Tell tale times with LEGO toys
Note: David Sim is the dad and blogger behind the parenting blog, “Life’s Tiny Miracles.” LEGO Singapore provided the toys he discusses in this story.
Like most six year-olds, mine is becoming increasingly independent. She is able to follow instructions (and often gives them, too!) and do most general tasks on her own, with minimal adult supervision. Recently, I noticed that my conversations with her have been more of the ‘pragmatic’ sort, which can be categorized primarily into two categories: 1. Instructional i.e. those ‘Go take your shower. Go to bed. Practise your piano… Do this, don’t do that…’ talk. And 2. Inquiry i.e. ‘How was your day? What happened in school today? How are you feeling?’
Gradually missing and less frequently used, sadly, is a third category: Imaginative talk. This category of conversations is the type that builds relationships, stirs imagination and gives us a glimpse of the creativity each child has. These are the conversations that begin with ‘What do you think if…’ or ‘How about if…’
In short, the ‘what ifs’ which allow for deeper probe into hypothetical situations and draw the analytical (and sense-making) aspects of our children’s minds. Just pause and think for a moment: As adults, we do most of these self-talk daily when we problem solve. How about our children? How can we engage them more in such imaginative talk?
That is where storytelling comes in.
Storytelling has many known benefits. Apart from sparking curiosity and developing creativity, it also:
1. Imbues values: Create scenarios for children to explore and develop their sense of compassion, integrity, responsibility and empathy.
2. Develops resilience: Imagine challenging circumstances and explore ways to overcome them.
3. Develops cultural awareness: With stories, the world is literally their oyster. Bring children to settings (countries) far away; introduce characters from different cultures and customs. Imagine them being part of their local celebrations and festivities.
4. Develops competent communication skills: Make children tell the stories. String those sentences together. Use the right verbs, adjectives and adverbs etc. When the children are more adept at weaving their own stories, you can even challenge them to do it in their mother tongue, too!
5. Develops confidence: If your kids can’t speak confidently to you, I’m not sure if they can talk confidently to others when their turn comes to do ‘Show & Tells’ in school. So start spontaneous storytelling a part of your family routine.
6. Builds relationships: Stories have been known to bond generations and pass on traditions. Inject some humor, mystery and adventure into the stories to make your parent-child bonding time truly fun, unique and yours to remember.
Story telling can begin with, well, quite simply a story starter (i.e. Once upon a time…), an object or perhaps even a simple recount of an event. Depending on the age of your children, a younger child may need something physical or tangible to focus their attention as concepts and ideas may still be quite abstract.
This is where I found LEGO sets particularly useful. Assembling our LEGO Friends’ set with my six year old was no easy feat – it took us a few hours across several weeknights but it’s something we were always both looking forward to. Once the set is completed, another dimension of excitement awaits – the storytelling!
Our LEGO Friends’ set has Stephanie, a vet and 4 of her friends who were on an animal rescue mission in a wildlife reserve. This is a large set that features gazebos, vehicles, animals and jungle-themed setups. The premise of venturing into the wild to save the animals has set the plot for stories rich with values and adventure.
We began telling stories to each other and exploring why some animals are endangered, why do poachers kill animals and if that was the right thing to do. Even among the five friends, we talked about how they would help each other and work together as a team to rescue the animals without endangering their own lives. In between, there were hindrances to the rescue mission: thunderstorms, roads that we closed due to landslides and floods – scenarios that are exploited to draw out more teachable moments.
Using the LEGO set, the possibilities are truly endless! We were able to have an enriching time on a quiet Sunday afternoon that ended with my six year old proudly declaring that she would like to grow up be a vet one day, so she can save more animals. Consider it mission accomplished.
