We are big LEGO fans at this house! I have an entire LEGO inspired Pinterest board! There is something so empowering and satisfying about taking little bricks and pieces and turning them into something else with its own function, purpose and story. And you know how important creativity is to me! Is it any surprise that we would have a house full of the kinds of toys that help foster creativity? Every time a child sits down with a pile of bricks he or she unlocks her creativity and finds joy in building—all while gaining a sense of pride in their creation.
My 6-year-old daughter has always been drawn to building with LEGOs. She has been known to steal her brother’s Darth Maul and any random assortment of LEGO characters from his collection with which to develop her own LEGO creations and stories. I can’t tell you how thrilled we were when we first found the pink box of LEGOs and the whole LEGO® Friends line of characters and building projects in the stores. I wish they had been around when my oldest daughter was younger. LEGO® Friends is a collection of building sets that blend the iconic LEGO construction experience with stories, settings and themes designed to meet children’s desire for creativity and a highly-detailed, character-based world. Since its launch in 2012, LEGO® Friends has dramatically increased the number of girls building with LEGO bricks and enjoying the benefits of construction play.
My children are natural storytellers, but where as my sons’ stories usually involve explosions of the nuclear variety happening somewhere, my daughters love the character-based, more true-to-life scenarios. We were sent this fun news van set and some extra LEGOs to play with together and get a little creative, girl-style. While the set was intended for my 6-year-old daughter, my 13-year-old (and even the boys), couldn’t help but want to be involved.
This set features the character Emma as a news reporter. My girls told me right away that I am Emma. They had already identified which characters were most like them and who the others reminded them of, and I had earned the title of Emma! Hmm…I could see me as a news reporter. I did think about it for a little while in college. Especially if I had such a cool van.
She totally looks like me, right? 😉
We started by following the directions pretty closely for building the van. But it didn’t take long for the story to unfold as they were putting the pieces together. The girls decided that Emma was covering a cake decorating contest and that this large white cake had won first prize. They had set up the on-location shoot, as they were still putting together the rest of the van.
After we had completed the van, I turned my 6-old-loose with the rest of the LEGO pieces to add to her story in which ever way she chose.
She pulled out some piece from other kits and made a house (or a fort? not quite sure) where her puppy, boat, and the cake happily reside while Emma and her cameraman, take a much needed rest from their labors.
She was pretty pleased with her creations! And I love seeing what they come up with without direction or intervention! Children learn about themselves, others and the world through play; construction play allows children to be creative in a way that combines logic and reasoning with playfulness and imagination. This type of play helps children grasp the importance of persistence as they develop a sense of pride for their completed model or their own creation.
I love seeing my girls design and build their world through creative play with LEGOs. Who knows, maybe they will grow up to be creative bloggers. 🙂 But if not, I know they are building the confidence to tackle what ever goals they choose to pursue.
I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.
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