Lego Duplo Sets	Lego Building Sets

INTRODUCTION TO LEGOS

In 1934, Ole Kirk Christiansen, a carpenter by trade, began using the LEGOS name and started to build mostly wooden toys in his small workshop in Denmark. The origin of the word Legos is an abbreviation from two Danish words "leg godt" which means "play well". From the simple name and concept of "play well", the LEGOS group has created a simple toy, from wooden to plastic, that withstands the test of time.

There are some toys that are simply classics: the ones that children return to time and again, the ones children ask for as presents, hand down to siblings, and never tire of. Legos are among them for good reason. Legos challenge children to use their imaginations, develop spatial relations skills, follow directions, and play either independently or collaboratively. Parents often find building with Legos relaxing and engaging as well, so playing with Legos means spending time with children without the use of electronics or screens.

DEVELOPMENTAL AND EDUCATIONAL BENEFITS WITH LEGOS

The benefits of unstructured, unscripted playtime for children are boundless, and include the opportunity to explore what it is like to be someone else. When playing with Legos, children can become characters in the construction sets they build, whether that is a firefighter, police officer, zookeeper, pilot, racecar driver, or construction worker. Either playing with Legos alone or with peers, children can act out the characters' actions and voices, imagine scenarios for the characters, and practice social skills such as collaboration, cooperation, negotiation, and conflict resolution.

Legos offer children the opportunity to hone their fine motor and spatial relations skills as well. The size and intricacy of the Lego Sets vary between sets and within sets, so children of varied skill levels and ages can find a Legos building set that suits their fine motor skills. Legos help to develop a child's hand agility which in turn helps as they learn to write.

Since the sizes of Legos do vary, children do not get bored with the play because they can be constantly challenged to build more detailed designs. Legos encourage decision-making and critical thinking as well since children must decide which pieces fit together to make the various constructions.

Many Lego sets come with instructions for making specific buildings and vehicles, so children develop skills in following directions as they assemble the pieces in a linear fashion. Identifying the Legos help even pre-literate children to identify symbols, which is a discrete phase of learning to read.

Children can either build Legos according to the directions, or use the pieces to construct buildings and vehicles of their own whimsy. Legos are also available in collections of different sized bricks, wheels, doors, windows, and a multitude of other special bricks that can be assembled in endless configurations. Because the pieces are interchangeable and Legos figures work with all the sets, Legos are not a toy that children will play with once and then forget about.

Children need to utilize math and pattern skills to build with Legos. The ability to identify patterns is a key element in literacy, so what is cleverly disguised as building play is actually a way to help children learn to read.

In addition to the social and educational benefits of Legos, Lego bricks are also a sound investment. How many times have children clamored for a toy or received a toy as a gift and then played with it once and then ignored it? Or, perhaps worse, played with a toy once before it fell apart? This doesn't happen with Legos: the bricks are sturdily constructed and the sets are the sort of toy that can be stored in a bin for weeks then happily rediscovered for a new and fresh playtime activity. When children finally do outgrow Legos, the bricks are ready to be handed down to younger children because they are durable and never go "out of style."

Gather a group of children and give them a bin of Legos. Watch as each child chooses his or her pieces, decides what to build with the Legos, then negotiates with others to determine the scenario and situation and to act out his or her part. As tempting as it is to sit and build with the children, parents can learn a great deal about how children learn by simply listening in and watching them play with Legos.

With Legos, children are engaged and engrossed, challenged to create and learn (without their even knowing it), and to work collaboratively with other children of various ages, skills, and abilities. Although the children think of it as "just" play, it is so much more complex than that. Legos really do grow with children, who will no doubt play with these bricks with their own children one day.

FREQUENTLY ASKED LEGOS QUESTIONS

Q: "Are Lego Duplo bricks compatible with traditional Legos?"

A. Duplo bricks are twice the length, height and width of traditional Legos (eight times the size in volume). They are easier to handle and much harder to swallow by young children. However, Duplo Legos are still compatible with traditional Legos.
Q: When was the Lego brick created?

A: The Lego Block or automatic binding bricks were first created in 1949.

Q. "How should I clean my Legos?"
A: According to LEGO themselves, Legos can be washed by hand using warm water no hotter than 104 degrees Fahrenheit. Mild liquid dish detergent can be used.


TESTIMONIALS
"We Love it!" - Susan, mom of 2 young daughters
I bought the Legos Education set for my two daughters, 4 and 6 respectively. The set is huge! It came with a ton of different colors, sizes and types of legos, cards with examples of items we could build together, and a case for storage.

My daughters love putting the legos together the way they are pictured and then mixing the parts around to form their own creations. I couldn't recommend the set more--we love it!

"An investment" Mark S.
My son has used his Legos education set for going on three years now and he shows no sign of stopping.

They were a great investment for our family--a solid set of bricks will always be popular with kids. And I love that I can see him building important creative and critical thinking skills while he's having fun with his Legos.