Block Talk: Spatial Language During Block Play

Abstract

Spatial skills are a central component of intellect and show marked individual differences. There is evidence that variations in the spatial language young children hear, which directs their attention to important aspects of the spatial environment, may be one of the mechanisms that contributes to these differences. To investigate how play affects variations in language, parents and children were assigned to 1 of 3 conditions: free play with blocks, guided play, or play with preassembled structures (Study 1). Parents in the guided play condition produced significantly higher proportions of spatial talk than parents in the other two conditions, and children in the guided play condition produced significantly more spatial talk than those in the free play condition. Study 2 established baselines of spatial language during activities not involving spatial materials. Proportions of spatial words were lower than those in any of the conditions of Experiment 1. In sum, interaction with blocks naturally elicits elevated levels of spatial language, especially in the context of guided play, suggesting simple-to-execute educational interventions.Spatial skills are a crucial component of human intellect. They allow us to encode information about small and large-scale objects-such as the location of our watch under a book, or which way to turn to reach a destination. They also allow us to mentally transform this information, such as imagining what we might see if approaching an intersection from an alternative direction. Spatial skills provide a foundation for learning in the disciplines of science,

Parents’ Spatial Language Mediates a Sex Difference in Preschoolers’ Spatial-Language Use

“…Second, it is possible that parents use more spatial language with boys because boys engage more in spatial activities (e.g., blocks, Legos; Cherney & Voyer, 2010; Kersch, Casey & Young, 2008), and/or find construction activities more attractive (Caldera, Huston & O’Brien, 1985; Campenni, 1999). There is evidence that spatial language occurs more commonly in the context of spatial activities than in the context of non-spatial activities and evidence that boys play more with certain spatial toys than girls, including blocks and Legos (Caldera et al, 1985; Ferrarra, Hirsh-Pasek, Newcombe, Golinkoff & Lam, 2011; Kersh, Casey & Young, 2008; Saracho, 1994) and Legos (Caldera et al, 1985; Campenni, 1999). Third, it is possible that parents hold stereotypes about boys being better at spatial thinking than girls, and as a consequence, may provide boys with more opportunities for spatial play, which could increase boys’ exposure to spatial language.…”

Children’s Exploration of Physical Phenomena During Object Play

“…Children's play with these simple, three-dimensional geometric building shapes has been linked to the development of convergent and divergent problem-solving skills (Pepler & Ross, 1981), spatial language (Ferrera, Hirsh-Pasek, Newcombe, Golinkoff, & Lam, 2011), logico-mathematical knowledge (Kamii, Miyakawa, & Kato, 2004), and spatial visualization abilities (Caldera et al, 1999) in young children. For example, Caldera et al (1999) conducted in-depth observations of 60 preschool children's structured and unstructured play with blocks and assessed the relationship between particular building behaviors and children's spatial skills.…”

“…Thus, as children plan and execute the construction of block structures within play-by stacking and balancing blocks, classifying them by color or shape, and comparing the relative size of different components of their structures-they appear to be engaging in cognitive exercises that foster spatial-mathematical reasoning and can facilitate later academic performance (Ferrera et al, 2011). For example, Wolfgang, Stannard, and Jones (2001, 2003 found that complex block play in preschool (as rated on the Lunzer Five Point Play Scale) had a significant relationship with math achievement measures in middle and high school.…”

The Shape of Things: The Origin of Young Children’s Knowledge of the Names and Properties of Geometric Forms

“…Yet popular shape sorter toys and touchscreen apps typically contain only one, iconic version of each shape category (Dempsey et al, 2013). Furthermore, designing shape materials requiring goal-directed adult involvement (e.g., Ferrara et al, 2011) might result in significantly more exposure to language about geometric forms at younger ages.…”

“…Likewise, exposure to spatial language (e.g., spatial location words like up or down, deictic terms like here or there, dimensions, shape terms, spatial orientations, etc.) elicits more spatial language production (e.g., Ferrara, Hirsh-Pasek, Newcombe, Golinkoff, & Lam, 2011) and builds later skills such as ability to do spatial transformations and analogies; Pruden, Levine, & Huttenlocher, 2011). Playing with toys that incorporate shapes (e.g., shape sorters), labeling them, and discussing shape properties may be among the earliest spatial experiences parents provide.…”