This afternoon my sister and I took our kids to the annual LEGO BrickFair event held at the Birmingham Jefferson Convention Complex. This festival for LEGO lovers is held in four states, Alabama, New Hampshire, Virginia and New Jersey.
If you’re near one and have a brick fan in your home, you should go at least once.
As we stood in line we noticed something most may not realize – LEGOs aren’t just for kids. There were actually more adults there without kids than there were with kids. That’s really not a bad thing.
Parents of kids who are new to LEGOs or brush it off as a ‘little kid’ toy can learn a few things about the LEGO world just by visiting a BrickFair event:
1. LEGO building can be a lifetime hobby – You don’t become a MasterBuilder overnight. While my three kids call themselves MasterBuilders, they still have a lot to learn about building LEGO creations without instructions. You’ll see signs across the conference that read ‘no this is not a kit.’ The sign is placed there by builders who have created massive, intricate designs. Something you won’t get in a kit. Ask a builder if it’s a kit and you just insulted them. My LEGO loving kids thrive off of the MasterBuilders and LEGO experts that sit near their creations. They ask questions, they learn from the veterans, they awe at the imagination and they dream of being true MasterBuilders themselves.
2. Children can learn to use both sides of their brain – Technical aspects of LEGO building spur young builders into using both cognitive and innovative processes. Try building one of the creations in the gallery above. You’ll see what I’m talking about.
3. Bridge the generational gap – My husband always helps the kids with their kits, not because they can’t do it by themselves, but because he wants to build too. I know I should get him his own bricks. The building bug can bite anyone at anytime. When it bites a parent and a child at the same time a bond can be formed that will grow over time.
(By the way, my husband couldn’t make it today because he was working on school work, but he really loves these LEGO fairs just as much as the kids.)
Don’t discount the power of the bricks. I love LEGOs so much that we’ve almost removed all other toys from our home because the kids just do not play with anything else. (Yes there are a few exceptions, a few.)
If you want to incorporate LEGOs into home learning go here to check out HomeGrown Learners. She has a plethora of LEGO lessons, printables and more.
