Take-Apart Kids
Introduction
Do you have a child who loves to take things apart? Some children are naturally drawn to taking things apart. While it might feel frustrating as a parent or caregiver, this curiosity is a powerful learning opportunity. In early childhood education, this is called the deconstruction schema, and it’s an urge children can’t turn off, but can work their way through. It’s also a key way children experiment, problem-solve, and understand how things work. Hands-on activities that capture children’s curiosity help them focus deeply, building their attention spans as they play, explore, and discover.
Gather Materials
- Safe objects to deconstruct (examples: old flowers, loose parts like seed pods, milkweed pods, sunflowers recycled household items)
- Magnifying glasses or tweezers (optional, to encourage close observation)
- Small containers or bowls to sort pieces
Note: Small parts pose a choking hazard and are not appropriate for children age five or under. Be sure to choose lesson materials that you feel are safe for your child and that you are comfortable letting your child use.
Activity
- Invite exploration
Give your child an object to investigate. Explain that it’s okay to carefully pull things apart, peek inside, and see what makes it work. Emphasize curiosity, not perfection. - Observe and experiment
Encourage your child to notice patterns, textures, and structures. Prompt them with questions like, “What do you see inside?” or “What happens if you gently pull this part apart?” If scissors are appropriate, they can cut; if not, ripping or gently separating pieces works just as well. - Sort and classify
Provide bowls or containers for children to organize pieces by size, shape, or type. Sorting builds math readiness skills like classification, comparison, and visual discrimination. - Encourage imagination and transformation
Once pieces are separated, children may want to combine them in new ways — adding water, stacking, or moving them into other play setups. This is an introduction to the transformation schema, and helps children practice creativity, planning, and problem-solving.
Deconstructing helps children build fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination, and observation skills. It also strengthens critical thinking, persistence, and attention to detail, all of which are important for school readiness. If you'd like to dive deeper into Deconstruction Schemas, head on over to our Engineering Explorers website, where we share our adventures with taking apart sunflowers!