A and E, my 7 and 5 year olds, have long enjoyed leggo play, but until recently, their play has been fairly free-form, involving constructing castles of the imagination rather than trying to build defined structures or follow instructions. Just lately, though, A in particular has expressed interest in trying to build leggo creations following the instructions. She really, really wanted to have a go at building a complex car / truck thing that we'd been given some time ago, which involved a thick instruction book, had an age-rating of 9 and up, and had many, many tiny little parts.
I nodded brightly when she expressed this interest, then suggested that this might be a Daddy and girls project!
So my husband and the big girls have now logged three 2-hr sessions of truck-building, following detailed instructions, working together, nutting out complicated bits, rebuilding where necessary. I've used these times (mostly Sunday afternoons) to log some paid work time while the toddler has napped. The girls have hugely enjoyed having concentrated time with their Dad and doing something so sustained and involved. (In that regard it's resembled a holiday project I do each school hols with the kids - putting together a 500 or 1,000 piece puzzle over several sessions of working together).
It's been fun for them all, doing grown-up leggo!
Posts
Hi There, visiting from We Play. :)
ReplyDeleteWe absolutely love Lego here, so much fun learning happening with out anyone even realising it. :)
Getting some Dadda time is sooo important, and Dadda's are usually better at some things than Mumma's, so it always opens up the oppurtunity for new activities.
ReplyDeleteMy sister has put me off these kind of projects though, as she has said she ends up doing them instead of her 7yo son ...
It's amazing how different play can be when you add a challenge like following instructions to achieve an outcome. It's quite different to open ended play, but still very valuable.
ReplyDeleteThat Lego is so tricky, just as I get somewhere with building I push in the wrong place and it all breaks apart. I'm definitely going to have to call on my husband's expertise.
ReplyDeleteMy grandsons and nephew (12yrs., 9yrs., 8yrs. and 7yrs. are amazing with these lego kits. It gives me a headache just looking at all the pieces on the outside of the boxes not to mention when they open the little plastic packages and dump all the pieces out. These large lego sets have become a Christmas tradition. Each one of the boys gets one of these large sets from their aunt on Christmas morning and then they take one set and all gather on the floor and put it together. The other sets are brought out during the year and everyone works on them together. I am always amazed they keep track of all the pieces. Legos are a big part of our family tradition. Thanks for the post it made me smile. :)
ReplyDelete