Legos™… the wonderful, colorful, creative toy that children love and parents struggle to contain. Who hasn’t been brought to tears by stepping on a Lego™ with bare feet? The variety of Lego™ kits, themes and pieces can seem daunting, and many people ask me how should they organize their Legos™. The answer is, “it depends.”
Children are all different, and it is important to set up a system that your child (or children) will use. After all, a system that only you will use is a failure. To figure out what might be right in your home, you need to answer 3 general questions:
- Do you have different sizes of Legos™? (e.g. Duplos™ and Legos™)
- Do you have simple blocks or do your children enjoy assembling & displaying kits?
- Do your children want to sort their Legos™, and if they are willing to do this, what grouping do they prefer? Examples include:
- By Color
- By Type (e.g. vehicles, people, blocks)
- By Themes (e.g. Friends™, Star Wars™, Minecraft™…)
Here is a flow chart to help you figure out the best solution.
Once you figure out what kind of system you want, you can now proceed to getting the right containers to suit your needs. There are a large variety of bins, baskets, and buckets on the market, but don’t feel you need to run out and buy anything. You may already have items on hand that would work just fine.
Here are some ideas for inspiration…
For “active” projects, provide a surface or area where they can spread out and build. It is a plus if you can set up a method for keeping the work-in-progress project pieces together.
For the instructions for completed kits, you can use:
For loose Legos™, whether sorted or not, remember to use bins that are labeled and easy to use. Rolling carts with drawers work well, as do open-top bins on shelves or in cubbies.
Rolling Cart With Pull Out Drawers
Open Top Bins on Shelves or Cubbies
* * * * *
Legos™ and other building bricks are wonderful toys that engage children’s minds and hands. Customize a solution that fits your family’s needs, and let the fun begin!
What are your solutions for organizing Legos™?
All I can say is thank you as my girls love to play with their Legos, but they most certainly don’t have them organized by any means and am definitely going to try to use one of your awesome tips above to do just that now!! 🙂
Janine Huldie recently posted…Easy Four Cheese Tortellini Pasta with Asiago Cheese with Artichokes
I get this question a lot, and children are so different. The worst is when parents set up a sorted system and the kids don’t maintain it and the mother finds herself sorting legos. That’s no good. The system has to work for everyone involved:)
My sons were fine with storing legos in a large tub when they were smaller. As they grew, they wanted to build their sets and leave them built. Shelving solved that problem for us. The file box for the instructions is a fantastic idea! Thanks for sharing your tips Seana!
Laurie recently posted…Memories of a Special Day
Putting up some shelving to display is a great idea! These kits are so complicated, I understand the children being proud of what they’ve accomplished.
Oh wow those are hard core Lego organizers! We like Lego but we only have one tub of it. So they all go in there 🙂
Nina recently posted…Parenting with Purpose Is Now Available: Get the Kindle Version Free
Consider yourself lucky that you can throw them all in one bin. There is so many options with Lego now that for many families, this is one of their big organizing challenges. Such a great toy, though, that it feels good to figure out how to sort and display them all!
What an awesome Lego “thought tree,” Seana! I like how you’ve figured out all the questions to ask and organizing them in a decision-tree format. When organizing toys with parents, there are almost always Legos. And for many parents they become a source of frustration because there are so many small pieces to manage and keep track of. The systems that seem to work the best take into account all of the elements you suggest plus the “reality” check. For many of my clients and their kids, the more complex and time-consuming the system is to keep, the less likely it will work.
The trick is balancing the right level of organization with ease of play.
Linda Samuels recently posted…Importance of Unplugging for Possibility Perspective
Exactly, Linda. I bet we’ve all seen homes where Mom gets frustrated, finding herself sitting on the floor at night sorting the Legos! Some children actually love this level of organization (I’m guessing a few who might grow up to be POs!), but others find that a burden. There is no “right” or “wrong”… its all about functional!
Ah yes the lovely Lego. I did a blog on this many a few years ago, actually it was one of my first blogs. Great ideas in this post Seana, some of them were not around when my son was young.
Jill Robson recently posted…What blocks you from being Organized?
I think all organizers who work in homes encounter this question eventually. And yet, it is more complicated than it may seem, as each child and the way they use this toy differs, right?
Haha, I love that flow chart.. right now we only have those huge legos, and my little one doesn’t care to color sort.. so it all goes in one large container… for now… haha.. – http://www.domesticgeekgirl.com
Gingi recently posted…Old Fashioned Margarita on the Rocks
Ah, you are the “easier” stage when it comes to Legos. Maybe bookmark this for about 5 years from now:0
Playing with Legos doesn’t go on forever, but it can be intense when they are “in season,” right? Working with clients has made me realize that they can tricky to get and keep organized!
Oh girl, it’s like you’re reading my mind! LEGOs took over our lives last year. Cassidy recently bought bins and a LEGO table with storage. Life is much better now!
Tamara recently posted…Ghost Pudding Cups, Two Ways.
That is how it so often happens.. all of a sudden – boom! Lego explosion:) Leave it to Cassidy to solve the organizational challenge.
I love the flow chart, and especially the way you acknowledge that even children have their own unique organizing styles. For some, sorting the blocks by color is half the fun, but others only want to pull out a specific kit and put it together. Great post!
Janet Barclay recently posted…Using the 80-20 Rule to Attract Your Perfect Client
Thanks for noticing this critical point. I’ve seen too many clients sorting Legos after the kids go to bed. If the kids don’t want to sort them, them lump them together. Likewise, if your child is particular and loves having them sorted “just so”, then honor that with the storage system.
I like the flowchart! A friend of mine has one of the Lay ‘n Go mats and says it was the best thing she invested in to keep her kids Lego blocks under control. Good tips!
I wish those mats had been around when my children were little. A simple idea but so practical and simple to use!
Your opening statement says it all. Knowing how your children play with legos is the most important part of lego organizing!
Some kids love to sort them out and having everything “just so,” and others can’t be bothered. Honestly, it shows what a versatile toy they really are, a credit to Lego!
These are all great ideas for organizing Legos. I’m not quite there yet with my granddaughter, but now I know what to do with the Legos when she starts stock piling them over here!
Marcia @ Menopausal Mother recently posted…My Zombie Apocalypse Plan
They have some pretty great products – something for all ages and stages. If she loves Legos, the collection can get pretty significant. What fun to have your granddaughter spread out and playing on your floor – that will be my next stage (but not too soon, I hope!)