Block play by American and Chinese families: Associations with children's spatial ability

Abstract

In this study, we investigated parent-child interactive features during block play and their relations to 4- and 5-year-olds' spatial ability, which is fundamental for learning in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Participants were 176 primarily middle-income families in China (n = 83) and the United States (n = 93). Interactive features, including parental use of spatial language and support for child autonomy during play, were measured, and children's verbal and non-verbal spatial abilities were assessed. Variability in parent spatial language was positively associated with children's production of spatial language in both cultures. In American families, parents who supported child autonomy tended to have children who produced proportionally more spatial language, while in Chinese families, autonomy support was positively associated with both children's spatial language and mental transformation skills. These findings are discussed in terms of their implications for environmental influences on children's spatial development from a culturally diverse perspective.