Parents-online.net

Mums in the 25-34 year old age group are most likely to be troubled by the cost of keeping their kids occupied, with 59% dreading the holidays for this reason. Almost a third (30%) of parents’ say their main worry is the pressure to come up with new and different ways to keep their children entertained. Other concerns include difficulty in organising childcare (15%) and feeling time-pressured due to work commitments (10%).

LEGO UK has compiled the following tips to help parents ensure their children enjoy the summer break through fun, challenging play that will aid their learning without breaking the bank. Cecilia Weckstrom, Head of LEGO Learning institute, advises:

Encourage your child to play with others
“Through play with others, children learn to understand cultural norms and values, resolve conflicts and respect other children’s point of view. Story-telling and role-play are at the heart of how children learn to imagine and see the world through the eyes of others.”

Give your child the opportunity to solve problems
“Encourage open-ended problem solving in play, rather than simply telling them what is right up front. This enables the child to discover the right answer for themselves which draws upon children’s curiosity, creates the thrill of achievement, and spurs them on to ask more questions and deepen their understanding.”

Encourage constructive play
“Constructive play helps children to hone their manual dexterity and hand eye coordination. It also requires children to focus their attention on the task at hand and maintain their attention until the task is complete.

“Playing with construction sets such as LEGO bricks helps children to develop the attention skills critical for successful acquisition of cognitive skills, such as reading and writing.”