Associations of 3-year-olds' block-building complexity with later spatial and mathematical skills

Abstract

Block-building skills at age 3 are related to spatial skills at age 5 and spatial skills in grade school are linked to later success in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields (Wai, Lubinski, & Benbow, 2009; Wai, Lubinski, Benbow, & Steiger, 2010). Though studies have focused on block-building behaviors and design complexity, few have examined these variables in relation to future spatial and mathematical skills or have considered how children go about copying the model in detail. This study coded 3-year-olds' (N = 102) block-building behaviors and structural complexity on 3-D trials of the Test of Spatial Assembly (TOSA; Verdine, Golinkoff, Hirsh-Pasek, & Newcombe, 2017). It explored whether individual differences in children's building behaviors and the complexity of their designs related to accuracy in copying the model block structures or their spatial and mathematical skills at ages 4 and 5. Our findings reveal that block-building behaviors were associated with concurrent and later spatial skills while structural complexity was associated with concurrent and later spatial skills as well as concurrent mathematics skills. Future work might teach children to engage in the apparently successful block-building strategies examined in this research to evaluate a potential causal mechanism.

Keywords: block building; mathematical skills; preschool behaviors; problem solving; spatial skills.

Figure 1.

A. The construction models used for each of the 12 TOSA trials. B. Example of a model (top) with a child’s copy (bottom). The model contains two partial overlaps: the red (3×2) and green (2×2) blocks in the top construction cover half of the width of the yellow (4×2) base block. The model also contains one perpendicular arrangement: the red (3×2) block is perpendicular to the yellow (4×2) base block. The child’s copy would receive no partial overlap points but would receive a point for perpendicular arrangement as the child’s copy includes the perpendicular relationship of the red to the yellow block.

Figure 2.

Cross-lagged path model of associations between block-building behaviors and structural complexity and spatial and math skills over time, including the Age 3 general vocabulary covariate. For simplicity, the covariate and its significant paths are not displayed. Single-headed arrows represent significant regression pathways, whereas double-headed arrows represent significant covariances. Non-significant paths and covariances are also not displayed for simplicity. Path estimates are shown on each arrow. Overall, the model has good fit, robust χ²(4) = 0.96, p = .917. *p < .05; **p < .01; ***p < .001. Dotted lines indicate marginally-significant paths (p < .07)