As the token female (human) in this house, I’ve really had to work to figure out how to deal with testosterone overload and play with all the boy stuff around here! Not to say that girls can’t play with these toys, but they are not toys that I played with as a kid. I’m such a girly girl (are you shocked?), so being surrounded by boys and boy toys- I have been put to the test to find my “inner tomboy”!
While, I’d rather be playing grocery store or Barbies, I’ve learned a lot by being the mommy to 3 different and creative boys. I can do a mean train track, some awesome Ninja moves, and I can kick some butt on some video games, but when it comes to building….I admit, I’ve had a tough time. It’s something that does not come naturally to me at all. I can’t look at a bucket of bricks and envision a helicopter or pirate ship, so being a part of the 30 Days of Play Challenge on Today’s Parent has been exactly what I’ve needed to fit in around here and learn some new play skills!
When the kids were little, we had basic wooded blocks and I could make a barrier for the animals or build a boring house. Thankfully, at 18 months old, they weren’t critical of my skills at all! As they grew up, those simple shapes just didn’t cut it! I remember being nervous when they graduated to Lego, because there were more options and I didn’t “get” how to even start. I DO love the challenge of building a Lego set and I’ve learned to appreciate seeing the pile of bricks and how by following the steps, you can create a masterpiece! We have built some amazing sets that we continue to keep on display in our playroom. I love that Ty chooses ME to do these sets with. If you ask him, he’ll say that I’m his Lego buddy in the house.
The best part of being a part of the #LegoDuplo Challenge with Today’s Parent and Mom Central, has been learning the new and innovative ways to play with my guys- Jayden in particular. This has not only been a fun learningn experience for me, but for him as well! He’s a boy that needs to be creative and keep moving. He doesn’t like to sit and do workbooks like Ty did, he learns much better through play. He has such a crazy imagination, that I often need to step up and learn to play the role he has created. I never even considered using them for working with Jayden on sorting, counting or even measuring, but now I do. At 41/2 years old, he isn’t quite ready for the smaller Lego pieces, but wanting to be just like his big Bro, he wants to build stuff too! LegoDuplo has really helped him use fine motor skills as well, to work his way up to the sets that Ty does.
During this challenge, we took our trip to Florida…I even packed up a huge bag of LegoDuplo (it was this, not my extra shoes that caused us to be over 50lbs for sure :-). I’ve even had a birthday cake out of LegoDuplo (so glad they forgot the other 38 candles), built fire stations, pirate ships, use blocks to create a container and
built an amazing “Super Pet Store” (my creation).
Not only have we learned the building and creative skills together, we also spent each day working on how to take instructions and complete a task- maybe one of the best lessons throughout the challenge.
I’m sorry to see these daily challenges go, but I printed off the challenges and made a little booklet that we can go to, when we need to be inspired. For now, I’m happy that I’m one step closer to being one of the boys….
I am participating in the LEGO® DUPLO® program by Mom Central Canada. I received compensation for my participation in this campaign, including great product. I only participate in programs that are already a big part of our family time. These opinions are mine.