Check out this article from MIT’s School of Engineering entitled “What do Legos have to do with Engineering?”
Nearly anyone can recognize that children gain an incredible amount of skills through working with Legos, whether they build something using instructions or using their own creative initiative. When you watch a child sit down with a pile of bricks, you can immediately see them engage focus, fine motor skills and spatial relations. When building with friends, kids gain a foundation for communicating using the pieces.
In the article, MIT graduate researcher, Tiffany Tseng explains how “kids can build whatever’s in their imagination and, at the same time, develop spatial reasoning and learn about structural integrity, design, and a practical sense of geometry.”
What’s really neat is how, like with all play, kids are learning–gaining skills and knowledge–without even knowing it! “Every Lego project is a pathway into engineering,” says Tseng. “You aren’t necessarily thinking about the pedagogical concepts, but you’re applying them while you play.”
This summer, we will be offering a Genre Camp for kids 4 to 8 called Lego Jedi Engineering. Kids can come flex their engineering muscles as they enjoy a fan favorite – Star Wars! You can click here to enroll!