3.3y–5y12 minFree playDevelopmental playFamily time
Bridge Builders: What If?
A playful construction challenge where your child builds a small bridge and practises speculation (‘what if…?’) plus explanation talk while testing and improving their design.
What you'll need
Essentials
- simple building items (e.g., blocks, plastic cups, or 2 stacks of books)
- a bridge ‘road’ (e.g., a piece of cardboard, a cereal box strip, or a sturdy magazine)
- a small toy car or small toy figure (or a rolled-up sock as a ‘vehicle’)
Nice to have
- coins or small safe weights (adult supervised, not for mouthing)
- paper and a crayon (to draw the bridge plan after)
Movement level: low
What you'll do
The 4-step guide, with what to look for at each step, is for signed-in parents.
What this develops
- MilestoneExplains causesMind· 3.8y–4.6y· core· Steps 2, 3, 4
- MilestoneSays what will happen nextMind· 2.5y–4y· core· Steps 2, 4
- MilestoneSustains back-and-forth conversationMind· 3.3y–5y· core
- MilestoneBuilds with non-block construction piecesBody· 2.5y–4.2y· stretch· Step 1
- MilestoneTalks about own interests and ideasMind· 4y–5y· core· Steps 2, 4
- MilestoneComplex connected sentencesMind· 4y–5y· stretch· Step 3
- MilestoneFollows instructions with several steps or actionsMind· 3.3y–4y· stretch
What it practices
- Children follow instructions involving several ideas or actions. They answer ‘how’ and ‘why’ questions about their experiences and in response to stories or events.Observable behaviour from Development Matters
- Listens and responds to ideas expressed by others in conversation or discussion.Observable behaviour from Development Matters
- Responds to instructions involving a two-part sequence.Observable behaviour from Development Matters
Where it comes from
- Source
- Development Matters in the EYFS (DfE, 2012)
- Original guidance
- “Help children to speculate: ‘What if the bridge falls down?’”
- License
- Open Government Licence v3.0
- Attribution
- © Crown Copyright 2012 (Development Matters in the EYFS, DfE)