[Cerpicio]

Just curious, when you say you do LEGOs, you mean buy a set and follow the instructions (which is fine and what I assume people mean when they talk about LEGOs)? Or do you mean sit with a pile of LEGOs and come up with your own ships/cars/toys? When I was a kid (70's/80's) we would just get boxes of bricks and make our own things, but it seems like pre-built sets are the most popular thing now. And yes we have plenty of pre-build sets in our house, but I feel like kids are missing out on the free-style aspect.

[bhouston]

If I want to daydream/meditate/relax I have to be following instructions. Building my own creations (e.g. last year I participated in a Lego robotics competition for adults) requires my whole brain unfortunately.

I do highly recommend getting the kids involved in the various Lego competitions, it forces problem solving and creativity.

[scotty79]

I guess you need to follow the instructions. I do LEGO treating it like a 3d puzzle and not looking at instruction but only the photos on the box. And I don't get any daydreaming from that. I'm to immersed in the puzzle. Going by the instructions is kind of painfully boring though. But I guess that's what you need to make you start daydreaming.

I can second that long walks work great for daydreaming but they too feel painfully boring before the daydreaming kicks in.

[mcphage]

> but I feel like kids are missing out on the free-style aspect.

Lego still sells products which are just big boxes of parts, as well as things between (the 3-in-1 sets that have several different models). I’m not sure why kids are missing out on this—some kids do enjoy it, and some kids don’t. But Lego caters actively to both.

[chiefgeek]

Totally agree! I started with the GIANT Legos in the mid 70's then we got the smaller ones. I used to spend hours with about eight different shapes trying to make something interesting. Sort of like the modern Froebel blocks.