In my family, we tend to harp on and instil the importance of these values in our kids.
– Give and Take, Sharing
– Teamwork
– Siblings take care and love each other
When kids play together, we like to think that they treasure each other’s company and will learn to accommodate each other’s characters, even if one is impatient and the other hate to lose.
Now, that is the IDEAL scenario, which every parent dreams about.
But more often than not, it’s not unheard of for us to deal with squabbling among the siblings.
“Not fair!”
“You cheated!”
“My turn!”
It’s just normal for kids to want more play time for themselves, especially when it comes to toys, electronic devices and games. Some, especially the younger ones, tend to act a little more dramatic to garner more attention from us parents.
But sometimes, the squabbling during play can be too much and that’s when I step in to warn them, “No sharing, no playing”. I will also take the chance to instil the family values previously mentioned.
** Give and Take, Sharing **
We took the opportunity to teach the kids how to work together through playtime with our set of LEGO NEXO KNIGHTS’ The Fortrex. I took the lead, establishing who to work on what. It took the combine effort of the three younger kids and 5 days to complete the elaborate castle (though fun, 1140 pieces with a 200-page instruction manual is no walk in the park).
Playtime with a LEGO set is a good way for the older kids to guide the smaller ones, as the smaller kids could be impatient, skipping a few steps or plugging in the wrong part. The role of troubleshooting and explaining what went wrong fall to the older siblings, which helps to give them confidence in their own abilities.
For us, we believe that it is better for our children to learn “Conflict management and how to achieve a win-win scenario” without the parents stepping in.
Over time, they will learn to negotiate with each other and settle their disputes together.
** Teamwork **
In life, it’s inevitable to face obstacles and issues. The kids got a glimpse of that when they faced some difficulties building LEGO NEXO KNIGHTS’ The Fortrex. At one point, the tracks were not straightforward to mount, and I needed to step in to help get a few parts right. Bit of Daddy-children bonding time later, everyone was smiling when our Fortrex could finally roll around!
It’s heartwarming to see the kids celebrate little milestones like a completed “ride” or a “soldier” that’s part of the Fortrex castle. Their active imagination lets them imagine themselves as part of this small world they just built, and they played “good guy bad guy” with each other, chasing one another down.
The LEGO modules are so detailed that even the projectiles can be dispatched. The kids took turn to challenge whose projectiles can fly the furthest.
With the LEGO set, the kids realised that with teamwork, and by breaking down a huge LEGO project into smaller segments, we can overcome a lot of obstacles, and have a lot of fun at the same time.
Both me and the Mrs are very impressed and pleasantly surprised with their determination and patience.
** Siblings take care and love each other **
Siblings must take care and support each other. Parents will not be there for them forever.
I do not believe sibling bonding will come naturally, we need to nurture the kids from young.
We create the environment and opportunity for kids to improve sibling bonding.
Kids are send on errands like grocery runs nearby. They learn to play together. They need to order, make payments and look out for traffic. We pair older sibling with younger one so they learn to trust each other.
Sometimes, Daddy will ask kids to take MRT together and meet in the city area.
Older siblings need to ensure no one is left behind, and alight at the correct station.
Through their growing up journey, we hope kids will learn to be independent.
After the castle was ready, I told the kids to imagine themselves as the knights, protecting the castle (home) from the scurriers. Siblings must be there for each other and protect our family.
As long as the “knights” stay together, and upgrade their shields, the family (Castle) will only become stronger.
Just like their LEGO building experience, kids will encounter some obstacles and milestones in life, but they can always trust their siblings’ support and family’s backing.
Brick by brick, we are laying the foundation for our Fortrex (our home too).
I am proud of the kids’ achievement.
