Legos in our house are the most popular toy for independent play. My 4 year old, Zoe loves creating elaborately designed vehicles and new inventions all day and is very clear he wants to be a Lego scientist when he is bigger. I love it not just because of the open-ended fun and imagination they inspire, but because of the many benefits to LEGO building such as spatial awareness, hand-eye coordination, logic, creativity, and problem solving. .

One question that I get from time to time is how to get started with LEGO with young kids.
Well, for younger kids block alternatives like Mega Bloks or plain wooden blocks can very well offer what Lego can in terms of play and learning opportunities. So if you have one of these, you don’t have to think about getting this. We transitioned from Mega Bloks to a Lego Classic tub around the time he was 3. Since Zoe was not someone who mouthed toys, it was easier to expose him to this (under supervision.) If you have a young one who mouths, start with LEGO Duplos— They are ideal for kids 1.5 to 5, and bigger than normal Lego, making it safer and easier to connect when hand-eye coordination and dexterity is still a work in progress. They are compatible with the bigger Lego bricks as well.
It’s best to start with a small, themed set that can capitalize on a kid’s existing interests (whether that’s a character from a movie like the Frozen theme box or a favorite vehicle or dinosaurs) while giving them the structure and instructions to see a Lego project through. Once kids have developed some skill and interest in building with Legos, they’ll probably be ready for bigger, sets of mixed bricks. .

This is what we own (in the order of purchase that began well ahead of his 3rd birthday)

• LEGO Classic Creative Bricks Building Blocks for Kids (221 pcs) • LEGO Juniors/4+ Mountain Police Chase 10751 Building Kit
• LEGO Classic Creative Suitcase Building Blocks for Kids (213 pcs)
• LEGO Classic Green Baseplate Supplement
• LEGO City Police Patrol Car Building Blocks for Kids (92 Pcs)
• LEGO City Barbecue Burn Out Building Blocks for Kids (64 Pcs)
• LEGO Friends Emma’s Art Café 41336 Building Set (378 Pieces)

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LEGO 101 . . Legos in our house are the most popular toy for independent play. Zoe loves creating elaborately designed vehicles and new inventions all day and is very clear he wants to be a Lego scientist when he is bigger. I love it not just because of the open-ended fun and imagination they inspire, but because of the many benefits to LEGO building such as spatial awareness, hand-eye coordination, logic, creativity, and problem solving. . . One question that I get from time to time is how to get started with LEGO with young kids. Well, for younger kids block alternatives like Mega Bloks or plain wooden blocks can very well offer what Lego can in terms of play and learning opportunities. So if you have one of these, you don’t have to think about getting this. We transitioned from Mega Bloks to a Lego Classic tub around the time he was 3. Since Zoe was not someone who mouthed toys, it was easier to expose him to this (under supervision.) If you have a young one who mouths, start with LEGO Duplos— They are ideal for kids 1.5 to 5, and bigger than normal Lego, making it safer and easier to connect when hand-eye coordination and dexterity is still a work in progress. They are compatible with the bigger Lego bricks as well. It’s best to start with a small, themed set that can capitalize on a kid’s existing interests (whether that’s a character from a movie like the Frozen theme box or a favorite vehicle or dinosaurs) while giving them the structure and instructions to see a Lego project through. Once kids have developed some skill and interest in building with Legos, they’ll probably be ready for bigger, sets of mixed bricks. . . This is what we own (in the order of purchase that began well ahead of his 3rd birthday) • LEGO Classic Creative Bricks Building Blocks for Kids (221 pcs) • LEGO Juniors/4+ Mountain Police Chase 10751 Building Kit • LEGO Classic Creative Suitcase Building Blocks for Kids (213 pcs) • LEGO Classic Green Baseplate Supplement • LEGO City Police Patrol Car Building Blocks for Kids (92 Pcs) • LEGO City Barbecue Burn Out Building Blocks for Kids (64 Pcs) • LEGO Friends Emma’s Art Café 41336 Building Set (378 Pieces) [ctd in comments]

A post shared by Gracelyne (@thegracelog) on Jun 25, 2020 at 9:06pm PDT

The common theme in our Lego sets is “Vehicles” 🚗 🚔 👮‍♀️ 🚒 specifically emergency vehicles— a theme that’s been running strong for over 2 years now. In between we got some fake lego sets called COGO (there are several other ones too) – Please avoid. Most of these non-brand sets don’t have the quality/fit that the original has. The base plate was a recent addition and it lends so many play possibilities. You can take inspiration from ideas listed on lego.com like maze games, tic tac toe, marble run and so much more.

Here’s the rough order for your buy-list: Lego Duplo (can be skipped)

Lego classics ––> Lego Juniors ––> Lego Creator / Lego City / Lego Architecture / Theme sets as per child’s interest ––> Lego Education/ Lego Mindstorms (a popular programmable robot kit) and so on. Of course, age ranges are approximate and every kid is different.
Find the links to all these on amazon.in/shop/thegracelog.

When it comes to cognitive development, structured block play certainly is a good bet. Something as simple as making sure kids have exposure to block play would set them up for a brighter future where they can build the right kinds of skills for whatever field they want to go into.

It teaches them to have patience and that it takes time to create a finished product.

I’ve noticed it has a calming effect on my boy as they require his imagination, concentration and most of all stillness. . .

Tell me what’s on your Lego wishlist? What theme do you think your kid will enjoy best. Comment here ❤️❤️❤️❤️