Lego blocks are a great activity to build on your child’s language skills! It is a fun way to incorporate lots of vocabulary and target language goals in a game that many kids love.
Vocabulary: There are lots of words we can use to describe our Lego pieces! You could talk about its:
- colour (red, green, yellow)
- shape (rectangle, circle, square)
- size (big, small)
- other descriptions such as if it is tall, short, rough, or smooth!
You could also practice using verbs such as building, making, putting, and knocking.
Concepts: Spatial concepts such as next to, top, and bottom can be used in your Lego activity, either by verbally modelling what you’re doing e.g. “look, I’m putting this next to the house!” “you’re putting it on top of the tower!”, or by giving an instruction e.g. “can you but this next to the car?”.
Following instructions: You can adjust what kind of instructions you practice depending on your child’s goals. For example, you could give a simple 1 step instruction such as ‘give me the red block’, or a longer 2 step instruction such as ‘give me the yellow block and then the green block’. You could add in extra key words to increase the length and complexity of the instruction by describing which blocks you want, for example asking for a small green block or two round blocks.
Play skills: This is a great game to practice play skills such as turn taking and sharing. For example, if you both want the same block, you are going to have to work out together who will get the piece! You could also use Lego to practice imaginary play, for example modelling people doing different things, such as going to the shops or driving back to their house.
Social skills: Targeting goals of requesting, such as asking for help or clarification can be used with Lego. If your child looks like they are confused by an instruction or can’t put a piece together, prompt them to ask for help! You could also practice engaging in back-and-forth conversation, for example asking and answering questions about what each person has built.
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