How Legos Help "Build" Our Family

This blog is about the power of creativity and imagination. And, in my opinion, one of the greatest tools to help foster those skills...Legos! Now don't get me wrong, there are plenty of ways to foster these skills, both with toys, and without, but  a personal favorite of mine are Legos.

"Legos, really?" you may be asking. Well...let me give you an idea of our family and you may understand my point of view better. My husband is an engineer. A design engineer to be exact, and I have a sneaky suspension that my son will be heading in that direction due to his passion for building and creating new things. Every nook and cranny in my house is covered with Lego creations: buildings, machines, animals, houses, trees...the list goes on. As well as drawings and paintings of a million different things! Both my kids are very into creating things and proudly ask they be displayed for everyone to see. Good thing I full heartedly believe in that saying "Please excuse the mess. My kids are creating memories."!

Now don't get me wrong, we do plenty of things in our house to allow our kids to use their imagination and create: puppet shows, dress up, Barbies, trains, fort/tent building, treasure hunts, the list goes on. But only with Legos do I see the wonder and excitement from everyone in my family as they share their creations both while creating and once done. For us, Lego bring out our sense of accomplishment, pride, teamwork, problem solving and of course- creativity. I am not the "engineering" type, so I struggle making anything more creative than a house or a car, but it doesn't stop me from being a part of this bigger family bonding experience. I often will sit back and just smile, watching my son and husband bond over a few simple building blocks, watching their mutual sense of accomplishment when they come up with a solution to their question or dilemma. My daughter, who like me, can't quite create the amazing structures her dad or brother can, still enjoys describing her thoughts to her dad, and him...making her dreams come to life! And let's be honest...she really enjoys "testing out" the new builds and playing with them! How is it that when we all four start playing with our vast Lego collection, it seems like all the fighting over he said, she said, all the frustrations of the day, all the bickering stops? Even if just for a short while, we all manage to tap into our inner creativity and work together to create something bigger. Something that is just ours....and that will always be our family memory.