Keeping Mentally Sharp at 70 and Beyond, Part Four: Build LEGOs!

My latest LEGO, a really cool Jeep Rubicon outfitted for the beach!  The Huskies in the background are howling in approval!  

So, this is my latest installment in the “Keeping Mentally Sharp at 70 and Beyond” series, and this time I though it was fun to talk about my 65-year love affair with LEGOs (albeit with some long absences in-between).  So, let’s talk about turning 70 (and + pretty soon), and what I believe is essential for a long and healthy retirement.  I’ve already written about Playing Rock and Roll, Fixing, Making and Building Things, and Playing Drums Open-Handed (all of which I believe are healthy and beneficial (and fun) things to do as I get a bit older) and interestingly enough, they all combine mental and physical activities.  So, let’s think about something else that involves mental, physical agility, and this is also FUN!  That is, building LEGOs! 

So, why LEGOs?  Well, I did a quick Google Seach, using “Is building LEGOs beneficial for older adults?” as a search string.  Lo and behold, this is what Google AI came back with:

“Yes, building LEGOs is very beneficial for older adults. It improves hand dexterity, exercises problem-solving and memory skills, reduces stress through focused concentration, and provides a fun way to connect with family or peers. It is even used in memory care programs to support individuals with dementia.

Mental and Cognitive Benefits

• Brain exercise: Following complex steps boosts spatial reasoning, memory recall, and concentration.
• Stress relief: The calm, repetitive action helps quiet the mind and ease anxiety.
• Sense of purpose: Finishing a build gives a clear sense of pride and accomplishment.

Physical and Social Benefits

• Fine motor skills: Snapping small bricks together keeps finger joints flexible and hand muscles strong.
• Hand-eye coordination: Aligning pieces carefully keeps visual and physical tracking sharp.
• Social time: Building together is an easy way to laugh and talk with friends or grandchildren.” 

Google also came back with some search results:

“Legos Can Be More Than Child's Play for People With Dementia (https://www.aarp.org/health/conditions-treatments/legos-dementia-study/)”

And:

“Doctors Say Retirees Who Want to Stay Sharp Should Start Playing With This Beloved Childhood Toy (https://parade.com/news/legos-have-benefits-for-seniors)”

So, apparently, I’m not totally crazy; there are others out there that think that LEGOs are indeed beneficial for mature adults!  So, let’s start building!  By the way, whenever I build a LEGO, I usually get totally in the zone, and I only think about finding the next piece, and putting it all together, which can be a real benefit, especially on those days when things just don’t seem to flow like they should.             

I think I got my first LEGO building set sometime in 1960, and if I remember correctly, it was set that was designed to build simple buildings and other stuff, kinda like the set in the picture below:

My first LEGO set probably looked something like the set in the picture above.

Later, I remember getting a set that had wheels (which, according to Google, were introduced in 1962, when I was seven) which meant that you could build all kinds of wheeled stuff, like cars, trucks and busses, a huge development in the LEGO world:

It is 1962, and now LEGOs have wheels!  What a great concept!

 However, as I got into music around 1965 (for that story, you can check out my blog post “For the love of music, drums and life-long friendships, Part One:  1965 – 1987”), I stopped building and playing with LEGOs; instead, I spend pretty much all my money buying records (and the occasional plastic building toy, usually cars).  Nevertheless, as our kids starting getting a bit older (especially the boys), they started building and playing with LEGOs, and now they became both builders and collectors, something that they still do, even in their late 20s and early 30s.  As a consequence, even though I didn’t build any LEGOs myself, as a family LEGOs became an integral part of the Lindwall family.  And as can be attested from the pictures below, over the last 20 years, a lot of LEGO sets have been bought, built, and then taken apart again, but we never sold or threw away any of the precious LEGO pieces:

Some of our LEGO piece storage.  We must have some 10,000+ pieces, I’m sure!

      

More LEGO pieces in storage!

 

Some of our son Michael’s LEGOs, taken apart for storage, but nicely labeled for future builds!

 

A trio of yet-to-be-built LEGO cars, belonging to our son Matthew.  You never know when the urge to build a LEGO will come over you, so you better be ready!

 

Another yet-to-be-built LEGO; this one reserved for our grandchild.

Anyway, a couple of years ago, with our grandson coming over a lot to the house, I myself started to get interested in building LEGOs again, especially vehicles and such.  I got a LEGO Technic Bugatti Bolide, and at 905 pieces for around 40 dollars, I couldn’t resist:

LEGO Technic Bugatti Bolide, LEGO no. 42151.  A really fun build, with a W-16 engine with moving pistons!  I usually save the boxes; they are so fun, and they also hold the instruction booklet, which is a marvel in and of itself!

 So, a little side note when it comes to me and building LEGOs; being as frugal as I am, when I buy a LEGO set, I look at the piece vs. price ratio.  As I think I have figured out, a LEGO piece usually costs 10 cents; so if you have a 100-piece building set, it usually costs about $10.00, and if you have a 1,000-piece building set, it usually costs $100.00 (you get the picture).  So, if I can find a LEGO building set for $40.00, and it contains 905 pieces (like the Bugatti), each piece (on the average) is only $40.00/905, which comes out to 4.4 cents a LEGO piece, a real bargain!  So yes, I do admit it, I do buy my LEGO sets based on the price-per-piece, but they are just as fun to build; actually, even more fun, since I get more building time for less money!  (I’m a bit crazy, I do admit it).  So, when you see the inventory of LEGOs that I’ve build recently, they are usually found on sale, which is what I look for!  So, below are pictures of my LEGOs that I’ve build in the last couple of years:

The LEGO City Bus, LEGO no. 60407.  This one was great fun; I used some of the other LEGO figures that we have to populate the bus.  As you can see, the bus has been partially disassembled, but it can easily be put back together again!

 

The LEGO City Off-Road Mountain Truck, LEGO no. 60447.  A cool build with all sorts of accessories in the cargo on the roof of the truck!

 

The LEGO City Horse Transporter, LEGO no. 60327.  This set came with all sorts of accessories, including a rider and a horse, and even a little Husky dog!  Soooo fun!  The accessories are somewhere in the house in the LEGO storage I’m sure!

 

The LEGO Technic Koenigsegg Jesko Absolut, LEGO no. 42173.  At 801 pieces, this one took quite some time to put together, which meant even more fun building time!

 

The City LEGO Monster Truck, LEGO no. 60402.  Great fun; my little grandson helped me a lot in building this truck!

 

The LEGO City Mobile Police Dog Training set, LEGO no. 60369.  I built this one a while back, but it has been disassembled, so I need to rebuild it!  It’s always good to have an un-built LEGO at the house, just in case boredom sets in!

 

The LEGO Technic Mack LR Electric Garbage Truck, LEGO no. 42167.  I found this one on sale for about 30 dollars, and at 503 pieces, I couldn’t resist!  This one has a functioning bin collection system that works!  I’m constantly amazed at the LEGO engineers how they make stuff come together!

         

The LEGO Technic Jeep Wrangler Rubicon, LEGO no. 42122.  Since I’ve always wanted a bright yellow Jeep Wrangler, here it is!  This one has a functioning winch up front, for when you get stuck between those pesky couch pillows!

 

My latest LEGO; the LEGO Technic Jeep Wrangler Rubicon, LEGO no. 22227, ready for the beach.  This one was on sale at our local Walmart, and at $40.00, I couldn’t resist!  Super fun to build; comes with a surfboard and a yellow rubber duckie!