ABSTRACT
Design is an intentional, thoughtful, and creative process. When applied to engineering, design entails identifying problems and solving them by creating things, systems or processes. Engineering design processes often require the application of scientific, mathematical, and other knowledge. Engineers must be creative, value teamwork, be persistent, and make decisions based on evidence. Young children can and do engage in engineering design and think and behave like engineers, be it spontaneously during open-ended play or through more scaffolded engineering instruction. Scaffolded instruction includes participating in engineering design challenges that are defined by a problem, constraints, and criteria, and using a simple engineering design process to guide thinking and doing. This chapter explores young children’s engineering design during play and scaffolded instruction. It draws from the nascent but growing body of research and curriculum development efforts in early childhood engineering education, from the author’s own experiences as a science and engineering teacher educator, and from the voices of teachers who have taught engineering to young children and who have seen its value in early childhood education. Included in the chapter are three vignettes written by four educators who teach young learners to engineer.
