Most children enjoy playing with LEGO bricks, but is there more to LEGOS than just being a fun toy that keeps kids occupied for hours? If you think about it, you may see the educational and developmental benefits of LEGO for kids.
In this article, we list the top benefits of playing with LEGO bricks. Check it out; there could be some compelling reasons you want your children to continue having access to LEGO building blocks and other construction toys. The skills children learn from the best LEGO sets may benefit them as adults too. Adults, who guiltily enjoy building with LEGO bricks, may find reasons in the list to support their LEGO enthusiasm also.
Fine Motor Skills
Developing fine motor skills may seem an obvious benefit, but did you know children need the same muscles and skills when learning to write? Connecting the bricks with precision and detail strengthens fine motor skills and improves hand-eye coordination.
Picking up LEGO pieces with their fingers builds muscles and skill your child may need when holding and controlling a pencil to write or draw. Just make sure you know how to keep Lego’s clean.
Planning Skills and Overcoming Failures
LEGO creations do not just happen; they are constructed by connecting one LEGO brick with another. Children learn to plan their building projects, especially if a haphazard construction falls apart. Playing with LEGO bricks is a safe environment for failures and kids learning to plan better with their next attempt.
A LEGO tower that collapses is part of the fun; kids do not mind rebuilding it repeatedly until they reach success. They may happily try new ways and enjoy learning from their mistakes and experiencing a sense of accomplishment with a successful LEGO creation. It doesn’t matter if it’s a standard Lego police set or one of the Lego Creator kits – the adventure of building is much of the fun.
Learning from their mistakes builds a child’s self-confidence, which may help them grow up and function in the adult world. Children who have self-confidence are not afraid to try something new; they see failure as part of the learning process and do not take it personally.
Problem Solving and Lateral Thinking
Planning skills and a building strategy form part of the problem-solving process. Young children learn that it takes more than having ideas to create a LEGO masterpiece at an early age.
Construction play also requires patience, endurance, and sometimes lateral thinking to find the solution. Kids also discover that there is more than one way to solve a problem and that different approaches could end with the same or a better result.
Grasping the idea of different approaches to a problem help kids and adults appreciate colleagues and peers’ point of view. It gives them an open mind and teaches them to listen to others’ ideas; colleagues or peers may have a better way of reaching a solution.
Adults also benefit from improving their problem-solving techniques. The construction process may help them with strategic and lateral thinking at work and at home.
STEM Skills and Spatial Awareness
Developing and creating an interest in STEM-related topics is one of the top benefits of LEGO play. It may even lead to potential STEM careers.
Research has shown that playing with puzzles and building blocks helps develop kids’ spatial skills essential for STEM-related tasks. The ability to think 3D, visualizing shapes in your mind’s eye are indispensable skills architects, engineers, and artists need.
Playing with LEGOS is so much fun that parents may not even realize their children are strengthening their STEM skills.
- Science is having an idea and proving it. LEGOS stimulates a child to come up with ideas and develop it creatively.
- Technology uses new techniques to complete a task. LEGO bricks are raw materials kids use to accomplish complex objects and things in new ways.
- Engineering skills blossom with LEGOS. The simplicity of constructing something like a building, one of the best LEGO architecture sets, or a city kit requires figuring out how to create these LEGO works of art successfully.
- Math skills flourish with LEGOS. The shapes, sizes, and counting of LEGO bricks come naturally when constructing an item. Kids count, add, and subtract consistently when they play with LEGO bricks.
Instructions and Creativity
One of the best benefits of LEGO is sparking the creativity and imagination of your child. Place a box of LEGO bricks in front of a child, and soon the child starts playing with the LEGO bricks. If a child hesitates, parents often cannot resist the temptation to help them get things started; it’s just too irresistible not to pick up a LEGO brick and another…
Following instructions is another LEGO benefit. All LEGO toys come with an instruction booklet on how to build the item. Often the box includes instructions to build various objects with the same bricks. These blueprints may inspire creativity in children and adults; it may spark an innovative design the manufacturers did not consider.
Communication Skills and Social Skills
All may benefit from good communication. When children play with each other, they learn to communicate and play together. The ability to communicate efficiently and with verbal clarity helps avoid misunderstandings and miscommunications—traits that may benefit them in the adult work environment and relationships.
Most LEGO themes come with Minifigures and accessories that inspire children’s imagination and roleplaying adventures. Whether your child is playing alone or with siblings and friends, LEGO bricks and accessories encourage social interaction. Language skills automatically improve as children create dialogue for the Minifigures or chatting with each other.
Language development is essential for good teamwork. When building a LEGO project, children learn the fundamentals of working together as a group. With plenty to do, children learn how to contribute, share, negotiate, and accept responsibilities.
Is LEGOS Good For Learning?
LEGO Education would agree that students learn through LEGO play. They provide learning solutions and lessons for the classroom, homeschoolers, or online virtual training.
Children who are having fun with LEGO for recreational purposes also benefit from the educational benefits, as seen in the list above.
- Fine motor skill development prepares preschoolers for writing and drawing tasks.
- Children practice creativity and imagination without the fear of making a mistake.
- Roleplay with LEGO projects, Minifigures, and accessories help with language skills development and social skills, resulting in better communication.
- Coping with frustration and learning persistence empowers children to endure until they overcome challenges.
- LEGO play improves a child’s self-esteem when they complete a project.
Do LEGOS Help Your Brain?
The short answer is yes, and a quick scan of the benefits mentioned above is enough proof of LEGO’s advantages in cognitive improvement.
- Creating a LEGO project requires focus and concentration. Children learn to pay attention and to stay focused on the task at hand.
- LEGO stimulates creativity and thinking out of the box. Imagination and ingenuity lead to innovative thinking and the discovery of new ideas.
- LEGO play is a productive hobby that helps you relax.
- Using LEGO pieces to construct objects requires various brain skills like planning, problem-solving, lateral thinking, spatial awareness, and STEM skills.
Is It Weird for Adults To Play With LEGOS?
About 20 years ago, the LEGO company didn’t take their loyal adult fans seriously. According to them, LEGOS were for children, and they did not know what to do with adults sharing their LEGO creations online.
During the Christmas season of 1999-2000, their largest sellers, Toys R Us, Walmart, and Target, told LEGO they did not know their customers. It woke them up, and since then, LEGO appreciates their adult LEGO fans.
The Azusa Pacific University conducted a study where LEGO bricks were used to educate the next generation of leaders. Lego Serious Play (LSP) is used as an innovative tool to inspire creative confidence.
When watching families having fun around a LEGO table, you realize that LEGO is for everyone, from toddlers, building with DUPLO bricks, to adults, constructing a model consisting of thousands of pieces.
Why Do People Love LEGO?
Admit it, we all enjoyed LEGO as children, and many of us have not outgrown our LEGO infatuations… Why?
LEGO is fun!
LEGO stirs your creativity, even those who say they are not creative. Whether you create your unique LEGO model or follow the blueprint instructions, the result is a satisfying experience. The one stirs the imagination, and the following instructions may help you relax after a busy day.
Building with LEGO is a fun family activity inspiring your kids and setting the child in you free to create, play, and enjoy.
Creating a successful LEGO piece builds confidence and gives you that sense of accomplishment of a task well-done. You are as proud of your achievements as you are of your kids’ LEGO creations.
LEGO has no limits on building a LEGO City, a LEGO theme, a model for your collection, or merely constructing, taking it apart to create something new with the same bricks.
Why do you love LEGO, and what do you think is the most significant benefit for your children to play with LEGO blocks?
Very nice!
I agree with this! My kids are currently enrolled in an online school in the Philippines which offers Lego Education. They always look forward to their online class in computer subject because of this. Lego is actually fun and have beneficial to kids. Hope you can share more articles like this. More power to your blog!