Special needs children face unique challenges in their day-to-day life. Among these challenges is the ability to interact socially with other children in verbal and non verbal methods of communication, difficulty in concentration, and collaborative problem solving. Lego Play Therapy is designed to assist the special needs child in overcoming these obstacles.
Lego therapy is considered an accepted and successful form of play therapy, by professionals for children with special needs. Lego Duplo blocks are a construction toy aimed at children aged 1-1/2 to 5 years, and are the perfect toy for children with special needs.
These bricks are designed for small childresn to handle easily without worry of swallowing any small parts. Lego Duplo bricks are constructed the same as standard Legos, except for their size. Duplo blocks are twice the height, length and width of standard issue Lego bricks. Duplo blocks come in a variety of building sets including basic starter sets, and deluxe sets.
Lego Duplo building sets are known as a construction, or building toy. Constructing objects from a Lego Duplo building set is a multi-sensory experience, in that it requires the use of eye/hand coordination, gross and fine motor skills. Because of their increased size, Duplo blocks are very easy for such children to handle, and facilitates their ability to exercise their motor skills. Children with cerebral palsy, for example, have a hard time grasping items due to their involuntary, spastic movements, so the larger bricks in the Lego Duplo building sets, help them in being able to create wonderful projects with little or no frustration.
As Lego Duplo blocks come in a variety of building sets, one can find a way to best tailor the set to the child’s specific need. Whether your child is experiencing deafness, blindness, autism, ADHD, or mobility impairment, the Lego Duplo building blocks can and will assist in their cognitive, emotional and physiological development.
Lego Duplo building sets are an excellent toy for the special needs child, in that parents quite enjoy the experience of playing with them as well, which aides in facilitating a rich parent/child bond. The parent can sit and enjoy many hours of play, helping their child build confidence, enhance their social and motor skills, and experience the satisfaction of completing a goal.
Many parents may find that it’s hard for their child to develop the fine motor skills which are necessary to do simple things such as pick up a pen or crayon. Developing fine motor skills can be a little frustrating, in that it requires patience, practice and repetition. Lego Duplo blocks are an excellent way for children to develop these fine motor skills without even noticing it, as they grasp, turn and snap blocks together in order to create a fort, wall, or building.
As Lego Play Therapy is a recognized form of therapy for special needs children, parents have the chance to join with other parents of special needs children in the many groups across the country that hold Lego Play Therapy sessions and events. Their child can join in with other special needs children, playing and socializing. These groups are also valuable for parents as well, as they can forge friendships who are dealing with similar issues. Thus, joining a Lego Play Therapy group not only benefits the childs social skills, but also helps the parents by being able to communicate with others going through the same experiences.
Lego Duplo building sets assist the special needs child to develop not only social skills, but also aids in developing spatial recognition skills. The many professionally supervised Lego Play Therapy groups located across the country, afford parent and child a place to relax and socialize. In short, Lego Duplo building blocks are a necessary toy for parents looking to improve their childs’ cognitive and physical skill sets.