1) It appeals to middle-grade boys. Studies show that many in this particular group lose interest in reading, books, and the library. Playing with Legos draws them in to the library. It doesn’t hurt that this is a family activity that Dad’s like to participate in as well.
2) I provide a boy-friendly themes and lots of books relating to that theme that they can check out. As a general rule, boys like non-fiction (true books), so I put out lots of non-fiction. This Friday's theme is "Survival", but I've also done "Castles and Forts", "UFOs and Aliens", "Things that Fly", and others.
3) Boys like and need to relate their reading to real life. So this combination of building Lego creations with books about the same thing helps boys make those connections.
What can you do at home to help your boys with reading?
- Provide the boys in your life with books about subjects they are already interested in. Are they interested in bike riding for instance? We’ve got books, both fiction and non-fiction about biking.
- Are they reading something for school? Do a real-life activity together that relates to it. Are they reading Gary Paulsen’s wilderness survival story, “Hatchet” for example? Walk through the woods and talk about what they could use to survive if they were lost.
- Finally, even if your boys are old enough to read by themselves, don’t give up on reading to them at bedtime. You are modeling the importance of reading, plus showing them another way to enjoy books.
See you at Lego Club!
-Kathy
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