Lego provides a way to mastering many other kind of emerging skills, such as problem solving, spatial skills and understanding semi complex tasks. Using three-dimensional objects also enables young and fertile minds the ability to plan ahead and make the necessary alterations so the pieces fit together as intended.
5 Important Skills That Children Learn From LEGO
Play is the first building block in learning, but what about the building blocks themselves? In this article, we’re delving into the specific skills that children can learn from the well-known toys, Lego blocks.
1. Communication Skills
Communication is equally vital for everyone: babies, children and adults. If we need or want something, we need to be able to clearly communicate this. Lego helps build this in two main ways.
Learning To Share
From a young age, it is important for children to understand the importance of other people. They can help and guide us and we can do the same for them in return. Lego helps develop these social skills by giving children the ability to work in groups to make creations. Once the creations are done, the children can play together and create exciting stories from their imaginations.
If the child is playing alone in a childcare centre or at home, they may still ask their family members for help – developing the emotional aspect of interacting with people and encouraging the child to accept that it is alright to need help.
Interpreting Instructions
Communication is not a one-sided street. At the end of each talker, there is a listener, and Lego helps children understand how to be a listener. They have to read, interpret and understand what somebody else has written. From there, they have to act. In childcare centres, they may have the help of another child to do so.
2. Puzzle Solving
Lego is, at its core, a puzzle. Children must follow instructions to re-create a building, place or environment, with varying difficulty. They must choose which block fits the description, where to place it and how it fits overall with the design. Once they do and the item is built, the puzzle is complete.
3. Emotional Growth
Along the way, they learn a variety of skills associated with problem-solving. When they feel like the puzzle just isn’t making sense, they are introduced to frustration. When they decide to stick with it and keep going, they learn how to acknowledge their feelings and overcome them – the valuable lesson of persistence. Then, once they complete the puzzle, they understand satisfaction.
All of these skills are important to learn at a young age because they allow children to develop emotionally, while also giving them a chance to explore puzzles and problem-solving. What we learn as a child benefits us in the future, which is why many early learning centres engage with Legos and other similar toys to teach problem-solving.
4. Fine Motor Skills
Although it is unlikely that we remember, there was a time when we did not know how to walk, run, or hold a pencil. Over time, likely with the help of caring adults, we developed these skills. Fine motor skills are vital for children’s development and are immensely aided through the use of Lego.
How Does This Work?
Simply through practice. When your child is playing with Lego, they are constantly moving their hands, adjusting the blocks and following instructions. Their actions must be concise and thought-out so as to achieve the desired result. Through thorough engagement with the child’s motor skills, Lego improves them. As the old saying goes, practice makes perfect – Lego helps them practice in an engaging, educational way.
5. Inspiring Creativity
Children have immense imaginations which Lego can tap into. By giving children the ability to be creative – to create whatever tickles their fancy – children are given the chance to express themselves in beneficial ways.
They may follow the instructions or create something completely new, expanding their imagination and linking it to the real world. Later, when they become adults, this skill of imagining will prove useful in many different ways, including goal setting, emotional capabilities and problem-solving.
Does LEGO help with coding?
Once they’ve built their LEGO brick masterpieces, they’ll get to write code and see their models come to life on screen.
How do kids learn how to code with LEGO toys?
For kids, there’s no better way to learn anything than through play. The same goes for coding. Here’s how to get started with fun, simple or even complex programs with the right LEGO coding toys for girls and boys of all ages.
Who can learn to code with LEGO toys?
As a rule of thumb, everyone can learn to code with LEGO toy sets. You’re off to a very good start if you’re curious and playful by nature, as kids are. That’s really the only basic skills you need to begin your coding experiments.
What are the benefits of learning coding for kids?
Coding can really trigger and encourage your child’s desire and ability to combine their sense of logic with their intuition. Kids instantly see it as a tool for testing their creative stream of “what happens if I do this?” questions and ideas.
When your child is learning to code with their computer, robot, tablet or other screen, it’s not just idle screen time. It’s an active engagement and developing activity that, in the process, teaches them valuable life skills:
Language Skills
Did you know that learning the languages and patterns of computer code, such as HTML, is very similar to learning a different language? The skills your child learns from coding can be directly applied to breaking down grammar rules and syntax of other languages!
Organizational and Problem-Solving Skills
When you lift an arm to raise a glass of milk to your mouth, you do it without thinking about HOW you do it. As kids try to program the actions of a robot or a computer program or game, they learn to identify all the small steps that, when combined, create the bigger journey. They learn to anticipate obstacles, find creative shortcuts or add unexpected details that improve the experience. We can’t promise that if they successfully get a robot to lift a glass of milk today they’ll send a rocket to Mars in 20 years, but they can definitely have fun trying!
Curiosity, Creativity and Confidence
Kids can make villains’ lairs, rockets or doll houses out of cardboard box and crayons. Imagine what they can do with code! Kids find creative ways to use what they have to build something new. If they want to program a play list, make a LEGO® animal or robot come to life, or even design a new game, they can use the building blocks of code to create their own unique toys, gadgets or engaging stories to play out with friends. That’s a pretty great feeling.
Stronger Future with STEM
Whether your child wants to be a doctor, drive big trucks, be a chef or create art, chances are they’ll be working with one or more of the STEM disciplines: science, technology, engineering or math. They don’t need to be experts at STEM – just learning the basics of coding can give them a much deeper understanding of the technologies they’ll be working with as well as the tools they need to help improve processes and workloads in their field.
The great thing about using legos to introduce coding concepts is that the activities can grow with your children. Start with the simple ideas and games to really lay the groundwork for what will come and you might be surprised with what your children can come up with!