Why doesn't my kid like Lego

[neverregret]

My DS just doesn't like building anything, models, block or Lego. He doesn't mind drawing but everyone buys him these cool Lego sets and he just isn't interested. I wonder if a box of just the brick would be better or to just give up.

My DS is almost 6 and not interested in building lego either. 8 year old DD loves it though. They're all different! DS will play with it with her once she's gone to the effort of building it!

My six year old son also doesn't like LEGO, drawing, puzzles, arts and crafts. If we let him, he would play on computer all day long.

Thankfully, he loves board games and so do I so we spend hours playing. Splendor and Carcassonne are big hits at this house at the moment. We also play Ticket to Ride, Kingdomino, Labyrinth, Magic Labyrinth, Enchanted Tower, Azul, Rummikub, Santorini, Catan, Qwirkle, Patchwork... When the weather is nice we cycle a lot or he plays football and basketball with his dead.

For me it was very important to find things I enjoy doing with my kid. To be honest, I hated early years and hours and hours of car games or pretend games. I wanted to shoot my self while doing it. When he turned 5 and learned to cycle and I started teaching him board games my life turned for the better. We did LEGO, but he hated every second of it - you could see it on his face. And we are both happy now playing things we both love.

My son is a complete opposite - he loves Legos but hates drawing and colouring. I do try to encourage his drawing as well because I know it’s important for his writing but I know he is just never going to be the next Van Gogh. The only other thing you might try with your son is Lego Super Mario - it’s almost like building your own game in real life complete with all the sounds. Otherwise I would just try and encourage his other interests, like drawing. I also agree that especially on weekdays that is probably too much screentime.

My eldest likes Lego but has never been super into it and can have sets untouched for months until he decides to build it. Then it goes on a shelf not to be messed with.

Middle goes through phases with it.

Youngest loves it and constantly plays with it, building sets but also making up stories around the sets and little Lego people and plays for ages with it.

Oh stop, you parent your kids however you want without lecturing others on how to parent theirs!

It's not lecturing when OP has come on here because her kid won't play with anything and is "growing up too fast" only wanting to play on computers.... to suggest cutting back the screen time that is stopping the kid doing anything else

@HelplessProcrastinator

Neither of my two are fussed about Lego. I think the modern sets are too specific and restrictive. My youngest just loves Playmobil though.

Yes could be this.

And I don't force my child to spend 90 minutes on an iPad 😬 I have to stop him, he wouldn't leave it voluntarily. I am happy to get other opinions about the time, but he goes to sleep easily for 10 hours a night, so out of the remaining 14 hours of awake timeI actually don't think 90 minutes is that long. Maybe I'll cut it down to an hour as a trial, but he usually spends about half the time on games and then watches a few shows. We don't watch any Tv or screens getting ready for school, which I know a lot of others only at our school do obviously not on MN. I still think most people have more than 30 minutes TV / screens a day. Anyway this was about Lego typical tangent.

Of course you don't force him, most kids will continue to play if allowed. It's not really a tangent. The reason your child is not playing with other toys is because all his spare time (the rest of all the hours you have described as filled with other things) at home is spent on screens. I'm not criticising, that's up to you but that's your answer!

Sorry I have to agree about the screen time.

As your child grows, keep in mind that too much or poor quality screen time has been linked to:
• Obesity
• Irregular sleep schedules and shorter duration of sleep
• Behavioral problems
• Loss of social skills
• Violence
• Less time for play

www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/childrens-health/in-depth/screen-time/art-20047952

He may just not like lego! I always hated it when I was a kid, and there were only 3 TV channels

@NoIDontWatchLoveIsland

4.30 to 6pm on weekdays is most of the time after school! I think that's a lot of screen time at age 6.

DS is younger (4.5), but only gets 30 mins of TV after tea, and no time playing games etc on tablets or computers at all - he doesn't really know that exists as a way to spend time and I plan to keep it that way. it's the same for all my nieces/nephews up to about age 8/9. My older two nieces/nephews have a Nintendo switch but I'm not sure they get more than about 30 minutes a day on it.

Well bravo to you. You win at parenting then eh?

My DS has never been good at independent play, and I have modelled playing yes. He actually he didn't watch any tv before age 18 months as I hadn't really considered it, although we played songs via my phone. I'm not a big Tv watcher myself and I tend to craft rather than watch tv or you know I read MN (must be rotting my brain.) However I think it's a ridiculous to suggest my DS will be fat & violent because screens. And guess what, I do let my toddler watch TV if it engages her, because it makes my life easier. She doesn't play Minecraft yet though, maybe when she hits two

You can criticise anything. I had read that TV too close to bedtime affects sleep, so I could say that it's terrible parenting, but you know what if it works for you. I personally can't entertain a toddler, build Lego with DS and cook dinner at the same time.

He may just not like lego! I always hated it when I was a kid, and there were only 3 TV channels

That may well be the case but whilst Lego is the title subject OP goes on to expand that he doesn't play with any toys, only tablet then gives an example of a day where the only free time to be able to play with toys he is permitted to be on a screen which obviously he will choose. The answer is pretty obvious.

@midnightstar66 I didn't say he doesn't play with any toys. I said he prefers screens, he loves it, but not that he's allowed on them unlimited. He has spare time in the morning before school, he is up at 6 ( that's when he wakes up naturally) We don't watch Tv in the morning as I already said and we leave to walk to school at 8.30am. So he has 2 1/2 hours if you allow 30 minutes for breakfast / teeth brushing that's 2 hours of spare time. Also play can be in the Bath, going up the stairs as a superhero or pretending you're climbing a mountain, it doesn't have to be set into a set time. I just have so many Lego sets sitting here and he's not a bit interested, even when it's vehicle he likes or even the ninja set. I was just asking about this as everyone always buys him Lego, but it's good to see it's 50/50 whether children are into it.