As a parent with grown children - and now four grandchildren - this growing zeal for legos in an age when children spend far too much time in front of video screens has captivated me - curious to know what others think. Link - ( New Window )
Sorry about the Tittle - Should Read Lego Kidsfest
though my kids aren't really into legos. I guess if your kids like legos it's a good thing? Not sure what you'r looking for...I think the whole kids spend to much time playing video games thing is overblown. Kids are still kids. They still play catch, fly kites, play with legos, read comics etc..
They started with the Lego Friends sets that are targeted specifically for girls, but they loved those so much that they will now build anything lego. Loved them as a kid, and I still love them now.
The interesting bit about Legos is how they've become less creative
Instead of buying a giant bucket of blocks and building whatever, Lego sets now come with long detailed instructions on how to build a very specific item.
he took a class at engineering for kids, loved it. he's only 4 but programmed his own lego robots for 6 weeks. pretty fucking amazing to see even if it is an iconography based programming language for little kids.
on the box kids have been trying to build for decades.
Now they include instructions, maybe that lessens creativity if you want to look at it negatively, but maybe it increase reading comprehension and the ability to follow directions if you want to view it positively.
And then like Greg said, kids if they even bother following the directions, tear the stuff down, combine sets, and just make new stuff.
The US needs engineers, and it's great to get them started and into the joy of engineering as early as possible.
Now I'm starting to think that that will be one of the gifts I will get my 2 1/2-year-old nephew for his birthday or Chrismukkah. I think he'd be GREAT with them, as he already likes to organize shapes and colors.
My daughter loves Legos. Went to Legoland this past week and it was great.
BTW, the screen time thing isn't totally overblown. There's more and more science that's indicating what most parents already suspected, too much screen time isn't good for the kiddies. Then again, in America today there's two sides to every story so I'm sure there's studies that say there's no such thing as too much screen time.
1) I never heard of this, but it sounds great. My kids love Legos.
2) I agree the sets are less creative now. They have parts specifically for one design. But, my kids just throw all those parts into a giant bag of all their Lego pieces and build what they want after they finish the set's designed piece(s). They are always creating their own cars, rockets, etc. and really love doing so. They are 9 and 4.
3) They also love doing the same with the Duplo blocks and now my 19 month old likes to join in.
4) That said, i don't think the theme that kids today spend too much time playing video games is overdone at all. I recognize it and am guilty of relying on electronics too often. It is not just an issue of playing outdoors. It is also an issue of replacing some social graces. For example, now that our kids have tablets (given to them as a gift; we didn't buy them), we rely on them to keep the kids quiet and behaved in a restaurant, instead of just good old fashioned manners. However, we do not allow tablets or Wii or any other electronics replace playing outside.
But, I have seen kids who prefer to sit inside and play Xbox, Wii, etc. for hours on end when given the choice.
as far as restaurants go, when I was a kid, I was given a coloring book or some kind of interactive menu thing to keep me occupied, it wasn't just about having good manners. Now, they have ipads to play with. Is it really that different?
Of course, there ae those shitty parents that replace parenting with video games, but it's not as widespread as some would have you believe.
that's a good point. Coloring books, kid menus with crayons, mazes, etc. have been around a long time. Overall, I'm not worried about my kids because we do stress manners, we do limit their tablet time, we do encourage reading and read with them, etc. But, I can't say the same for a lot of families we know.
that's a good point. Coloring books, kid menus with crayons, mazes, etc. have been around a long time. Overall, I'm not worried about my kids because we do stress manners, we do limit their tablet time, we do encourage reading and read with them, etc. But, I can't say the same for a lot of families we know.
Absolutely. It's all about balance. Mine aren't allowed video games during the school week and have to read 20 minutes a night if they want a snack. My 1st post was in response to the OP who seemed suprised kids still play with toys like legos.
Instead of buying a giant bucket of blocks and building whatever, Lego sets now come with long detailed instructions on how to build a very specific item.
=;-D
Now they include instructions, maybe that lessens creativity if you want to look at it negatively, but maybe it increase reading comprehension and the ability to follow directions if you want to view it positively.
And then like Greg said, kids if they even bother following the directions, tear the stuff down, combine sets, and just make new stuff.
Now I'm starting to think that that will be one of the gifts I will get my 2 1/2-year-old nephew for his birthday or Chrismukkah. I think he'd be GREAT with them, as he already likes to organize shapes and colors.
Great toy, but they have become very expensive you can easily drop hundreds of dollars when shopping them.
BTW, the screen time thing isn't totally overblown. There's more and more science that's indicating what most parents already suspected, too much screen time isn't good for the kiddies. Then again, in America today there's two sides to every story so I'm sure there's studies that say there's no such thing as too much screen time.
Any how - love me some Legos!
I brought it up because I think it's a refreshing change of pace from the norm from what I can see
2) I agree the sets are less creative now. They have parts specifically for one design. But, my kids just throw all those parts into a giant bag of all their Lego pieces and build what they want after they finish the set's designed piece(s). They are always creating their own cars, rockets, etc. and really love doing so. They are 9 and 4.
3) They also love doing the same with the Duplo blocks and now my 19 month old likes to join in.
4) That said, i don't think the theme that kids today spend too much time playing video games is overdone at all. I recognize it and am guilty of relying on electronics too often. It is not just an issue of playing outdoors. It is also an issue of replacing some social graces. For example, now that our kids have tablets (given to them as a gift; we didn't buy them), we rely on them to keep the kids quiet and behaved in a restaurant, instead of just good old fashioned manners. However, we do not allow tablets or Wii or any other electronics replace playing outside.
But, I have seen kids who prefer to sit inside and play Xbox, Wii, etc. for hours on end when given the choice.
Of course, there ae those shitty parents that replace parenting with video games, but it's not as widespread as some would have you believe.
Absolutely. It's all about balance. Mine aren't allowed video games during the school week and have to read 20 minutes a night if they want a snack. My 1st post was in response to the OP who seemed suprised kids still play with toys like legos.
Overseer -
You forgot and way more expensive :)