How Early Play Shapes the Skills Behind 3D Design
By Michael Thoennes, Motif Class Founder
Published: December 16, 2025
3D design may feel advanced, but its roots begin much earlier than you may realize. Much of early play builds the same cognitive skills used in 3D software. While each program has its own learning curve, the skills behind 3D design don’t suddenly appear in middle school; they’ve been forming for years.
Let’s explore how these early abilities can open the door to real 3D design pathways.
Early Spatial Development
If you pour out a box of LEGO bricks in front of preschool kids, they’ll most likely be hands-on in moments. Each kid interacts slightly differently with the bricks, but they flock to the pile nonetheless. In the same way, ask a group of third graders if they want to play Minecraft and the results are similar.
Spatial reasoning is the term we often hear, but at a fundamental level, kids really are developing a sense of directional rotation and learning how objects fit together when playing in these ways. Some believe there are key development windows for these abilities in early and middle childhood, though evidence is mixed on the exact timing.
Growing Through 3D Design
Given the opportunity, older students continue growing as they explore things like 3D modeling, game development, and other forms of engineering design. In addition to spatial reasoning, these experiences strengthen problem-solving, creativity, iteration, and other important attributes.
Some find exploring these more advanced disciplines tedious, while others find it enjoyable. A girl in my classroom recently said she likes 3D modeling, does it at home, and that her dad is an engineer. Another student said 3D modeling isn’t fun because “the end product isn’t good,” though I note that he hadn’t reached that stage yet.
There are interesting insights here. One could assume the girl was influenced by her dad’s profession and perhaps intentionally (or through proximity) introduced to the software. Regarding the second student’s comment, perhaps 3D design has a slower payoff than something like 2D video game design, where you can get a player moving fairly quickly.
Another example worth mentioning is when a frustrated sixth-grade student said she wasn’t good at texturing and art and that she had “no imagination” (her words). Later in that same session, after she discovered that she could overlay images of bell peppers onto her design, she said, “Texturing is fun.” This highlights why student choice plays a role in student enjoyment, and in turn, engagement.
What Research Shows
Research shows that spatial reasoning is a trainable skill. When kids practice spatial tasks, the improvements last and can also transfer to other types of spatial thinking. These abilities support many areas of STEM learning, which means the spatial skills kids develop through simple play can matter later on.
“Training effects were stable and transferred to other spatial tasks that were not directly trained. […] Spatially enriched education could pay substantial dividends in increasing participation in mathematics, science, and engineering.”
Uttal et al., 2013, Psychological Bulletin
Research on spatial visualization also shows that the ability to imagine and mentally manipulate 3D objects is an important skill in technical fields.
“The ability to visualize in three dimensions is a cognitive skill that has been shown to be important for success in engineering and other technological fields.”
Sorby, 2009, Engineering Design Graphics Journal
Helping Students Get Started
These are great observations, but what practical steps can be taken to benefit your student? First, it’s important to provide the opportunity for students to explore the field. Kids have different interests and preferences that may or may not lead them toward digital design fields, and that’s okay. It’s completely fine if a student doesn’t want to pursue 3D design, but they should at least know that it’s an option. Also, students and parents should know that not all design tools are built the same. Each student’s unique proficiency and motives can help to inform potential pathways.
I recommend TinkerCAD for younger students and Blender for older students. Both are free programs with plenty of video tutorials online. However, I’m personally teaching Blender to younger students as well, given they are in my classroom, and I love Blender (see our Design-A-Bot video)!
Some students struggle with basic keyboard and mouse skills (as mentioned in my “Top Tech Skills Every Kid Needs in 2026” article) and may need to hone those fundamentals before expecting too much too soon. There’s a fine line between a healthy level of struggle that helps students learn and the kind of frustration that comes from not having the basic computer skills yet.
I find that first learning the fundamentals of Blender and then just stacking blocks into a castle for a while is a great place to start. It represents a Minecraft-to-CAD (Computer-Aided Design) connection.
Why These Skills Matter Long-Term
3D skills are used in a wide variety of STEM jobs. They’re used in engineering, architecture, game development, film, and so much more. The overall global market for 3D-related technologies, including modeling software, 3D printing, VR/AR, and simulation, is well over $150 billion and continues to grow. Many colleges and universities now have fabrication labs and curricula supporting related pathways. I work with university engineering students who use tools like Blender and Fusion 360 to build museum exhibits, and it’s a reminder of how transferable these abilities really are.
So where do we go from here? I think it’s clear that 3D design is a valuable skill, even if your student doesn’t become an engineer. Many of the foundational building blocks (pun intended) that even toddlers are learning through play can lead to design pathways. Kids can’t choose a path they’ve never seen, so it’s important to introduce them to a variety of STEM domains, including 3D modeling. I encourage you to help them open that door.