Tiny Hands, Big Skills: Unlocking the Potential of Preschoolers Through Creative Material Design Activities

OpenAlex İngilizce

This pilot study investigates the participation of preschool children in collaborative, design-based material creation activities, along with the perspectives of both children and their parents. The research was conducted with N = 5 children aged 70–72 months (5 years 10 months to 6 years) and their parents, enrolled in a private preschool institution. Adopting a design-based research approach within a phenomenological qualitative framework, data were collected through semi-structured interviews with both children and parents. Thematic analysis was conducted using MAXQDA software. The materials co-constructed by the children – such as direction boards, compass models, and collaborative maps – were embedded in activities designed to foster spatial understanding and social interaction. The children’s responses to the process of co-constructing the materials were positive. Their participation enhanced not only cognitive learning (e.g., grasping left-right and cardinal directions) but also social-emotional skills such as responsibility, collaboration, and communication. Parents corroborated these outcomes, noting growth in their children’s self-confidence, independence, and interpersonal engagement.