I find it hard to believe there is anyone with internet access who hasn't heard about Lego. For many of us children of the 80s and 90s, it was the most desired birthday present when growing up. The combination of its high price tag (plus the little supply here in Bulgaria) meant it was a truly memorable experience every time you got a set.
My first interaction with Lego was a train set that I built with my father. It had a locomotive and 2 carts, and some train tracks. I was 5-6 years old and barely wrapped my head around the fact that this was a toy that was truly customizable.
Forget about changing the hat or weapon a G.I. Joe figurine is holding or recording custom messages on your knock-off Furby toy. With Lego, you were able to move every tiny piece, essentially giving you the freedom to design and build your own toys.
Lego was really expensive for us back then, so I rarely got a set, and I don't even remember the sets I had. Once I figured out that I can mix them all and build my own stuff, I don't think I even built the original designs when I got a new box.
It was all in a big pile of mashed-up pieces that I used to design robots, rocket ships, treasure chests, puzzle boxes, etc.
At some point I grew up and replaced the bricks with PC games and going out with friends. Years passed and I never even thought about Lego.
But 5 years ago, my friends got me a huge Porsche 911 Lego Technic set (#42096, 1580 pcs.). I was so thrilled to build it, I recorded a top-down view of the whole process. It took me two full afternoons, and in the end, I had this massive piece of engineering genius. The doors opened, the motor cylinders moved, the steering worked.
I was so excited when sharing about the set, that for my next birthday, my parents got me another Lego set - the 1989 Batmobile (#76139, 3308 pcs.) This was a classic Lego set, so it feels much sturdier and heavier (and it is). Plus, it's huge and took me a few afternoons to complete. But from this point on, I was hooked once again.
I started getting the Lego flower sets for my wife, she got me a Harry Potter set, and the strong appreciation for Lego resurfaced. And then, something amazing happened.
For the past few years, I've been eyeing the absolutely enormous Millennium Falcon set (#75192, 7541 pcs.), but couldn't really justify the price tag.
However, if you've been following me for some time, you probably know that my wife is remarkable and utterly amazing. So, she got it for me. I just had my birthday last week and I got the Millennium Falcon Lego set, the fastest ship in the galaxy.
I still haven't opened it, as I need to plan a dedicated assembly station and really savor it over multiple sessions. It's been my dream set for a long time. On one hand, it's a huge piece that will have an abundance of intricacies and genius ways of representing this sci-fi masterpiece in the form of Lego. On the other, it's the spaceship I dreamt of piloting when I was a kid.
All the above got me thinking about our baby boy. He just turned 1 year, so classic Lego is off the table for at least another 3-4 years, but once it is, I plan to light the same fire in him that my dad lit in me, when I was this young.
He already loves to tinker with anything he can get his little hands on. He is trying to disassemble toys (and his chair) and he is super curious and inquisitive. This curiosity I plan to foster and nurture to the best of my abilities.
Lego is great for developing the imagination and fine motor skills, in fact I really can't think of anything better. There might be and we will do that as well once we learn about it, but Lego is definitely something I want my son to love and enjoy.
And with their strategy of doing all kinds of series with children's favorite characters, I don't think it'll be hard to get him excited about playing with Lego.
I strongly believe we should help our children develop and become better at solving problems by getting them excited about using their imagination to invent and experiment. Lego seems like an obvious choice to do that.
Of course, I realize how expensive the little Lego bricks are. But the cost is worth it. The pieces in my childhood Lego box look brand new after 25+ years (and my son will inherit them when he is a bit older). Also, it being an expensive gift makes it more special as the rare occasion you get one increases its perceived value. Or something like that...
Another good thing is that once you achieve critical mass (get a few decent-sized sets), you can essentially build anything you want. 5 sets of Lego are way more than 5 toys. In fact, they are immensely more, as the only limit to the number of toys you can now have is your imagination.
That's why I plan to get my son to love playing with Lego, by showing him how amazing it is to do so, and by teaching him to value the endless possibilities a few sets can give you.
Fingers crossed he likes Lego as much as I did because I can't wait to assemble large sets with him and spend quality time together.
Anyway, first I need to get through the Duplo stage, so wish me luck!
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Till next week.
Best,
Dobri 🍃