During his week off my husband decided to repair the block-paving in the garden. This attracted the interest of the children, who at some point all wandered over to have a look at what was going on (just what he needed!)
As we already had the builder’s role-play equipment out inside I thought I would enhance this outdoors.
I gathered the large plastic jenga blocks, small buckets, wet sand and trowels (real & pretend). After modelling how to build walls by spreading the sand onto the blocks and positioning another on the top, the children soon got the hang of it and spent the majority of the morning busily trying to construct walls.
Other possible enhancements to builder’s role play:
Polystyrene makes a great addition to the role-play area. I’ve got a large square piece that was used as packaging and it’s lasting well! The children love; trying to saw it, attach the vice to it and trying to hammer nails and screw screws into it (you need to make holes for play nails and screws first as they are quite chunky).
Cardboard boxes. Again make some holes for nails and screws and cut slits with a knife along the edges for sawing.
Cardboard boxes. Again make some holes for nails and screws and cut slits with a knife along the edges for sawing.
Golf tees also make brilliant nails. They are big enough for the children to hit with the hammer and mine spend ages seeing how far they can hammer them in. I got some from Asda for about £1.
Possible links to EYFS:
PSED: Making Relationships (if the children are working together)
PSED: Behaviour and Self-Control (if the children are sharing the resources and sorting out and disputes
CLL: Handwriting (if the children are using the tools effectively)
PSRN: Numbers as Labels and for Counting (are children using numbers in their play?)
PSRN: Calculating (are the children comparing the number of bricks in their walls?)
PSRN: Shapes, Spaces and Measures (are the children comparing the length / height of their walls?)
KUW: Communities (do the children develop their play into a role-play game?)
PD: Using Equipment & Materials (If the children are using the tools for a particular purpose / can use them effectively)
CD: Developing Imagination and Imaginative Play (If the children are imitating what they have observed / are developing their play into a role-play game)
These are just some possible examples, there are many other potential links depending on the age of the child and the direction they take their play.
