The Deal with LEGO
I’m not going to claim to be an expert in LEGO organisation - but I do have a friend who is! She was my first point of inspiration and help in setting up a working system in our house (thanks Rosie!)
I have now developed a system around LEGO that works for the different personalities of our kids and could be a good starting point for you to consider if you have a little lego-lover at your place... before it takes over and you are cursing the day you ever bought it, as you stumble over the sharp, sprawled mass covering the floor in bare feet!!
(Pinterest is full of amazing ideas of incredibly organised mums... check it out if you are wanting more inspiration)
For our son’s 4th birthday, we gifted him a LEGO organisation system... and he loved it. His LEGO was starting to get a bit out of control (Grandma discovered that his love language was LEGO) so he was beyond stoked to receive this gift (which says a lot about his personality…and mine 😂)
We have a THREE-PRONGED APPROACH to lego
1. LITTLE DRAWERS FOR INDIVIDUAL PIECES - so that when building a set, a missing piece can be easily found. Our drawers are from Bunnings https://www.bunnings.com.au/handy-storage-20-drawer-compartment-organiser_p2580808v and we use a square of adhesive brick tape https://www.mrtoys.com.au/novelties/impulse-and-novelty/silicone-sticky-brick-tape-92cm-roll-6-asstd-28640.html?gclid=CjwKCAiAnIT9BRAmEiwANaoE1RJowAPVc8mZZTC1TQ6zQg6aG6g-1DHITUyIFXHKjGO83GwfDoMd3hoCUkoQAvD_BwE to attach each lego piece to the front of each drawer, so we know what goes where.
Note: In order for your entire lego collection to be housed in this way, you need a) a lot of drawers b) to continually be on top of these drawers.
So... because I am not able to be that on top of it, we introduced...
2. THE IMAGINATION BUILDING BAG - This really suits my daughter who doesn’t like to build sets, but just wants to work with what is in front of her. The idea is, that all broken sets and pieces that don’t fit into the little drawers, get tossed in here and we go through it occasionally to grab more pieces for our drawers.
https://www.playpouch.com.au/collections/original-play-pouch/products/captain-blue-play-pouch
3. TROLLEY OF DRAWERS FOR SETS - whole LEGO sets - those sets that we want to keep together and rebuild at a later date. This way, they can be easily stored whole as the drawers are big enough, pulled out and remade in holidays etc. We found ours at Howards Storage world https://www.hsw.com.au/howards-10-frosted-drawer-trolley-black/
We do find it a near impossible task with a toddler, for pieces to be kept altogether when building, but this is some-what kept at bay with the use of a bureau/desk, where lego being built can be hidden away between sessions. We got one from Ikea years ago that we sanded/repainted and has been such a winner, moving around from room to room... currently now in the dining area, as our lego builder is very social!
Something like this is a similar idea https://www.ikea.com/au/en/p/hemnes-bureau-white-stain-70354205/
When we set up the system initially, we also got a cool display shelf, but quickly realised that our son isn’t into displaying as much as he is breaking and rebuilding. There are some lovely shelves you can find online - we found ours at https://devinedesignbyderya.com/collections/wall-tables
Another thing we’ve tried (successfully) in displaying bigger vehicles (like an aeroplane) is suspending it from the roof in the boys room, using fishing wire! That way little hands can’t smash it and it can be gazed upon each night as they head off to sleep!
Lacking motivation to finish a build? Why not try setting up a time-lapse so that your child can rewatch and share with family members? Or set a stop watch going to see how long it takes?
Finishing a project gives such a sense of achievement and reinforces the positive feelings/intrinsic reward that completion brings.
One thing is for sure… LEGO has so many benefits and we see the most focus, perseverance and engagement when our biggest boy sits down to build.
However you go about it, go well! Hopefully you can take something away from here to get you started in your organisation journey!