Lego: A Toy for Addressing Physical, Cognitive and Emotional Needs of Toddlers

This paper provides an overview of Lego, a toy that addresses the physical, cognitive, and emotional needs of toddlers. It discusses how Lego facilitates the development of interpersonal skills, memories, and cognitive function, and enhances confidence and self-esteem.

Running head: PSYCHOLOGY
PSYCHOLOGY
Name of the student
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Introduction:
The purpose of the paper is to provide a brief overview of a toy that addresses the physical
cognitive and emotional need of the toddlers along with bringing huge revenue in the target
market. The toy chosen for the paper is Lego.
Discussion:
Lego is manufactured by The Lego Group, a private company in Billund, Denmark that
can bring huge revenue every year. Lin (2019), it consists of colourful plastic bricks which
accompanying an array of gears and it can be interlocked to make different figures. The target
audience of Lego mostly is infants’ ranges from 18months to 6years (Lindsay, Hounsell &
Cassiani, 2017). However, children aged 12years can play with the toy and use it as useful for
addressing the psychosocial need of the children.
The toy has no gender bias it can be used for infants of any gender, highlighting that this
toy prevents children from development of gender bias or gender stereotypes (Chetty, 2015).
While toddlers develop in develop in different rates, mastering new skills such as
walking, talking and other skills are developmental milestones that will shape their normal
functioning in later life (Vega-Barbas et al., 2015). Hence, toys play an essential role in the
development of these skills and address other’s needs. Considering the physical needs of
toddlers, these needs are categorized into parts such as gross motor skills which include a
moment of the whole body and fine motor skills include small muscular movement (St
George, Fletcher & Palazzi, 2017). Lego facilitates these movements and enhances faster
growth of the movements.

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Considering cognitive needs, toddlers are experimental. Hence, through exploration and
experiments with the help of Lego, the children can develop interpersonal skills, make
memories, develop an ability to think and understand which further restore their normal
cognitive function (Vega-Barbas et al., 2015).
Considering the psychosocial need of the children, Erikson’s theory of
psychosocial development suggested that the toddlers in between 18 months to 3 years tend
to experience the stages of autonomy and shame where toddlers are more focused on the
development of a sense of their control over physical skills as well as a sense of
independence (Mooney, 2016). The toys give them a sense of autonomy and develop the
ability to decide for themselves. In this case, the use of Lego can enhance the ability of the
toddlers to develop a sense of self-control. The Lego encouraged as well as supported in their
increased independence and the success in building different blocks can facilitate confidence
and self-esteem (Arnold, 2017).
One recommendation can be given to the toy such as if each Lego blocks come with
guideline attached to each block for perfect pair. It will improve the cognitive development of
the children by facilitating their sense of confidence.
Conclusion:
Thus it can be concluded that consists of colourful plastic bricks which accompanying an
array of gears and it can be interlocked to make different figures. It facilitates develop
interpersonal skills, makes memories, develops an ability to think and understand which
further restore their normal cognitive function. Hence, it is the most suitable toy for the
toddler.

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References:
Arnold, M. E. (2017). Supporting adolescent exploration and commitment: Identity
formation, thriving, and positive youth development. Journal of Youth
Development, 12(4), 1-15.
Chetty, J. (2015, January). Lego© mindstorms: Merely a toy or a powerful pedagogical tool
for learning computer programming?. In ACSC (pp. 111-118).
Lin, H. (2019). U.S. Patent Application No. 29/627,366.
Lindsay, S., Hounsell, K. G., & Cassiani, C. (2017). A scoping review of the role of LEGO®
therapy for improving inclusion and social skills among children and youth with
autism. Disability and Health Journal, 10(2), 173-182.
Mooney, E. F. (2016). Erik Erikson: Artist of moral development. In Volume 13:
Kierkegaard's Influence on the Social Sciences (pp. 101-114). Routledge.
Page, T., & Thorsteinsson, G. (2017). Designing Toys to Support Children's
Development. Journal on Educational Psychology, 11(2), 1-10.
St George, J., Fletcher, R., & Palazzi, K. (2017). Comparing fathers' physical and toy play
and links to child behaviour: An exploratory study. Infant and Child Development, 26(1),
e1958.
Vega-Barbas, M., Pau, I., Ferreira, J., Lebis, E., & Seoane, F. (2015). Utilizing smart textiles-
enabled sensorized toy and playful interactions for assessment of psychomotor
development on children. Journal of Sensors, 2015.

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