Think, Make, Try® Toolkit
The Think, Make, Try® Toolkit was created for educators and caregivers working with young children ages 3 to 8 years. This is not a curriculum, but a set of individual resources you can use to support the development of important cognitive skills. This Toolkit is completely downloadable and printable, including Spanish and Chinese versions of child-facing resources.
Think, Make, Try®Process
Children can use Think, Make, Try® to solve creative challenges, test out new ideas, and arrive at innovative solutions. Each step of the process is distinct, and they occur in an ongoing cycle:
Think About the Problem
During the Think phase of the engineering design process, children learn about and consider a problem. They take the time to understand different aspects of the problem and what they need to solve for, including what is known about who will use the product and how, where, or when it will be used. During this step, it is important that children think before proposing a potential solution or jumping ahead to build something. Children can take notes or draw images of the ideas they want to keep in mind while designing and building their prototype. They may even start to think about the materials they want to use.
Make a Prototype
The Make phase of the engineering design process, which allows them to bring their ideas to life in a hands-on way, is especially exciting to children. During this phase, children will come up with ideas for a solution and may even sketch a design of their plan. Each child can combine the provided materials in any way they choose – usually in different ways – to build a prototype of their solution. Adults should encourage children to explain their ideas by asking questions or allowing time for peers to converse with each other. There are no right or wrong answers. It can be helpful for peers to compare their work and participate in conversations about the choices they made and point out specific features of their creations.
Try and Retry
In the Try phase of the engineering design process, children test out their prototypes to see if they address the original problem in the way that they hoped. During this phase, children determine what worked as planned and what worked differently. Most likely, they will find that some aspects of their design worked as expected while others were less successful. Adults should encourage children to refine their ideas and make improvements. This naturally leads them to retry which will take them back to the Think phase to start the process all over again.
Resources
Think, Make, Try® Literature Review and Quick Guide of Implementation Tips
Based on comprehensive review of research in cognitive and developmental psychology and education, this paper uses Think, Make, Try® as a framework to provide details about specific cognitive skills that are facilitated while engaging in the engineering design process.
1-Page Quick Guide of Tips – English
1-Page Quick Guide of Tips – Español
1-Page Quick Guide of Tips – 中文
Think, Make, Try® Educator Resource Guide and Assessment Tools
This guide contains tips to support designing, planning, and evaluating early engineering activities as well as introduction and reference to the resources included in this Toolkit. Included are two templates to aid in assessing children’s engagement in early engineering activities.
Educator Resource Booklet – English
Educator Resource Booklet – Español
Educator Resource Booklet – 中文
Think, Make, Try® Assessment Tool for Individual Activities – English
Think, Make, Try® Assessment Tool for Individual Activities – Español
Think, Make, Try® Assessment Tool for Individual Activities – 中文
Early Engineering Evaluation Rubric for Longer-term Assessment – English
Early Engineering Evaluation Rubric for Longer-term Assessment – Español
Early Engineering Evaluation Rubric for Longer-term Assessment – 中文
Think, Make, Try® Signs
Hang these signs (available in three languages) in your classroom as a visual reminder for you and your students of the Think, Make, Try® Process.
Think, Make, Try® Signs – English – 8.5×11
Think, Make, Try® Signs – English – 11×17
Think, Make, Try® Signs – Español – 8.5×11
Think, Make, Try® Signs – Español – 11×17
Think, Make, Try® Signs – 中文 – 8.5×11
Think, Make, Try® Signs – 中文 – 11×17
Materials Lists for Design Activities
During design activities, children will have an opportunity to explore and compare properties of different materials and tools. Below are two materials lists to help you prepare for design activities. The Full Materials List is a more thorough list of materials and tools, and the Short Materials List has a small selection of items that might be more appropriate for the youngest learners. Most items on these lists are recyclables or easy to find and are meant as a guide to get you started – you don’t have to use all of them, and you can use anything else you already have. You can collect materials on your own, invite children to collect them with you, or use them as scavenger hunts. Feel free to add to the lists!
Full Materials List – English
Short Materials List – English
Full Materials List – Español
Short Materials List – Español
Full Materials List – 中文
Short Materials List – 中文
Children’s Design Plan and Note Taking Worksheet
Encourage children to take notes or draw design plans so that they can reflect on their thinking and share their ideas with others.
Design Plan & Notes Worksheet – English
Design Plan & Notes Worksheet – Español
Design Plan & Notes Worksheet – 中文
Conversation Starters
These signs (available in three languages) provide inspiration for conversation starters that encourage positive adult-child interactions and encourage children to think more creatively during the engineering design process.
Conversation Starters 8.5×11 – English
Conversation Starters 11×17 – English
Conversation Starters 8.5×11 – Español
Conversation Starters 11×17 – Español
Conversation Starters 8.5×11 – 中文
Conversation Starters 11×17 – 中文
Design Certificate for Children
Celebrate children’s work by providing a certificate that highlights their design work and reinforces the use of the Think, Make, Try® process and skills.
Design Certificate – English
Design Certificate – Español
Design Certificate – 中文
Activities to Promote Think, Make, Try®
Foundational pre-engineering activities
These are two sets of pre-engineering activities that highlight skills that are foundational to children’s engagement with early design activities. Use these to guide your play with very young children or children with less design activity experience.
Pre-engineering activities #1: Exploration of Materials and Tools – English
Pre-engineering activities #2: Building Spatial Relational Skills – English
Pre-engineering activities #1: Exploration of Materials and Tools – Español
Pre-engineering activities #2: Building Spatial Relational Skills – Español
Pre-engineering activities #1: Exploration of Materials and Tools – 中文
Pre-engineering activities #2: Building Spatial Relational Skills – 中文
10 Engineering Design Activities
This is a set of 10 hands-on engineering design activities designed to get you started (or keep you going!) with early engineering activities. Each activity page includes learning goals, links to engineering professions, recommendations for materials to use, and tips for setting up the problem and facilitating the activities with children.
Other Details
View other recommended resources here.