Much to my wife’s dismay, I’m always trying to get my daughters into things that are traditional boy’s activities. For some reason she equates Lego as an easy lesson on construction methods! Of course, I have to grin behind by hand as she nails me. What better concept can a Real Estate professional teach his kids than how to build things?

The main advantage to teaching my daughters the fun involved when playing with blocks is that they learn colors and dexterity, while using their imagination to build neat things. It used to be that playing with blocks was something that most young boys were interested in, while the young girls used to be more traditionally linked with girl toys, like dolls.

As sexist as this might sound, I wanted to teach my daughters that there were no boundaries, when it came to construction, building spaceships or anything else. I had no idea that Lego and Duplo has advanced to the point where complicated and expensive collector sets can involve the whole family. For my little girls, I thought that the learning experiences offered by the various types of kits and sizes of blocks would be something they should learn about. As a father, you never know what to teach little girls about the real world, but it seems that building blocks are universally appealing and kids don’t care about traditional sexist roles when it comes to playing with them.

The beginner sets of the big blocks, Duplo, are suitable for small hands. Their bright colors and ability to stimulate the imagination of my little girls amazed me, as I watched them play for hours in the living room floor-even while one of their favorite children’s videos was on!

The learning experience they got from that first set has involved more pieces and kits and there is a progression of size and complication that can last them into their teenage years. While they might never turn into home builders because of the LEGO experiences they have had, they will probably look back fondly on their beginning years of play and realize how many hours of fun they have gotten together, from learning to build things with the blocks. One thing is certain-I have learned that small girls know more than many adult males might know. For example, a couple of small girls can learn their colors, advance their coordination and build a dream house out of a few big building blocks. If only their adulthood could be this simple!

In truth almost any toy can become an Smart Toy if you are willing to take the time to explore the possibilities. For example, the Lego blocks are great fun – but, they can also teach eye-hand coordination, color coordination, size coordination and balance. Let your mind take their little minds to far away places as you build your Lego worlds. Tell them stories as you build and create with them. Your only limitation will be your imagination – so let it soar!