I'm quite sure that If I had to look over my bank statements over the last few years, aside from my bond and insurance, most of my money has been spent on Woolworths food and clothes and LEGO for my block-obsessed son.
I've written about his fondness (read: obsession) about these building blocks in personal blog posts at Dear Max and I'm quite sure that the hours of happiness, entertainment and learning that he's gained outweigh all the money spent (even though they could have gone towards more shoes and lipstick, and even a swimming pool maybe). The good thing is that we've saved almost every block of DUPLO and LEGO, so that my next child can also build and be merry.
LEGO, twice named the toy of the decade, was founded in Denmark in 1932, and the word means "play well", from an abbreviation of the words "leg" and "godt". DUPLO came about in 1969, designed for children from 1.5 to five years old, and includes bricks that are twice the length, height and width of traditional LEGO bricks. Think of them as big blocks for small hands.
I was interested to find out that DUPLO bricks are compatible with LEGO bricks, and that a LEGO brick from 1958 would still interlock with a LEGO brick made today.
LEGO and DUPLO might not be obvious educational tools, but they have huge benefits. They promote:
- Creative and imaginative thinking
- Hand-eye coordination
- Logic, problem-solving and planning
- Social skills when working together
- Understanding of sorting of patterns, colours, numbers
- Spatial awareness
- Confidence and happiness (kids are proud of their building and creations)
DUPLO comes in two ranges: My First Range (for kids 1.5 to 3 years) and Town Range (for kids 2 to 5 years). They're available from major stores.
