The Family That Stays Together, Builds Together

...wait, what? Obviously that’s backward, right? Not today! With many of us stuck inside due to shelter-in-place orders, we’re all staying together whether we want to or not. So while the family is stuck inside, now’s a great time for LEGO building as a stress-free, educational, and fun activity that we can all do together. The beauty of LEGO is that it’s not simply “a toy” to be played with in one particular way; a LEGO collection can be thought of as a platform for play, for learning, for creative free expression, all wrapped up together. No matter the age of your child, LEGO can be used to keep minds bright, to keep the creative juices flowing, and to maintain that all-important parent/child bonding time. Below are a few ideas for fun and intellectually stimulating activities for parents and children that can keep shelter-in-place from becoming a total bore:

For the home-schooled child:

Bring LEGO into the classroom (even if that classroom is just the dining room table). Find a way to make your home-schooling lessons even more interactive by using LEGO bricks to demonstrate different concepts or illustrate new content. You and your child can each build your own interpretation of a scene from the book being read for class (don’t forget to compare and contrast interpretations!), or help them build their own map of the United States using our U.S. Map Building Kit. Of course, we also offer full curriculums to help your homeschooling endeavors.

For younger children:

If your child is just getting to the age where they can safely play with LEGO, it can be best to keep things simple and playful. Help them snap bricks together and discover how objects can be created and ideas can be brought to life using LEGO, and don’t forget to save time to play with their creations once you’re done. Is your child ready for a bit more structure? Our activity guides offer simple, clear, step-by-step instructions for ideas that foster creative play.

For children that thrive off a sense of accomplishment:

While a small LEGO play session can be wonderful, sometimes what you really need is a big project that gives a sense of weight, purpose, and accomplishment upon completion. Shelter-in-place can leave families and children feeling aimless, like even the most fun in-the-moment activities hold no real meaning. Consider taking on a big build that can be worked on together over multiple sessions, and feel the sense of achievement when you finally reach that goal. Larger sculpture kits like our 30” tall Superman can make for the perfect family quarantine project, and displaying it after building only serves as a reminder of what you can all accomplish. Already have a big brick collection? We also offer digital instructions for Superman and many other of our LEGO sculptures.

Shelter-in-place doesn’t have to mean resigning yourself and your children to a life of boredom, repetition, and endless screen time. No matter what your child’s personality or learning style, LEGO learning, exploration, and play can provide a healthy break from the monotony of life indoors and memories of family bonding to cherish forever.