Draw a Lego and Build

I’m obviously a big proponent of unstructured play. Kids are pretty good at making up stuff all on their own. A recent family vacation with the cousins, however, called for a few creative and semi-structured “re-directs.”

My ploy involved a pile of Legos and the help of my sis and brother-in-law. We don’t go anywhere without our Legos. On this particular trip, my sis brought a gallon-size Ziploc full of random Lego bricks. We put the pile in the middle of the floor and the kids played with them on and off throughout the week.

At one point, the kids weren’t getting along so I had them draw 10 Legos from the pile in turn (and each kid got a Lego guy/gal, too). Of course, the kids insisted upon 12 or 13 – but I cut them off around there.

Then they each had to build something with the pieces they’d chosen. The photo above is the result (#1 from the 5 year old, #2 from the 2 year old, and #3 from the 3 year old). The kids then presented us with their entries and described their creations. Upon completion we held a very pompous ceremony complete with pretend medals.

Fun all around with smiles as reward. Have fun with it!