Some kids love building instructions. Others don’t. And that’s okay!
A LEGO set comes as a curated experience. There is an enticingly designed box with an image of the completed model, and various scenes that can show up in play. Within the box, there are bags of LEGO parts. There are instructions. Often the parts bags are numbered to correlate with the sequence they are needed in the instructions. Sometimes there are stickers for some of the parts. The instructions are designed to convey how to assemble the set with minimal (if any) writing.
But what happens with that LEGO set once it gets home is open to variation.
Some builders, especially adult builders who like to create their own models, dump out all the pieces, sort them into bins, and then use them as needed for other models. Not as often, but some kids do this as well.
Some want to build the set, put it on the shelf, and call it done. For them, it’s a model.
Some will build the set once—and then every piece is fair game for new creations.
Others build the set, build other things, rebuild the set, build more other things, and repeat. (This was me as a kid, for sure!)
Still others will build the minifigures, but make something entirely different from the pieces in the box.
And I’ve even seen builders who try to recreate the model from the picture on the box without opening the instructions. Sometimes they’re convinced they nailed it (even if there are a lot more leftover pieces than expected). Sometimes they go back to the instructions. Sometimes they simply move on to something else.
One thing I’ve learned over the years is that many LEGO frustrations happen when parents and kids have different expectations about what the bricks are “supposed” to be used for.
The child who wants to tear apart every set isn’t wrong.
The child who wants to preserve every set isn’t wrong.
The child who only cares about the minifigures isn’t wrong either.
Understanding how your child likes to build can make it much easier to create systems that work for your family—and a lot easier to avoid unnecessary battles over bricks.