LEGO building blocks are a popular toy that both children and adults love. But how does LEGO help children develop and learn?
These snap together blocks allow for some terrific imaginative play, but more importantly, LEGOs actually help your child to develop and learn.
Table of Content
How Does LEGO Help Children Develop And Learn?
LEGO Blocks For Toddlers
Duplo blocks are larger LEGO blocks made especially for toddlers.
These blocks can be used to help teach toddlers their colors and shapes as well as help them learn counting and develop their fine motor skills.
Duplo blocks are perfect for also helping young children develop problem solving skills (how to create the shapes they want) as well as teaching co-operation when building with other children.
Best of all, they learn all these things through fun play, so the learning is stress free and effortless for the most part.
LEGOs For Older Kids
Lego blocks for older children also help further develop skills in reasoning and problem solving as well as following directions to complete some of the different kits available.
Children also learn some basics in architecture and engineering as well, while constructing buildings, bridges.
Some kits also allow children to build working models of windmills, robots and other things.
So, the kids are actually learning how things work as well as just how to build things.
LEGOs Help Develop Creative Thinking
One of the most important things LEGOs help children develop is the ability to think creatively.
Almost every single kit or group of blocks gives children several options of things they can replicate and build.
Through building these different things, children begin making changes and building new and different things outside of the suggested models, which is the first step in developing the ability to think creatively.
In some cases, children quickly learn to take a simple basic design of a LEGO building, automobile, spaceship or other model and turn it into something far more interesting and different than the original.
While doing so may seem like “kid’s play” it is actually the first step in learning to think outside the box and build upon previous skills.
LEGO allows a child to use trial and error when playing, so that there is no fear of failure.
This enables the child to become more creative and build upon their successes, which also helps to create higher self esteem and confidence in their own problem solving abilities.
Best of all, since there are LEGO kits for children of all ages as well as adults, the learning never stops.
This is due to the fact that, as the children grow, the more difficult kits further increase their fine motor skills, as well as their ability to follow directions, think creatively and problem solve.
When building with friends, siblings, and even friends, children learn to develop their skills in co-operation, group dynamics, and team problem solving.
While LEGOs are considered a fun and entertaining toy for kids (or adults) there is far more to these simple snap together building blocks than simple enjoyment.
They are great tools for helping children build those skills that will last a lifetime.
Lego Kits to Consider
LEGO Classic Quad Pack 66554 Building KitLEGO Boost Creative Toolbox 17101 Building and Coding Kit (847 Pieces)LEGO Creator Space Shuttle Explorer 31066 Building Kit (285 Piece)