8043 Excavator - Lego Technic for small and large kids

[Darth Dino]

Hi

*yawn* Yet another Excavator topic? Yes, sure!

Just another review of the well known features? No thanks!

Some you you will go like me out of the dark ages because of their kids. I believe Lego, especially technic, is very good for education and to exite the kids intelligence. Because i would like to have fun too, i started the experiment and confronted my 3yo son with the 8043 Excavator.

Although this set is really for teens or Afols from the building point of view, but not from the playing point of view! My son rapidely learned to drive the excavator via the remote and we both having great fun! Just the swtich between driving and digging functions is sometimes hard to understand.

But most surprized me that even the building process was fun for us both! It tooks us two weeks of a one hour building step per day, mostly at the evening wlhen its getting dark. 80% of all! joints and connectors have been assembled by him with my instructions "put this into there". Sometimesi showed him the instructions and tried to explain "why we are doing so and not different". I told him many times that he we really have to follow instructions to get the excavator work. He understood that alhough many steps are not clear for him. I think he also learned to pay attention on a single work - that is hard for young kids! But he has seen that there is a big reward at the end - the working excavator!

I hardly could describe how happy i am that my experiment went better than expected. And i really would recommend you to do the same with your kids or young family members!

I would like to hear from you similarities and! recommendations for technic sets that also working great with young kids.

Dino

Edited September 26, 2011 by Darth Dino

[technicmad]

I did the same thing with my 4yo boy. The first one was the 8258 crane where he loved sorting out the parts for me, and helped out with the construction where he could. Some of the connections and pins were hard for him to put together. With the 8043 I put most of it together myself in two sittings which is too much for him. Any more than an hour on a single topic is too boring for a 4yo's mind :) He loved playing with the excavator far more than the crane though, due to the remote controls I guess. Of course the only thing he tried to do with it is run over his little sister :D

[Sokratesz]

How dare you annoy him with mind-numbing construction work like that when he could be enjoying his gameboy or cartoons on TV??

[Nazgarot]

How dare you annoy him with mind-numbing construction work like that when he could be enjoying his gameboy or cartoons on TV??

LOL

Well, I've been building lots of stuff together with my 2,5 years old stepson, but never whole projects like described here. I always let him decide how much he wants to do, and for how long, but all in all I have a good experience from it, and it seems he does to. He also loves to play with Technic models after they are done, but i think he's to young to do a large project like the 8043. It will come with time though, and he is just learning that we have to follow the instructions to make the models.

Nice to hear others have similar experiences.

-ED-

[Tazio]

I had a similar experience with my baby girl this Sunday. I bought her her first LEGO, one it was the Mater character from CARS and the other one was a "my first LEGO" kit, of course I've lend her my LEGOs once they're finished but NONE of them had the impact as these colorful briks, she totally loved them I had a blast building with her, I look forward to see her again this weekend and have a great time with our LEGOs.

Cheers!

[Darth Dino]

Hi

thank you all for your replys.

Any recommenations for sturdy sets that young kids do notbreak easily?

Dino

[Sokratesz]

I doubt there's any 'simple' sets in the technic department, other than the really small ones. Nearly all of the studless builds are very sturdy but may not be suitable for him to assemble on his own.

- Sok.

Edited September 29, 2011 by Sokratesz

[Darth Dino]

Hi

no, it was not the intention to let him do it alone or by himself. I will do "managing" the building process, aks him for parts, let him count them and show him where to put them (with help).

Dino

[RohanBeckett]

ha!.. here's my 18month old son finishing building 8048 Buggy:

He got most of it built ok... I had to help him put the tyres on the hubs, and get the piston cylinders in at the same time.

But I didn't trust him to align the stickers neatly... maybe when he's older

Just kidding.. he loves my technic, but I usually find each model partly destroyed afterwards... oh well.. more fun for me putting it back together!

RB