My almost 5-year-old loves LEGO. Seriously, LOVES it. He has for a few years now and we know how amazing LEGO can be for learning and creativity. I know that LEGO and STEM go hand in hand, which is so important for today’s kids, but as a parent, I’m more inclined to simply set my kid in front of some bricks or with a set of instructions and simply let him build.
However, with the right tools and an effective facilitator, LEGO can be so much more, such as:
- Teaching about the basics of engineering
- Setting the stage for teamwork and communication
- Allowing for creativity
- Thinking about the world they know in different ways
Play-Well TEKnologies brings all of this to you and makes it very easy to host an epic LEGO party.
Curious what Play-Well will do during a party or event?
Play-Well will:
- Help you choose an appropriate theme for your guests (We chose a playground theme for our party. The kids are pre-K so this felt like a fun choice- it was a hit!)
- Bring all of the LEGO you need (and then some). Seriously. So. Much. LEGO. It’s amazing.
- Include a teacher who will keep your kids engaged, will teach them how to build (and creativity is welcomed), and talk about principles of engineering. It’s pretty impressive.
- Facilitate the free-play, teaching section, and even facilitate clean up.
- Chat with your kids and get them excited about the project, LEGO, and learning.
For our playground event to celebrate the end of the school year, we invited my son’s pre-K class and some additional friends. Almost 25 kids showed up, and I had no idea what to expect. But everyone built. Some built playgrounds and others didn’t. It didn’t matter. They all had fun. And many of the parents were impressed, not only at what Play-Well offered, but how the afternoon allowed their kids to experience LEGO. Some thought their kids weren’t ready for LEGO yet and now they see how much their kids can do when given the chance. As a family who has been into LEGO for years, I love that!
If you want to host an epic LEGO event with Play-Well, here are my top 5 tips:
- Have snacks. While the kids shouldn’t eat and play, it was great for them to have snacks while they sat and listened to the teaching section. I think it actually helped some of them pay attention more, and the parents snacked and chatted while the kids built.
- Find a place with space. We used a community clubhouse and simply set up a table and some chairs to hold some of the boxes of LEGO and the bug LEGO bins sat on the floor with the kids. The parents sat around the perimeter. It was an easy set-up and clean up.
- Choose a theme that will resonate with your audience. Play-Well can do all sorts of themes, and LEGO is certainly not just for boys, but sometimes people think that’s the case. Because of that I wanted a theme that would be appealing to all of the kids: a playground!
- If you can, leave younger siblings at home or bring something for them to do. If this had been a birthday party for my son, I would have absolutely brought his little brother, but for this one, I left our younger son with a sitter. Many of the parents chose to do that with their toddlers because as you already know, little pieces and toddlers don’t tend to mix. I also brought our personal bucket of LEGO DUPLO for the kids who were around 3yo. This helped keep everyone happy.
- Just do it! I didn’t know if other families would be “into” the idea but we had such a great turnout and it was so fun. If you’re unsure if this event will go well, it probably will; Play-Well seriously impressed me with how well this was organized and run.
Play-Well TEK did an amazing job with our party and we can’t wait to join them for summer camp soon. We’re fortunate that our city offers camps run by Play-Well, but I’ve learned that Play-Well is actually all around the country, so check them out for classes, camps, and special events. You can visit this link to find out what’s offered near you.
Even if you think your child isn’t really into LEGO, I’d suggest giving it a chance; Play-Well TEK introduces LEGO in a really great way that kids respond to. We’re excited for camps this summer, and appreciate Play-Well giving us our own LEGO party!
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