FM.E.131 BUILDS A SIMPLE DUPLO SHAPE, MINIMUM 6 BLOCKS
This activity extends the skill learned in FM.E.95. The child is now encouraged to use his Duplo blocks (or other construction materials) to make a more complex structure, such as a house or a figure.
How to Assess
Materials: A range of Duplo blocks, or the equivalent.
Method: Ask your child to build something with the blocks.
Score plus if your child uses at least 6 blocks and builds a simple shape such as a house, or a car, or a man. Do not score plus if your child builds a tower.
How to Teach
Teach by playing with the materials with your child, demonstrating possibilities and making suggestions. Your child should not feel he has failed if he builds a tower. Praise the tower and then show him how he could do something more with it. Perhaps you could build a tower and then join the two together with a long piece to make a bridge.
Playtime and Round-the-house Activities
Keep looking for new construction materials (preferably from a toy library) that will offer your child a challenge without frustrating him. Give him opportunities to watch other children using construction toys.
Remembering and Extending
Once your child can make simple shapes with Duplo, give him the opportunity to experiment with Lego or another small-scale construction toy. At this stage, avoid kits which are designed to be put together in a specified way; the basic kits which provide a variety of multi-purpose shapes are best to start with.
REMEMBERING AND EXTENDING THIS SEQUENCE
Some manipulative skills which can be taught once this sequence has been completed are:
- Threading a lacing card
- Sewing with a large needle, thick thread and open-weave fabric
- Sharpening a pencil (using an enclosed pencil sharpener)
- Opening and closing catches, such as those on a child’s school case
- Sticking with sticky tape
- Using a small stapler
- Operating a simple cassette player
- Hammering large nails into soft wood, or golf tees into foam packaging pieces
- Winding up clockwork toys.