LEGO is not just a toy!

How many of you as a child have played with toys? With great ecstasy, I raised my hand, and I believe most of you would recall your childhood memories when you were engrossed playing with toys of different sizes and shapes.

I believe the word; ‘toy’ has fascinated children around the world and brings a smile on their face. But, imagine, if that toy is a “LEGO”, happiness knows no bounds.

When I turned six, my father gifted me my first LEGO set. I still remember, it was a castle Lego set. He looked into my eyes and said, son, from now onwards this will be our weekend hobby. It took me a few seconds to accept that it was a reality and that I was not daydreaming. On one hand, I had sparkles in my eyes, and as a six-year-old kid you would expect, I started jumping around. However, on the other hand, I was wondering whether I was ready for the challenge to build this LEGO set.

I have always appreciated the engineering and design behind LEGO building, and today I would like to share with you my knowledge and the joy of LEGO building that, over the years, has made me believe that “LEGO is not just a toy”. It’s a perfect epitome of creativity, a tool to increase concentration and develop social skills.

Increase focus and concentration – Building LEGO, as a child helped me increase my concentration. I still remember it took me close to ten hours to build the castle LEGO set, as I was fully engrossed in it and kind of being unstoppable. My mother continuously insisted on me to take breaks in between, but I was adamant. I will accept it humbly.

I was too young to understand at that age, but now I can link the rationale behind my increased focus and concentration to a scientific study. There is a fancy word, ‘Transient Hypofrontality.’ Let me unpack the term. “Transient” means temporary, so what is occurring only lasts for a little while. “Hypo” is a prefix meaning less. “Frontality” refers to the prefrontal cortex in our brain, which is the seed of reasoning, critical thinking and problem solving. In simple language, it means that for a short duration, under certain conditions, the thinking part of the brain slows down, in turn improving our focus and performance. This is the state when one is fully immersed in the present moment, getting into the body and out of head.

Enhanced storytelling skills – The castle set, my father gifted, was designed for the crusaders and included a large castle, four horses and twelve minifigures, comprising four archers, two spearmen, two axemen and four mounted knights. Quite often, the LEGO building turned to a time of imaginary bliss with adventures, friends and even family members. With my friends, it was about sitting on the back of a horse and fighting with an axe, with the intention to conquer the castle. On the other hand, with parents, it was like the ‘Changing of the Guard’ at Buckingham Palace where the Queen’s guards were handing over responsibility for protecting the palace to the new guard.

Sense of Accomplishment – I still remember the day, I built this amazing masterpiece, completely overwhelmed and beaming to show my parents my creation. I was incredibly proud of myself, which I now realise that any accomplishment is good for our heart and soul. It helped me develop self-confidence and prepared me to take on the next challenge.  

LEGO is not just a toy. The educational benefits of playing with the colourful, multi-faceted bricks are beyond imagination, including skills like, improving focus and concentration, enhancing creativity and storytelling skills in the modern age world we live in. I am not saying, LEGO is the only option to enhance a child's skill, but LEGO is one of the options, amongst many. So next time when your child is busy playing with LEGO, think about all the super educational benefits, and the skills your child is strengthening. 

Happy Reading!