Our Toys & Games Action Figures & Collectibles Creative & Pretend Play Electronic Toys & Games Sports & Outdoor Play Check out our deals on:You really can't guarantee how your children will play. All kids are different. Some kids never build the sets according to the instructions, others ONLY build using instructions. And some are in between.The trick is figuring out how to inspire your kids into being creative and productive with LEGO. Some kids need no inspiration at all. They see the new Star Wars toys or Power Rangers or what-have-you, and they want to build new vehicles and bases for them. You didn't have to do anything. Others need you to plant an idea in their heads and give them some praise or encouragement. Some kids need YOU to build with them and lead the process.Otherwise, don't worry about the size of the pieces. That doesn't really do anything. In fact, the smaller pieces are often better for building smaller and more creative details.
Pieces like these are small and great:In fact, usually, I find that the BIG pieces are the ones that are terrible for creativity (although there aren't any parts that aren't useful in some way). I never liked these that much (for example):What makes a piece useful is generally how "specific" to a purpose it looks. If it looks generic, it's a good piece. If you look at it and immediately know what sort of thing it goes to, it's probably not a great piece.First off, I wouldn't take anything away from them. Don't take away the "non-creative" pieces, don't take away their instructions. That's a parenting call, of course, but I would deem that too intrusive. If you have to resort to that, your kids probably just aren't meant to play with LEGO the way you want them to.I'd probably start with rules about how long a set can stay together. When it comes time for a set that they've built from instructions to get put away (after a few days or weeks, depending), it's time to take it apart completely and put it in the "LEGO bin".
That will encourage them to have a bin full of LEGO that's mixed up rather than keeping their assembled sets lying around. It's an inspiration resource to have a bunch of disassembled pieces rather than assembled models.Also, I'd buy them The Right Sets.Story-based sets like Ninjago, Chima, Nexo Knights, Star Wars, etc., aren't usually as good. So don't buy these (or, buy fewer of them):Instead, buy sets that have a lot of generic pieces in them. Buy these instead:Also, as suggested earlier, if they need additional motivation, build with them yourself. Think of a fun project for both yourself and them and build it. Lead the project yourself, but have them do various tasks and make something together.I'm not sure how old are your kids. If they are young < 3 years old. Let them play with the bigger blocks/Duplo.If they are older children - give them all the blocks available for them to express their creativity. Personally, I grew up in an environment, where my parents, do not often buy me toys other than LEGO.
As such, I build my own transformers, Voltron etc.With my eldest boy, now 6. He builds new sets with instructions, and we will dismantle the older sets for bricks to free-build. Most of the time he needs no prompting, and he'll just go about building things he likes, which mostly revolves around planes.As David Eaton mentioned in his post. "Plant an idea in their heads""give praise/encouragement""Build with them"As a parent, I do all of those, and his advice resonates with me.Let your child start with something simple. Ask for them to build you a car; Sometimes, they might just surprise you with their creativity, especially when working with a limited number/type of bricks.Happen to write about of building LEGO months back, without instruction sets and how I felt LEGO helped in my child's development.LEGO with Benefits Have fun, building with your child!1. Lay a blanket on the floor.3. Dump LEGO on blanket.4. Locate kid, and sit down in front of bricks with them.5. They will join you.The whole point of LEGOs is for children to use their imaginations.
Those kits with their instructions sort of defeat that purpose so if the instructions are gone then that just makes them better. I would gather all of the LEGO pieces together and pull them all apart and then separate the plain blocks from the special ones and put them in separate bowls. Then, pick a time when the kids are bored and bring them out. Sit down with them and start building your own thing. Encourage them to help you. Pretty soon they'll be adding their own elements to your creation and then after that they'll build their own. If you've got boys, you can add some toy cars or figures to the mix and have them build a garage or a race track, a cage for the animals, a fort, whatever. For girls, you can add little ponies, miniature dolls, little plastic pet shop animals, etc. They can build dollhouse furniture, little houses, etc. Before you know it, your kids will be playing all sorts of games with those LEGOs!I think this is a great question, because open-ended play where kids stretch and exercise their imagination and creativity is JUST as important as play in which they learn about following rules and guidelines.
My suggestion is to make both of these types of play available to your kids, and let them choose. Every child is different and likes different kinds of play - no constructive play should be actively discouraged - but give them options where they can build without instructions. If they don’t respond well to having the LEGO instructions taken away from them, there are certainly lots of other LEGO alternatives out there which have the same style of play but are designed to be more open-ended / instruction-free.HomeConstructibles DesignsLarge SetsRaspberry Pi 2 Model B Lego Case Parts & Instructions Kit Raspberry Pi 2 Model B Lego Case Parts & Instructions Kit Build your own Raspberry Pi 2 Model B Computer Case! Includes 138 genuine new Lego® pieces Choose your own color combinations The Raspberry Pi computer case has been custom designed for the Pi 2 Model B and Pi 1 model B+ to accommodate the main board, and one hat. The case features openings for all cable connections, and the micro SD card slot.
The LEDs are aligned with clear Lego pieces for visibility. The USB/ethernet ports on the end can be covered if not in use. If you have a light kit, you can choose transparent bricks as the accent color. This case looks great when lit up from inside! The lid has openings on two sides for ribbon connectors and/or ventilation. Comes in your choice of: Case colors: Black, White, Light Gray, or Dark Gray Transparent Accent Colors: Clear, Blue, Red, Yellow, Black/Smoke, Green, Pink Solid Accent Colors: Black, Blue, Dark Blue, Dark Green, Dark Red, Green, Lavender, Lime, Light Blue, Magenta, Olive Green, Orange, Pink, Red, White, Yellow The case is sturdy and you can build on top of it with your favorite Lego pieces or figures! This is a custom order item, and may take 7-10 days to ship. Please note: These are not original sets packaged by Lego®. Constructibles LLC is not affiliated with or endorsed by The Lego® Group. This product hasn't received any reviews yet.