Children’s Play Preferences, Construction Play with Blocks, and Visual-spatial Skills: Are they Related?

• Published in: International journal of behavioral development Vol. 23; no. 4; pp. 855 - 872
• Main Authors: Caldera, Yvonne M., Culp, Anne McDonald, O’Brien, Marion, Truglio, Rosemarie T., Alvarez, Mildred, Huston, Aletha C.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Thousand Oaks, CA Sage Publications 01.12.1999; Taylor & Francis
• Subjects: Biological and medical sciences; Child; Child development; Developmental psychology; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Preferences; Preschool children; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychophysiology; Relationship; Visual-spatial ability; Human; Preschool age; Social environment; Attitude; Oculomotor coordination; Spatial ability; Cognition; Space perception; Creativity; Perceptual development; School environment; Play; Preference; Cognitive development; Child
• ISSN: 0165-0254; 1464-0651
• DOI: 10.1080/016502599383577

Fifty-one preschoolers’ play preferences, skills at assembling block structures, and spatial abilities were recorded in this study. There were no sex differences in children’s visual-spatial skills, and play with art materials and children’s free and structured play with blocks were related to spatial visualisation. Two patterns emerged from the findings: (1) activity and performance representing skills in spatial visualisation and visual-motor coordination; and (2) creativity, or the ability to break set and to produce varied solutions using visual materials. Future research might examine the extent to which children’s play activities and experiences predict these types of skills.