outcome was cooperation in solving the problem when towers collapsed as children would adjust their designs. Insufficient time to reflect on what they had created was one of the limitations. Going forward, I would add a brief discussion or drawing session, which would enable children to demonstrate their designs, describe their plans, and go beyond the knowledge of engineering concepts (Major, 2018; Zabawa, 2019).

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