Play for Creativity

 http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2014/03/12/your-letters-playing-creativity.html

My nephew tugged at my elbow. His bright eyes locked into the colorful interlocking plastic bricks in the form of minifigures from children popular characters such as Thomas and Ninja Go stashed neatly at the bookshelves. I dragged him to the children’s books section. He didn’t bulge.

“Can I have one of those please?” He pleaded.

I looked into his pleading eyes and felt a tug on my heartstrings. I looked at its price tag. My jaw dropped. The price was too expensive. Instinctively, I quickly turned around to go. Yet, the look of his expectant eyes tore down my walls. In the end, I yielded.

Since his encounter with Legos, my nephew love playing the game. He would deeply absorbed to assemble and construct various objects mostly in the form of robots and vehicles. He would put them together, taking them apart, then reassemble those colorful bricks. He didn’t have to read the manual. He just watched the design and pictures and put them on action. He learnt by doing. Often, he would race with his friends on this game.

I have to admit that he is skillful in the art, creating various objects with such speed. I could not compete with him. I am so lame in that game.

Perhaps, that’s what make Legos’ popularity remains high for over half a century. In this age of electronic games and hi tech toys, we often forget that it is often the simplest of inventions that can entertain a child for a long period of time. Lego has this concept, combining the traditional game with storytelling while maintaining its deliverable products’ quality.

The millions of plastic blocks fit together. Not a single brick snap or collapse. Through its products development, it sees that what kids want to do with those blocks is to tell stories. For that reason, Lego makes or licenses the stories they want to tell such as Indiana Jones, Winnie the Pooh, Toy Story and Star Wars.

My nephew also loves to play kelereng or gundu (marbles) and layang-layang or kite flying. These traditional games are economically affordable for all, easy to play, fun and are commonly played by most Indonesian children. Even adults often play the games as well.

Frankly speaking, I would rather see my nephew playing with legos, or any other hands-on toys than the state of-the-art, high tech computer games. I would rather have him turn off the TV and electronics, let him play and have fun, than passively entertained by or minimally interacting by way of a keyboard or control pad with an electronic device that confines their world in one tiny spot.

On the contrary, Lego and any other hands-on toys as well as the traditional games compel children to be creative and smarter. They make them develop their own creativity and skills. They also require the kids to physically active.

In spite of everything, play is the work of a child. Toys and traditional games are tools in which the children learn about their world, themselves and others. These games help kids to be active, make choices and figure out how things work.

So, let’s our kids play more outdoors. Do not let them glued to their electronic screen! Let them interact with the real world and learn about life step by step instead of taking instant lessons from online games that sometimes bring more negative influences. Let them play for fun! Let their creativity takes flight and free!