Helen and I explore the importance of imagination, with a look at how modern media and toys stifle kids’ creativity and what parents can do to change this. Are Lego bricks a force for good, or have they gone downhill since the time of our childhood? Helen also demonstrates a whirling homemade toy that could provide kids with hours of simple amusement (if their moms let them have a chance to play with it).
(If the embedded video above doesn’t work for you, try it here.)
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I agree with what you say here. We have a 6-year-old who loves Legos and has both the really old ones from mom and the newer kits. He looks longingly at the kits in the catalog (if you sign up for the Lego club, which I don’t recommend :) , both kid and parent will receive catalogs every few months. The parent one has the prices….), but I will say that he is pretty creative in making his own masterpieces. He also uses a site called “Lego Digital Designer” to make his own virtual creations. That way there is no “stuff accumulation”, he gets some computer practice, and if he is really proud of something, he can submit his design to the site.
Besides your good suggestions, my only other suggestion to the modern parent for stimulating creativity is to just leave your kid to his/her own devices! I can’t believe the things my kids come up with, and with the 2 of them together, they feed off of each other. I think there is a tendency in middle-to-upper-class society to attempt to guide and/or stimulate our children too much. I teach high school and see many kids who have been so guided that they can’t make their own decisions. I know this isn’t what you meant or what you do because you two always seem to be about balance, but I just thought I’d bring up that side. (Later on I’m going to make one of those spinning toys!)
Oh, very good point, Mo, about guiding/stimulating kids too much. I totally agree.
I also think you raise a good point about two kids feeding off each other. We have only one child, so we don’t have that dynamic in our house all the time, but I see it when my son is on playdates.
(Don’t tell your son the Lego Digital Designer also has a function where they’ll send you all the bricks for the creation you just designed. :-)