Building is a way of creating. Children use blocks to build structures or move sand in a sandbox to make shapes or roads and valleys. As they participate in these forms of play, they innately use force and motion to reshape matter and problem-solving strategies to make their block structures sturdy.

Observing machines as they work is one way to introduce the concepts of force and motion to children, and a construction site is a place where you can find many big machines. Bulldozers use a lot of force and motion to move large amounts of dirt and rock to make land flat for a building. This is similar to the ways in which children move sand while playing in the sandbox. Cranes, use cables and pulleys to move heavy steel beams, in much the same way children use blocks to build. As children observe and think about the unique work each machine is performing, they can be directed to recognize the ways in which their own bodies perform similar functions. For example, an excavator works a little like the way they use their own arm and elbow when digging. The bulldozer pushes and scrapes the way they push sand as they play in the sandbox.

Making connections like these help children come to a greater understanding of the world around them.

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