Using Legos to Build Confidence in Kids

Dear parents,

I’m not sure your bare feet in the middle of the night will thank me for this information but; buy more legos! That’s right. As it turns out, they are just what our kiddos need to fine-tune some things. We’re researching ways to get children more involved in community-based groups. If there aren’t any that grab your child’s interest, why not help them create one?

One such group is a social or peer group based on the common interest of Legos. The famous building blocks that were made popular during the shopping crazes of the early 70s are now being used to push STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) activities and social awareness needs in children. The common bond is building and creativity for most children. Legos allow children the benefit of an open imagination and much more.

According to many popular parenting sites, using lego clubs or peer groups can improve a child’s social skills, help communication, and even reduce stress. Using lego building challenges to manage things like frustration and behavior modification can be the motivation to start lego clubs in communities that have seen an uptick in youth violence and limited resources.

Lego has expanded its brand and product to include very complex sets which are enticing to older youth and youth that have a very specific interest like popular comic book characters. Children with fine motor skills challenging can use legos and larger sets to challenge themselves to meet milestones in physical therapy. Overall the benefits of lowering stress and managing things like anxiety and communication are worth the challenge alone.

So if you need a way to build confidence in your youth, grab a lego set and see what you can build together!

 

To get an expert analysis on the matter of legos and building peer groups, we consulted with our youth guest writer, Nasira Blanche. She is our in-the-field correspondent on the things all preteens need to know, and she wants to share her experience with lego and how building them challenges her creativity.

 

 

 

 

 

“My Life with Legos” – Written by Nasira Blanche

“Legos are helpful when it comes to kids who have learning disabilities. They can help kids in many ways. People enjoy Legos in many ways, like creating unique builds or having fun building sets. Fun fact: Legos were established in 1932 when Oie Kirk Christiansen founded the company in a Danish carpentry workshop and continued to make different shapes of Legos. I love Legos because they help me think of so many ideas. Many people use Legos for models and other things. There are even Legos that look like your favorite show or movie. Let’s talk about my Lego history. I have joined clubs and summer camps, like Lego engineering camps, which are very fun. There are also educational groups that have Lego competitions or challenges to build Lego models that are difficult. I challenged myself last year to complete Lego Grogu, or as some like to call him, baby Yoda from the Mandalorian. It was a difficult challenge and fun at the same time, but it was complex. I also have done Lego friends. I even finished a Lego set in one day. There are lots and lots of Legos out there, but I like the regular Lego sets better because you get all sorts of colored Legos. I first got into Legos when I was a little. I got my first Lego set when I was at Disney land. It was an easy build and small as well.

Sometimes I wish there was a Lego app that helps you custom-make your own Lego set in any design you want. That would be Awesome! You know, I think my favorite Lego piece I have completed must be my Baby Grogu because it was both complex and fun, so yeah. The first Lego class I took was an after-school class. It was just the basics of building. All we did was Lego engineering and gear building. It was new and fun, but now I can only find camps that are doing stuff that I have already done before. I’m still looking for new Lego adventures, and hope to find new challenges. Anyway, I’m always thinking about new builds and trying new and fun hacks. I hope to be a Lego master and look for new and challenging builds. I hope to have fun with the challenge or even make challenges to pass along. I think some kids would find it fun and even challenging when playing with Legos. Even adults have fun with Legos! My family is always amazed at how fast, creative, and skilled I am with Legos. You know, there are many Legos designs that I have not tried yet, so I do not know what my favorites are, ugh! I hope you enjoyed my article about Legos and my Lego history. Bye!”

 

From the parents of a Lego Artist…

As Nasira’s parents, like many others, we bought her building blocks as a toddler. She also had a lot of Lego preschool blocks to use during playtime. We loved to build as a family and watch her choose her favorite colors and shapes to create. As she got older, I would take her to our local library, where there was a larger Lego table. She loved building on it after picking out books to check out. Of course, Lego is not necessarily the messiest hobby, and we have all heard the jokes about parents stepping on rouge Legos. However, Nasira is a naturally organized child and loves her sets so much that she rarely takes them apart after putting sets together. She also has a large bin for loose Legos. The great thing about Legos is that they are timeless. Lego sets from the 80s or 90s will still snap and work with a modern set. The world is yours to build as you choose!

Greg & Iman Blanche

The Below gallery features some of Nasira’s Lego work and also photos of her volunteer work at The Grandma Home House Retreat where she facilitates arts and crafts activities for foster youth as a therapeutic outlet. Nasira also helps to coordinate activities for guests to the retreat from around the world. She has done arts and crafts with children from countries like Bangladesh, Afghanistan, China, and Germany to name a few.