Legos are a big thing in our home. My husband loves them and is constantly building with the kids (a pandemic shopping habit that just hasn’t died). Legos are always front and center, but this week even more so.
Despite having not watched the Indiana Jones films yet (thanks to Common Sense Media I did not make the mistake of letting them watch it too young like I did with Home Alone), they were singularly focused on the new sets. And my college bestie is in Legoland with her kids so they’ve been jealously witnessing photos and videos of a soggy San Diego.
So while there is a lot to love about the tiny bricks, there is one thing to loathe… Lego Organization.
Weekend Things
Organizing Legos
I’ve tried all the ways to organize legos. Please save yourself and learn from my mistakes.
TLDR:
Do not try to make it pretty. This is function, function, function. Even if you shelve books in rainbow order, let that go for the bricks.
Figure out how your kids prefer to build - recreating sets or extra creatively with random blocks. Follow their lead and have that be your organizing principle.
Leave sets built - especially ones that encourage imaginary play like castles, towns, etc.
Don’t try to make it pretty: I love the Home Edit, but I just don’t believe that anyone has ever kept more than a few dozen legos organized in a beautiful rainbow. If you can’t look at some level of chaos, then put them behind a door.
As far as containers go, after trying pretty bins and aesthetic trays I’ve learned that the best options for a deeper level of organization are plastic shoe boxes or slider storage bags. Stack them up and then look away.
Figure out how your kids prefer to build - Mine prefer by set. If they are building creatively, they have a freaky way of remembering which set had the extra special piece they need. So we have a bin of random blocks, but otherwise when a lego is disassembled it is put as a set into a plastic box with the instruction manual.
If yours aren’t into reliving the sets, then a trundle under the bed is great or a shelving unit that hides the bricks. You can get pretty specific with size, color, etc. delineation but I’d vote for the fewest possible categories that still let your kids find pieces.
And if you don’t have a lot of bricks, the swoop bag is by far the easiest clean up.
Leave sets Built: my daughter plays with Lego Friends sets the way she plays with her dollhouse. Harry Potter even comes to visit sometimes.
We leave ours on the top of shelves or tucked into a corner on the floor, but if you are looking for a table this is my favorite no-nonsense option.
Need a deep dive? This guide is for the true Lego enthusiast, not just a parent trying to maintain sanity.
Can't Live Without this week...
On the topic of legos, their help finding replacement pieces is the best. Whether you are looking for a missing piece from a specific set or looking to buy individual bricks to add to the creative process, they have everything.
And if you can’t find it, their customer service over the phone is great.
Shipping isn’t the fastest, but neither is organizing and identifying the missing piece.
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