More than stacking
When a child builds, lots of small decisions get made. Where should the road go? Is there room for the garage next to the petrol station? What happens if the bridge is crooked? These are questions about space, order and how things connect, and they get answered with the hands.
So building play is not just a way to pass the time. It is a game where the child keeps testing an idea and seeing whether it holds.
What the child practises along the way
- Space and direction: Which way does the bend face, and does it fit the next piece?
- Order: Some parts have to go on first. The child learns to think one step ahead.
- Planning: Should the town have a hill, a bridge or a car park? The child makes a plan and changes it along the way.
- Patience: When something does not fit the first time, you try again.
- Cooperation: When two children build together, they have to agree on where things go.
A town that is never quite finished
Crateit Town is built so the sets fit together. Roads, houses, stations and cars can be combined in new ways every time. The parts click precisely into place without glue, so the town can be taken apart and rebuilt in a new order.
Start with a house and a road, for example Crossroad Cottage or Vista Villa. Build on with Adventure Track Extension, a roundabout or a trip Around The Mountain. And when the town needs someone to look after it, our newest sets, Fire Station and Police Station, are ready to turn out.
Three building games to try
- Draw the town first: Draw a map on a piece of paper and build it afterwards. Does it fit?
- The town is moving: Take the town apart and build it up again somewhere else in the room. What has to change to make it fit?
- One rule at a time: Build a town where every house can be reached from a road. Then a town where every car can turn around.
The colours come last, or first
All sets come uncoloured. Some children want to colour everything before they build. Others build first and colour afterwards, once they know how the town should look. Crateit markers go on layer upon layer, so the town can get new colours when it is rebuilt.
When the building stalls
Every build stalls at some point. A piece does not fit, or the idea runs out. That is a natural part of building. Help with a question rather than an answer: What else could you do? Is there another piece that fits better? Should the road go a different way?
Sometimes the best thing is to take a break. A town left standing until the next day often looks different with fresh eyes.
Build together
Building play is good to do together, for siblings, friends and adults. When several people build the same town, they have to agree on where things go and who builds what. That takes listening to each other and sometimes giving way.
Try dividing the town into districts, each with their own area, and then build the roads that tie it all together. That way everyone has their own part, and the town still hangs together.
When the town needs tidying away
A town takes up space, and at some point the floor is needed for something else. Make tidying up part of the game: the cars drive home to the garage, the stations close for the night, and the roads are packed away until next time. That way it is not an ending but a pause, and the town can be built up again tomorrow.
Many children like to have a fixed place where the town lives, such as a box or a shelf. Then they know where to find it next time, and it is easier to get started again.
Frequently asked questions
How many sets do you need to build a town?
You can start with one set. All sets in Crateit Town fit together, so the town can grow one set at a time.
Do you need glue or tools?
No. The parts click precisely into place without glue, so the town can be taken apart and rebuilt.
See all of Crateit Town.
