Construction

Construction

Activities for toddlers and babies

This theme may make you think of time spent in traffic, but for little ones, various types of construction can be quite fun. They will enjoy exploring various materials, big trucks, and blocks.

AREA SETUP

Display pictures of construction workers and equipment, highways, traffic and construction signs, etc. on the walls of your daycare.

ROUTINES AND TRANSITIONS

A mountain of blocks
To introduce your theme, simply set a large pile of blocks on the floor, in the centre of your daycare. Let babies and toddlers explore them as they wish when they arrive in the morning.

Construction site in your yard
With older toddlers, set three large bins filled with sand, dirt, and rocks in a corner of your yard. Encourage them to manipulate the bin contents with their hands. After a while, hand them small shovels and invite them to use these tools to make small piles of sand, dirt, and rocks.

Snacks delivered in trucks
You will need one very big toy dump truck or several small ones. Wash them thoroughly and place children's snacks in the truck boxes. Roll the trucks to the table and use them to distribute snacks.

SENSORY ACTIVITIES (look)

Construction zone
Find a construction zone close to your daycare. If you can do so safely, bring babies and toddlers to the site to provide them with the opportunity to watch the workers. Take pictures of the big construction trucks and various tools. Print and laminate the pictures. Have fun admiring the pictures to help them remember a past experience.

SENSORY ACTIVITIES (touch)

Blocks with different textures
Throughout the week, give babies and toddlers the chance to manipulate different types of blocks to explore a variety of textures:

• Wooden blocks.
• Plastic blocks.
• Rubber blocks.
• Fabric blocks.

ARTS & CRAFTS

Building birdhouses
You will need clean empty milk cartons. Wrap the milk cartons with construction paper or paint them. Invite children to decorate them. Hang the birdhouses within your daycare or from tree branches, in your yard.

MORAL AND SOCIAL ACTIVITIES

Construction hats
Purchase plastic construction hats for the children in your group. Have fun depositing a hat on each child's head and encouraging children to look at their reflection in the mirror. Take a group picture. Use adhesive paper to stick the picture on a mirror. Help children make a connection between their reflection in the mirror when they are wearing their construction hats and the picture.

COGNITIVE ACTIVITIES

To construct and deconstruct
Babies and toddlers love this activity that provides them with the opportunity to explore cause and effect. Select one type of blocks and set them on the floor. Encourage children to pile the blocks one on top of the other. They will enjoy making their constructions fall down and starting all over again and again.

PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND MOTOR SKILLS

Construction cones
Purchase tiny orange cones. Arrange them in the grass in your yard. Allow babies and toddlers to manipulate the cones and move them around as they see fit. After a while, add balls and invite older toddlers to throw, roll, and push them between the cones.

Trucks
Take all the dump trucks you have out. Throughout the theme, offer different types of materials children can explore with the trucks. Babies and toddlers will like to fill and empty the trucks and push them around. Select materials that can safely be manipulated by young children and supervise them closely. This activity can be done indoors or outdoors.

Material suggestions:

• Feathers.
• Crumpled balls of paper.
• Pieces of wood.
• Blocks.
• Leaves, grass, flowers.
• Cotton balls.
• Sand or dirt.
• Animal figurines.

LANGUAGE ACTIVITIES

Bob the Builder
Listen to the Bob the Builder theme song on the Internet. With your group, have fun looking at Bob the Builder books as well as other books that will make it possible for them to explore the construction theme.

Chantal Millette
Early childhood educator

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