It’s never too early to start helping kids develop visual thinking and design skills.
Are you a parent or grandparent of elementary school age kids? Perhaps a teacher? There are many architecture related resources for children to enjoy, while developing lifelong skills.
Toys – Legos and Magna Tiles are two popular favorites. Kids design instinctively with these elements and encourages them to create buildings, rooms, and spaces.
Books – Traditional but valuable, stories stimulate imagination. A favorite is Iggy Peck Architect. The Build Imagination Book Collection is on the MAF website and they are also available from the Baldwin Library, or they can be borrowed through your local library.
Games –MINECRAFT is a commonly used program in both education and at home and could be considered a virtual Lego set with endless options. Kids can create everything from cities, to farms, to buildings and rooms. They are also able to interact with the things they create.
Classroom Experiences – Architecture: Its Elementary is an online based curriculum for teachers or parents. For younger students, Architreks videos are an introduction to architectural elements through observation.
Architecture Camps – The Robot Garage in the Detroit area has unique design classes for kids and technology is a focal point for those classes. Andrews University in Berrien Springs provides summer architecture camps for various ages.
These are all great resources to strengthen children’s understanding of the concepts and principles of architecture, which will ensure that our built environment gets better with every generation.