LEGO Education: Resources for Turning LEGO Bricks into Learning Tools

When it comes to school, children love hands-on activities. Hands-on activities are not just more fun, but they also solidify concepts and help students remember information longer. And when it comes to hands-on activities, most children love playing with LEGO bricks. So why not combine the two and turn LEGO into a learning tool for your children.

From arts and history to STEM education, LEGO activities can help your kids perform better in school and have a fun at the same time. In fact, a 2013 pilot study on the effectiveness of LEGO education in the classroom showed that students who were taught using LEGO pieces not only performed better on tests, but also showed greater creativity and subject mastery after tests were concluded.

So read on for activity ideas that will help your student explore educational topics from math to language arts.

Activity Ideas for LEGO Education

LEGO Tessellation

Tessellations are repeating patterns that cover a surface without gaps or overlapping. This LEGO learning activity shows students how to make tessellations and explore patterns that will solidify logic, geometry, and basic math skills.

LEGO Estimating and Probability

If your child has trouble with estimation and probability, this simple LEGO activity illustrates the basics of estimation and probability in a hands-on, simple way.

LEGO History and Geography: Iceland

Use LEGO to explore geography and cultures around the world. This simple activity uses LEGO bricks to add a bit of hands-on learning to geography, which is a difficult concept for many children. Start with Iceland and then create LEGO adventures for hundreds of other countries.

LEGO Boat Engineering Challenge

This engineering challenge will help children learn about design, density, and weight all in one simple activity—challenging them to design a boat using LEGO bricks that can hold coins without sinking.

LEGO Double Digit Addition and Subtraction

Adding double digits can be difficult for kids, but it’s a lot easier when you can visualize it. The LEGO pieces used in this activity help illustrate the abstract concept of borrowing, and will make addition and subtraction easier.

LEGO Greater Than and Less Than

Young children tend to have trouble relating written digits to numbers, but hands-on projects illustrate the concept in a way children can easily comprehend. Use this LEGO printable mat to teach children all about greater-than and less-than.

LEGO Sentence Building

Use masking tape to write words on LEGO bricks, and string them together to make simple or complicated sentences. Start easy, by creating simple sentences with one color-coded subject, verb, and direct object, and then add more parts of speech to the sentence for more advanced sentence play.

LEGO Water Cycle

This LEGO activity mat teaches children about how the water cycle works. Each brick is arranged to illustrate how water travels from ground, to cloud, to rain, and back again to the ground.

LEGO Learning Resources

legosIf you are interested in reading more about the benefits of LEGO education or specific strategies for teaching certain topics, the following sites offer research, teaching techniques, and in-depth lesson plans that can be used both by parents and teachers to ensure all of their hands-on LEGO projects are of the highest quality.

Use these sites as a jumping-off point to continue your hands-on LEGO exploration.

Official LEGO Website

LEGO has a large section of ideas and videos about how to use LEGO bricks for educational activities. Find everything from math activities to concrete ideas to solidify language arts studies.

LEGO Education YouTube Channel

This channel offers dozens of videos that demonstrate educational activities using LEGO bricks in the classroom.

LEGO Engineering

This site has tons of resources for teaching engineering concepts with LEGO, including robotics and engineering challenges.

LEGO Activity Printables

This site offers more than 70 printables and activities for using LEGO in the classroom.

With the help of LEGO activities, your children will not only perform better on tests but also will increase their long-term memory of educational concepts.

[schedule on=’2016-03-10′ at=”03:01″ expon=’2016-03-31′ expat=”23:55″]Are your kids expert-LEGO builders? This year’s K12 STEM contest offers students the opportunity to showcase a STEM-inspired LEGO creation for the chance to win a $1,000 grand prize. Entries must incorporate a STEM concept such as energy and the environment, health and nutrition, aerospace and aviation, or technology. Visit the Learning Liftoff contest page for more information and to enter your child’s video or photo before March 30, 2016. [/schedule]

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