Smallsteps really likes jigsaw puzzles, we figured she would like the challenge of Lego too, so we picked up the smallest box from the store to get her started on. She is good at this kind of thing, but I was kind of surprised at how well she did at reading the instructions with most of my help being clicking the pieces fully into position, as she couldn't quite get some of them.
Lego is a really good exercise for kids as it helps them follow the directions, use their fingers better as well as provides a space to well, understand space. While we think in pictures, a lot of our processing is connected to the space of something and having a good sense in this area is a skill that can be developed, though I am guesing that like most things, there is a a genetic component to it also.
Not only does Lego teach a lot of development skills, it also helps build the understanding that the guy with the beard is the one who is going to be jimmying open the window and stealing the diamonds - and the clean shaven, blonde policeman will be the one to catch him. There are a lot of life lessons involved.
Unconscious bias training apart, Smallsteps really liked the process of following the directions and watching what she was building come to form. It was also good to see that she would recognize when something didn't look right and then adjust it.
We had a meeting with her daycare teacher today and they were taking about potential focus points for her future development there. Where she seems to be lacking is in the confidence to assert herself, where she goes along with the wishes of her friends, unless she really doesn't want to. She seems to avoid the conflict until it crosses a line that she cares about.
I don't know if that is a weakness or, it is discerning. I do the same and while someone might say that I don't get what I want a lot of the time, the things that I miss out on getting I don't care much about anyway. I know some people that get everything they want and will fight for even the smallest care so that they don't have to be the one to compromise - they don't seem to be very happy souls. It must be exhausting to care about having to get everything, but it is important to know what actually is important.
Perhaps part of the problem in society is that we have been trained not to compromise and "fight for what we believe in" without having the sensitivity to weight our desires well, making everything important, all of the time. This would also explain some of the drama and misery online as people skip and change emotional state in wild swings minute by minute, from one tweet to the next.
Smallsteps is a lot like me, except with far more intelligence, which I hope she is able to use to overcome her weaknesses better than I have through my life. I don't mind if she doesn't conform to society, but I do hope that she realizes that she has agency in her life and builds the understanding that while she doesn't need to always win, she does have the potential to make an attempt - if she so chooses. However, what is worth trying for in this world isn't always so clear.
Lego comes with all the pieces and a guide on how to put them together. Life doesn't always just click into place though.
Taraz
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