Since 1958, over 400 Billion Lego bricks have been produced. As I look back my childhood, I can recall so many splendid toys that I had. One toy that stuck out to me that I thoroughly enjoyed was a massive set of Legos. The possibilities were always endless, I could create anything that came to mind. Similarly, to the ideas touched on by two writings; Maria Edgeworth’s “Toys” and Roland Barthes’ “Toys,” the Legos were wonderful toys to utilize because of the way they were able to engage a child and help them to learn. To this day Legos continue to be used by children all over America, they help children utilize their imaginations and critical thinking skills, they learn how to follow precise directions, and most importantly they learn to practice
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It is so important that a child or even a person of any age be able to look past what currently is, and to imagine something that could be. If a child is capable of this then the possibilities and opportunities in life are endless. The best toys are able to get this type of critical thinking and imagination going, and Legos are excellent for doing just that. In a similar sense, Edgeworth writes of the importance of toys that can help the child grow, a toy that will impart something on them that will help them as adults. Legos are absolutely capable of attaining just that. Although Legos are not the handmade and simplistic toys that Barthes so fondly describes in his work, I feel that they retain just as much …show more content…
The tedious sorting by color, then sorting by block size, then referring to the directions to see what to do, and finally constructing these masterpieces require loads of patience. Legos create a learning experience so brilliantly disguised by so much fun that children are able to be educated with even knowing it. This is very similar to Edgeworth’s idea to make learning a game. In a way Legos slightly fall into Barthes’ ideal for toys to be replicas of adult things, for instance, one would think the building of Lego homes could prepare a child to design buildings in the future. For a child to learn to be patient and comfortable while building alone is essential for their development. Legos do an excellent job of engaging a child and helping them practice
It is so important that a child or even a person of any age be able to look past what currently is, and to imagine something that could be. If a child is capable of this then the possibilities and opportunities in life are endless. The best toys are able to get this type of critical thinking and imagination going, and Legos are excellent for doing just that. In a similar sense, Edgeworth writes of the importance of toys that can help the child grow, a toy that will impart something on them that will help them as adults. Legos are absolutely capable of attaining just that. Although Legos are not the handmade and simplistic toys that Barthes so fondly describes in his work, I feel that they retain just as much …show more content…
The tedious sorting by color, then sorting by block size, then referring to the directions to see what to do, and finally constructing these masterpieces require loads of patience. Legos create a learning experience so brilliantly disguised by so much fun that children are able to be educated with even knowing it. This is very similar to Edgeworth’s idea to make learning a game. In a way Legos slightly fall into Barthes’ ideal for toys to be replicas of adult things, for instance, one would think the building of Lego homes could prepare a child to design buildings in the future. For a child to learn to be patient and comfortable while building alone is essential for their development. Legos do an excellent job of engaging a child and helping them practice