Lego set recommendation

[ktw]

Can anyone recommend good “starter” Lego sets for a 4 turning 5 yo boy, and an 8 yo girl? Trying to brainstorm Christmas ideas early, and I think they would like them, but I’ve never really bought one before. They have legos/duplos from when they were younger that they play with and like, but I’m not sure where to start with sets. Thank you!

[ssmjlm]

I don't know if you want them to have the same sets or not, but the Lego City has ones for 4+. My daughter likes the Lego Friends sets, which she started around age 6.

[ktw]

Oct 4, 2021 7:15:59 GMT -5 ssmjlm said:

I don't know if you want them to have the same sets or not, but the Lego City has ones for 4+. My daughter likes the Lego Friends sets, which she started around age 6.

Thank you - I will look at those! They don't need to be the same. This is just me brainstorming ideas because I don't trust them to know what they really want 3 months out, but I'm also nervous to wait until December to shop because of potential delays with everything.

[gt7301b]

I think Lego Juniors are actually easier than the Lego City sets.

We have some of these Jurassic World ones and my son enjoys them.

www.amazon.com/LEGO-Jurassic-World-Velociraptor-Preschool/dp/B08589VNH3/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=lego+juniors&qid=1633352501&sr=8-2

[numbers]

My DD1 just turned 7 and is very into the Lego Disney and Lego Friends sets right now.

[nicolewi]

Get Playmobil instead for the younger one. Maybe the fire station?

Probably Lego Friends with cute animals for the 8 year old. I love Playmobil fir any kids but maybe she specifically wants Legos. She is a good age for the Friends series.

[VillainV]

The age recommendations on the box are pretty good! I agree with Lego City. There is even a “storyline” that matches up with some beginning reader books you can find and B&N and other places.

You may need to help with lego sets for a while. The directions take some getting used to, so adult supervision is helpful (you might be able to catch a mistake faster — before they get 10 steps down the line and it’s harder to fix). Sometimes small fingers have trouble with the little tiny pieces, and my 7yo still needs help applying the little stickers.

ETA: your 8-year-old can probably build anything Lego makes except the super-technical stuff geared toward adults. They have some good Marvel, Star Wars, and Harry Potter sets!

[moonpie]

I would basically pick any theme that matches their interests with an age range close to their actual age

I would recommend the juniors sets for the 4 year old. They have some great themes like Jurassic World, Marvel, and construction sets. They are easier to put together and aren’t as fragile to play with once they are complete.

My almost 7 year old loves the Legos friends sets. She is especially into the animal rescue sets.

[jamaicam]

For the 8yo, I'd recommend any of the sets that are in her interest and then a box of just the regular bricks. My kdis spend ages just building things based on their imagination

[lilac05]

I agree that Lego age recommendations on the box are generally good, especially for beginners/average interest builders. There are Lego sets for so many different interests! Choose something they love and then find a set for that level.

Keep in mind your kids’ fine motor skills, attention span, attention to detail, and willingness to accept help. If your 4 year old is a “I do it MYSELF!” kids, then I’d stick to Lego Junior sets. If he likes to work with someone or is open to asking for help & he’s into city stuff (cars/trucks/buildings/police), that’s a good thing to start…you’ll have easy gift ideas for the next 5+ years!

My boys love the creator sets because they’re 3 sets in one, but they’re too many pieces for your little one. Depending on what your daughter likes, they might have good sets for her.

[boiler717]

I agree with 4+ for your son and a box of “creation” legos. They usually have at Costco for a good price.
Signing up for the free Lego magazine was great for us, too. Before he only wanted to do sets but once he saw pictures of kids with creations he got into building on his own.

[felicity]

I let DS go on the Lego website sometimes and browse around to show me what he likes. You can filter it by age, price, interest, and some other things. When he was 4/5 he was pretty happy building whatever I bought...now at 6/7 he really wants a say in what we get him. I also order their free catalogs which he LOVES to browse through. He just got this year's and looks at it all the time. It's better for the older kid sets, though. They don't have much or any of the Lego Jr. and City stuff in it.

[niq]

The Lego Super Mario kits have been a big hit here. With ... the kids, it's all for the kids, I swear.

V is 8 and O is 4.5. They work on them together mostly. O got one small kit for her birthday. We have a ton of stray legos from older kits that they use creatively.

[Poppy]

I have had my eyes on a few:
Friends Puppy Playground www.target.com/p/lego-friends-puppy-playground-starter-building-kit-41396/-/A-76555863

Jurassic World Stygimoloch www.target.com/p/lego-jurassic-world-stygimoloch-dinosaur-escape-76939-building-kit/-/A-82027010

Stunt Competition www.target.com/p/lego-city-stunt-competition-60299/-/A-81911628

Maybe the Fire Ladder Truck

This Mars Shuttle might be good for your DD www.target.com/p/lego-city-space-mars-research-shuttle-space-shuttle-toy-building-kit-with-mars-rover-60226/-/A-75667098

[wizardressofoz]

My kids at 4-5 like the little vehicle bag sets that usually build a mini figure and some sort of small vehicle. They’re fairly inexpensive and good for their attention span.

[jewel]

My boys are 3 and 7. They LOVE Legos. The best sets for them are: any kind of vehicle (dump truck, street sweeper, etc), Jurassic park, safari set, Disney and minions. They’re not big on buildings but are happy with anything with wheels - they build it and then drive them around and play with them. They also like any sets that have animals or characters that they like. There’s a couple amusement park sets from Toy Story that are really fun.

[tcu2003]

My 9yo son started with the Lego Junior Jurassic World sets when he was 4. He’s gotten other Jurassic World sets over the years and still loves them - he’ll play with them plus other dinosaurs and whatever else sparks his imagination at home all mixed together. At this point, the Harry Potter and Star Wars sets are his favorite, but he also still plays with the Jurassic World ones.

My 5yo daughter likes the Lego Friends, but also some of the Disney ones, from Cars sets with Lightning McQueen (ones her brother had) to Disney Princess. My 8yo and 12y nieces both love Harry Potter Lego sets, and the younger one also loves the Disney Princess sets.

As others have mentioned, pick something based on their interests. I love (and hate, lol) that Lego has so many options.

[Poeticxpassion]

We are big fans of Legos in this house. I collect Harry Potter, DH Star Wars and DS Super Mario.

I would go with interests when deciding what set to get. DS gets hours of fun out of the Super Mario (us too!) I like that the sets connect together and are interactive. The Lego Friends sets are really good as well. There are lego sets for everything- cars, trucks, video games, animals, Harry Potter, Disney, Marvel, Star Wars, roller coasters, flowers and more.

[noodleoo]

Related question: what do you do with the sets when they are built? DD1 got a set for Xmas and liked building it but then it just took up space and eventually got broken and the pieces are scattered/missing. I enjoyed building it with her, but the mess really bothers me. Plus they are super expensive for one afternoon of play.

[Becca]

Oct 4, 2021 12:37:58 GMT -5 noodleoo said:

Related question: what do you do with the sets when they are built? DD1 got a set for Xmas and liked building it but then it just took up space and eventually got broken and the pieces are scattered/missing. I enjoyed building it with her, but the mess really bothers me. Plus they are super expensive for one afternoon of play.

My 8 year old son pretty much never puts his legos away. They are played with pretty much every single day.

I used to have a bunch of plastic bins that individual sets would go into with their instructions. And then I got bigger bins and each theme would go together (Star Wars in one, fire in another, etc.).
Now I have just given up and have massive un-ending bins of legos and instructions that get tossed together.

Somehow it just works. My son can find the pieces he needs seemingly instantly.

And to be fair, except for vacuum days, the flooring in his room is almost always covered in wall to wall legos. We always joke that Legos are his love language, so I try to just let it go. Hopefully he’ll be an engineer someday and I can tell myself that the Lego chaos was all worth it in the end.

Both my 8 year old son and 12 year old daughter enjoy building their sets and playing with them. If you only have one set, the pretend play aspect may be limited, but I think Lego is such a versatile toy - worth well more than one afternoon of play.

[lilac05]

Oct 4, 2021 12:37:58 GMT -5 noodleoo said:

Related question: what do you do with the sets when they are built? DD1 got a set for Xmas and liked building it but then it just took up space and eventually got broken and the pieces are scattered/missing. I enjoyed building it with her, but the mess really bothers me. Plus they are super expensive for one afternoon of play.

This is really kid/family dependent. We received 2 dozen sets from someone who had outgrown Lego. They had kept everything assembled and on shelves in her room. Booklets in a small clear box. We don’t do that. We have two Lego-obsessed boys and my H loves them, too. We have TOO MANY!

We keep sets in clear bins with other similar sets…and only one box can be out at a time. (Star Wars, Ninjago, Space, Arctic, etc.) Taking the sets apart allows them to get more creative and use the specialty pieces that you can get in the basic block sets, but keeping them with similar sets gives us some organization…and makes it easier for them to make something that looks more cohesive (because the colors are similar).

[gt7301b]

Oct 4, 2021 12:37:58 GMT -5 noodleoo said:

Related question: what do you do with the sets when they are built? DD1 got a set for Xmas and liked building it but then it just took up space and eventually got broken and the pieces are scattered/missing. I enjoyed building it with her, but the mess really bothers me. Plus they are super expensive for one afternoon of play.

My son plays with his sets and gets more than one afternoon of play out of them.  I wish we had a good system, but ours is a combination of breaking the sets back down and storing the pieces together and keeping some of the favorites assembled.  When we only had a couple sets he didn't play with them as much, but he is constantly playing with them now.

[tcu2003]

Oct 4, 2021 12:37:58 GMT -5 noodleoo said:

Related question: what do you do with the sets when they are built? DD1 got a set for Xmas and liked building it but then it just took up space and eventually got broken and the pieces are scattered/missing. I enjoyed building it with her, but the mess really bothers me. Plus they are super expensive for one afternoon of play.

We put a bookcase in DS’s room for Lego sets. Some end up there, but many are all over his floor as he plays with them nearly daily. He’ll mix and match sets to play, and takes some apart and puts them back together in various ways. If we put sets away for awhile, we try to put them in a ziploc bag with all the pieces and instructions, but that doesn’t always happen.

[thebreakfastclub]

The only other things I can offer on Legos is that we keep the instruction books in a large baggie, and any super unique pieces go in a plastic storage container to keep track. We also store figures separately.

Otherwise, we have an ikea storage unit where all Legos go. My son builds free-form stuff all the time.

[boiler717]

So my husband and I have very different feelings on this. We have a ton of legos (thanks covid) and different ideas on how to organize. I like to keep sets together in a small sterilite snap bin with the booklet — bringing those back out is like getting a new set TBH! My husband and son do a lot creation building, so we keep them organized by color if they aren’t put back in a bin for a set. Every couple of months I will spend time on a rainy day putting some sets back together (easier to do when they are organized by color). I try to keep at least 5-6 sets ready to go for when we need a new challenge, then once they are used up I put others back together. We do keep all the minifigures out all the time since those are my son’s fave.

[Cheerio]

My son started collecting Lego sets when he was four and received more for nearly every Christmas and birthday until he was nine. We also have a ton of sets that were my husband's growing up.

We have some IKEA storage and also some built ins and we tend to sort by category, like others have mentioned (Star Wars, Ninjago, City, Harry Potter). We keep the instructions in sheet protectors in binders, also sorted by category. I really like this method as it makes it easy to find an instruction set if needed. For the most part, my son left all the sets together and played with them constantly. It was the toy he consistently played with, which is the reason he has so many. He will still play with them, but I can see that his interest has waned (He's ten now).

[katiecj6]

I always followed the age recommendations and it worked well.

When my son was 4-5, we started with the Lego junior sets, then moved up from there.

My niece loves the Harry Potter Lego, Friends (can't remember the full name), and princess themed Lego.

[heygrey]

Oct 4, 2021 12:37:58 GMT -5 noodleoo said:

Related question: what do you do with the sets when they are built? DD1 got a set for Xmas and liked building it but then it just took up space and eventually got broken and the pieces are scattered/missing. I enjoyed building it with her, but the mess really bothers me. Plus they are super expensive for one afternoon of play.

X-Large ziplocks. Even the larger sets can be broken down in chunks that are easy to reassemble, but still fit in the biggest ziplocks. DS has a desk in his room that he uses for display and an Ikea Trofast storage unit for little creations and bins of loose pieces.

I'll be honest - if lego only got one afternoon of play, I wouldn't be buying more. They are a pain in the butt with all the little pieces and they are expensive. My 7 year old is totally independent with building and plays for hours, almost daily, with his legos. If we weren't getting that much value out of them, I wouldn't buy or keep them. 

[abs]

Oct 4, 2021 12:37:58 GMT -5 noodleoo said:

Related question: what do you do with the sets when they are built? DD1 got a set for Xmas and liked building it but then it just took up space and eventually got broken and the pieces are scattered/missing. I enjoyed building it with her, but the mess really bothers me. Plus they are super expensive for one afternoon of play.

This is why I refuse to buy any more Lego sets, lol.  DD does enjoy building them but then they just sit there until they start to fall apart.  I do think they are so good for fine motor development but at almost 11 no I'm not spending money on them anymore.

ETA:  She did actually play with them around ages 6-8 (for a little while until they fell apart).  They were worth it then.  She was never a build, tear apart, and re-build kid though.  She liked building her own creations either.

[niq]

Oct 4, 2021 12:37:58 GMT -5 noodleoo said:

Related question: what do you do with the sets when they are built? DD1 got a set for Xmas and liked building it but then it just took up space and eventually got broken and the pieces are scattered/missing. I enjoyed building it with her, but the mess really bothers me. Plus they are super expensive for one afternoon of play.

If you don't use The Kraggle, the kids will take them apart use them for Master Builds.

We have a shelf where we put the ones V is most proud of. They usually stay untouched for a few weeks, and then he pulls them down and starts taking them apart for salvage.

It makes me sad, especially with the bigger projects, but at this age I don't think "this took a lot of work, I should keep it in good shape, maybe show it off" really registers. They also have way more free time so "wasting it" isn't a thing.

We have all sorts of storage drawers for the strays. A friend whose dad is also into Legos bought a big tower of drawers where each one is a different color, and then color coded all of them. I have like fifty different tidying projects before I get around to that lol.