Legos have been a staple of childhood for over thirty years. Although some parents may see Legos as simply a toy, they can also be used as an integral part of a home school curriculum.
Parents can buy buckets of single-use math manipulatives, but Legos are a better choice if space or money is limited. Younger children can use Legos to practice basic counting or sorting into colors and shapes. Older children can use Legos for multiplication or even building bar graphs to express information.
Instruction booklets included with Lego sets are largely pictorial, which means children can put the sets together by themselves if they wish. Of course, some sets are quite complicated, and building Legos together is a fantastic parent-child activity.
Lego sets such as Crazy Action Contraptions allow children to build movable Legos that explore movement and motion. Lego produces many sets that include wheels and other mechanical parts that inspire creativity.
Lego clubs and classes can be found in most cities. Some are free-form get togethers of Lego enthusiasts, while others are structured classes with specific goals. Online, children can find other Lego lovers and share ideas and creations.
Lego video games featuring characters from Harry Potter, Star Wars, Batman and Lord of the Rings are entertaining games that the whole family can enjoy.
Since Legos are an open-ended toy, meaning they can be played with in many ways, there are no limits to what a child build. Children who are interested in space may build rockets and Martian landscapes. Children who are interested in cars may build crazy cars. Lego sets now include minifigs, small Lego figures that can interact with Lego creations. Minifigs, like the Legos themselves, are highly customizable and can be taken apart.
The price of Lego sets may be daunting for some families. However, Legos can be bought second-hand on eBay or Craigslist. Since Legos are made of hard durable plastic, they have a very long life. Legos, unlike some toys, retain their value and can be sold when children have outgrown them.