If you've been with us awhile, you know our love of all things LEGO! LEGO bricks are a staple in most families’ homes. However, most parents don’t realize the incredible benefits LEGO products give to their children. LEGO toys may seem like an ordinary way of keeping your kids entertained and out of your hair, but when you buy your kids LEGO items, you are doing so much more than you ever knew for your kids. Here’s how LEGO play builds confidence!
Build Confidence in Math
Did you ever think LEGO toys were a way to build math skills? Well, think about all the math that goes into building an extraordinary city, building, or another object. Kids have to learn that 4 blocks with 2 holes make a whole 8 block. Not only is that addition (2+2+2+2=8), but it is also multiplication (2*4). Kids don’t even realize they're doing it. Other math skills include:
- Patterns
- Shapes
- Colors
- Probability
Build Confidence in Creativity
LEGO bricks allow your child to make anything possible. They can build a castle for their princess, a boat for their pirate adventures, or a car to race in the big 500! The possibilities are endless with LEGO bricks. When your child is able to build something that he or she is proud enough to show you, this builds self-esteem and confidence. It shows your child that their creativity pays off and encourages them to be more creative.
Build Confidence in Fine Motor Skills
Smaller LEGO bricks are much more challenging to piece together, but that doesn’t stop your little one from trying. As with anything, fine motor skills have to be built up. If they can piece together small objects into big scenes, then they can surely write letters, numbers, and words. The more your child works on their fine motor skills, the more confidence they will have in other fine motor activities.
Build Confidence in Problem Solving
What does your child do when they are trying to figure out how to make a skyscraper? They are problem solving. Problem-solving is a skill many grown adults lack, but LEGO play can foster confidence in this area. This is even truer as a child takes pictures of what they want to build and has to problem solve to make it look like the picture.
Start this confidence booster with easy LEGO creation directions, and gradually build your child up to higher level problem solving. Eventually, your child won’t need directions, and will be confident in looking at a picture, problem-solving, and creating it.
Build Confidence in Social Settings
Charlie is a bit of a shy kid when it comes to talking to other kids sometimes. He absolutely loves playing with his LEGO bricks though and will talk to absolutely ANYONE about what he's building or what he wants to build. This makes my Mommy-heart happy that something as simple as a toy is an outlet for him to come out of his shell and open up. Most kids are familiar with LEGO products and can instantly relate and start a conversation.
Charlie plays with a lot of different LEGO products, but I really love the LEGO Juniors for him. LEGO Juniors is the perfect way to set kids (aged 4-7) up for success and grow their independence & confidence because the products are perfectly matched to the building skills of their age and stage.
We all know little ones can't wait to rip open a new toy and start playing! With LEGO Juniors, the sets include some premade pieces, like a shop wall or car chassis to help make the building process smoother, so your kiddo can focus on the fun details and start playing right away. The bigger sets contain numbered bags with bricks for the different parts of the model. Your child can choose which part of the set to build first, and it’s easy to find the right bricks for the job. The bags and the playful instructions really break it down for the little ones.
LEGO bricks are not just toys! They are a confidence booster, learning tool, and a great way to prepare your child for the future. How do you use LEGO to build your child’s confidence?
I was selected for this opportunity as a member of CLEVER and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.
It is great to have toys like Lego that are fun and help build children confidence in so many areas as you describe in your post. No wonder it stays relevant throughout generations. My siblings and I enjoyed playing Lego as children and my son did as well.