Set up:

1. Find a wall and attach a long strip of tape starting from the bottom, in a vertical direction. The length of tape is entirely up to you. You could use this opportunity to include your child in the goal setting and planning procedure. You could ask them “How high do you think you can build a tower?”, ask them to show you with their hands and then make that length of tape and attach the strip to the wall.
2. Now repeat the above step and make another one. You can make as many or as little as you like. Perhaps you would like to start with just one and then add additional strips later, or alternatively you could set up a few challenges at once.
3. Once you have your tape attached to the wall, I like to use a marker to draw an “X” at the top of the strip. This is an optional step, but I find it gives a good visual perspective for the child and a clear indication of where the tower should stop for the goal to be achieved.

How to play:

1. Encourage your children to use the blocks to create a tower that is as high as the chosen strip of tape.
2. Let your child use trial and error procedures, it may take a few attempted builds as they start to problem solve and find a secure way to support their tower. Use these opportunities as teachable moments, “why do you think your tower fell down?” “Wow, your tower is looking very strong, why do you think that might be?”. Asking open-ended questions and talking about what is happening will help your children to reflect and make meaning about why their tower did or didn’t work. Don’t forget to acknowledge efforts; acknowledgment teaches children how to take pride in their own accomplishments.
3. For younger children, you may need to demonstrate some different techniques. Again, use this as a moment to introduce new learning e.g. “If you use more blocks at the bottom it is stronger and might not fall down as easily”.
4. When a tower or towers have been achieved, you can use this moment to introduce or extend upon mathematical concepts. For example, “which is the biggest? which is the smallest?”

Extension ideas:

1. Add some rulers and tape measures to the activity to encourage the children to measure their completed towers or strips of tape. Record it on a graph. 
2. Encourage your child to count how many blocks it took to create the tall tower.
3. Add some loose parts and encourage your children to create scenes or add decorative objects to their towers. Did the tower remain standing?
4. Measure your child and ask them if they can make a tower as tall as them.