If you follow us on Instagram or frequent this blog, you already know that we absolutely love LEGO. I’ve written before about the developmental benefits of these amazing little bricks, but this article will address some of the problems parents face with their kids’ LEGO collections and give you some actionable solutions!
To peruse Pinterest, you’d think that the only issue was storage — and everyone seems to think that the solution is a set of color-coded stacking drawers (in rainbow order, obvi) where your little darlings can stash all their bricks. Adorable.
But seriously, to use such a system, your kids will spend more time disassembling and sorting than they will creating, designing, imagining, and problem-solving, which is what LEGO is for!
So let’s ditch the Pinterest-perfect storage and talk about how to make LEGO function in your house and for your family so this awesome toy can live up to its potential.
LEGO Problem #1: They Are Everywhere!
The number one LEGO problem for parents is physically containing them. If you’ve never stepped on a LEGO piece, I salute you. You live a charmed life. It HURTS! This is why LEGO storage is a hot topic — parents are desperate to keep all these little pieces up off the floor.
Solutions
Designate a LEGO space.
If bricks and bits are all over your home, start by gathering them up. Choose a specific place where LEGO will be played with and stored. This may be a shared space where everyone can play together or you may set up separate areas for individuals, depending on how your kids play. When errant little ones bring LEGO creations out of this space, redirect them. Yes, I would love to check out your super-duper-robo-spinosaurus, but please do not bring him to me in the kitchen. I’ll come to you.
Any small toys on the floor are easily scattered, easily lost, and often underfoot.
Get them off the floor.
I strongly recommend a table space rather than playing on the floor. Any small toys on the floor are easily scattered, easily lost, and often underfoot. We began by restricting LEGO to one table in our house because the pieces posed a choking hazard to baby, but we’ve kept that system over the years since it creates a clearly defined space (and greatly reduces the risk of stepping on them).
You can buy or build a table specifically for LEGO play, but any table where your kids can sit comfortably and have enough room to work will do.
Grab a tray.
Okay, here’s my big genius secret of the day: wooden serving trays. Whenever my kids build with LEGO, whether they’re assembling a set or designing their own creation, they corral the loose pieces they’re working with on a wooden tray. As you can see below, they typically sort them by color on the tray as well, a system that has allowed my younger son to build large LEGO sets independently since about the time he turned three. (Here he’s working on his first build of a Ninjago dragon, a set with over 500 pieces.) Did we have to spend time sitting with our kids and teaching them how to organize the pieces and follow the directions? Absolutely. But is it worth it now that they can create and play contentedly for hours while I sip my tea and write this blog post? Yup.
LEGO Problem #2: The Sets are in Chaos!
Such a common complaint! You spend all this $$ so your kids can have their favorite characters, spaceships, dinosaurs, cars, whatever, and what do you end up with? A pile of discarded bricks and some half-shredded pages of the building instructions.
Solutions:
Rescue the building instructions.
Gather up and organize instruction manuals. If you have missing or badly damaged building instructions, you can order replacements or download and print PDF versions from the LEGO website.
Keep instructions safe by storing in a binder. You can use simple plastic sleeves or, for a more secure and durable option, zippered pockets. Organize them in whatever way makes sense for your family. We started with a shared binder in which each of our boys had a section. They’ve recently outgrown that and now each have their own binder with instructions grouped by theme (i.e. Star Wars, Ninjago, etc.). This makes it simple for them to find the instructions and — just as importantly — to put them away when they are finished.
If you (or your resident LEGO master) are frustrated with scattered and broken sets, take the time to go through the building instructions, gather the pieces, and reassemble them.
Assemble sets.
If you (or your resident LEGO master) are frustrated with scattered and broken sets, take the time to go through the building instructions, gather the pieces, and reassemble them. This can be time-consuming but is well worth it to get these toys back in circulation. Don’t worry — next we’ll address how to keep them from ending up in a sad, mangled heap again.
You can purchase replacements for missing or broken pieces on the LEGO website.
LEGO Problem #3: Storage!
Now that your instructions and sets are back in order, you need a storage system to keep them that way. There are a few key points that your LEGO storage should hit to keep your kids happy and you sane:
- Easy access.
- Quick clean-up.
- Sets and original creations can stay assembled.
Solutions:
Separate sets from bricks used for free-building.
Sets and loose bricks need very different storage. A bin (or multiple bins) works well for loose bricks. While it’s popular to sort these by color, pieces are easier to find if they are sorted by size. If you’re using multiple bins, consider separating larger bricks from smaller pieces and figures. Bins that are shallow and clear are also easier to navigate.
If your children have neglected bricks for free-building, you may want to help inspire them with a LEGO ideas book. We have had great fun using our LEGO Classic bricks for STEM projects as well.
Keep sets and creations assembled.
Give sets and original creations enough storage space to stay assembled. Our system has been to give each boy two Container Store Men’s Shoe Boxes, which are clear, lidded, and fit comfortably into our IKEA Kallax cube organizer. Each holds between five and ten assembled sets with room to grow, and two stack neatly in a cube. The smaller bits that go with each set — such as figures and accessories — have plenty of room as well. Our kids have theirs organized by theme, so if they want to play with their Star Wars sets, for example, they can pull out the box with just those instead of pawing through everything.
Keep it all together.
Our IKEA Kallax has been clutch for this. It has room for more than thirty assembled sets plus plenty of space to safely store new creations; a bin of loose bricks; and shelf space for a big book of building ideas and two binders with building instructions. All that doesn’t even take up half of the space available — we also have our wooden train set, blocks, Lincoln Logs, Duplos, and other toys stored in the same 8-cube unit! Definitely one of my best home organizing buys. (Note that the Kallax can be used vertically or horizontally. Setting it up horizontally provides safer, easier access for young children and creates a large shelf space on top.)
Now that your family’s LEGO collection has space for play and storage, go enjoy! Then tell us how it works out in the comments!
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