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TIPS: GETTING THE MOST FROM YOUR LEGO TOY BLOCKS

- Get young kids interested by participating yourself.
The research above suggests that kids get more from block play when someone demonstrates how to build with them.

- Stimulate pretend play with character toys and other accessories.
The experiment on language skills involved giving kids blocks and appropriately-scaled accessory toys, like people and cars. Such toys give kids ideas for construction projects (e.g., a barn for a toy cow) and encourage pretend play.

- Combine block play with story-time.
Researcher Janie Heisner used toy blocks and block- accessories to illustrate parts of the stories she read to kids in a preschool (Heisner 2005). After each story, the kids were given access to the props. This tactic seemed to increase pretend play. It also gave kids ideas for things to build.

- Challenge kids with specific building tasks.
Free-wheeling block play is important. But as I explain here, it's likely that kids also reap special benefits from trying to match a structure to a template. To get things started, suggest a type of structure to build. You can use pictures and diagrams to inspire or guide a construction project. For older kids, check out Carol Johmann's excellent book, Bridges: Amazing Structures to Design, Build & Test (Kaleidoscope Kids) and the Equilibrio Game.

- Encourage cooperative building projects.
As noted above, cooperative building can help kids forge better social skills (Roseth et al 2008).

- Remember that fantasy is a valuable aspect of play
Construction play seems so obviously mechanical, it's easy to think only of the development of practical engineering skills and forget the importance of mind-bending fantasy.