If you are a parent tired of standing on LEGO this post is for you. I think that by offering your children a way to organise their LEGO collection you can empower them to keep it tidy for themselves. They will know where to put it away and then it won’t end up literally being shovelled off the floor.
In January 2001 a lego fan, Remy Evard, posted to LUGNET his ‘ evolution of LEGO sorting‘ which basically describes the journey of the LEGO fan from one set kept nicely in its box with the instructions to having a large LEGO collection sorted by individual piece by colour and the journey of the LEGO fan in doing this. I think this is drastic and would take too long to start up and too long to maintain with children and that it is aimed at the adult LEGO enthusiast. Read on to see how you can provide your child with the right sorting and storage system for them to be able to keep their collection tidy.
Anyone interested in how to organise their LEGO needs to read https://brickarchitect.com/guide/bricks/ I love his quote “you will sort your lego bricks into your storage based on your system of organisation.” It makes the difference between sorting, storing and organising quite clear.
How to sort your child’s LEGO collection:
By colour/ piece/type of brick?
The Brick architect describes LEGO storage needs by age so that younger children can store their smaller collections in one tub or draw string bag and enjoy discovering the pieces as part of the fun. Parents tend to then sort bricks by colour, he says. For young children I would consider sorting by colour as a beginning. They will easily be able to stick to this system and be able to tidy up after themselves with little, if any, help. This system doesn’t work for older children or for those with more LEGO as it is difficult to find the pieces you need. So sorting by category is the true child LEGO enthusiast’s storage system. We will leave the sorting by piece and then separating by colour to the grown ups (with loads of time on their hands).
Consider how you will store the instructions too. A folder or binder with poly pockets? This is what I started with but we need a new system as it is full! So I’m considering more plastic drawers with a drawer for each theme like Star Wars, Ninjago and City… I think this could easily grow with your collection – though I suppose I could get another binder and have a binder for each theme….?
Things to consider when you are storing LEGO:
How much space do you have?
When thinking about how to store your LEGO one of your first considerations should be how much space you have… this will determine how many trays or bins or drawers you can divide your collection into.
How many pieces of each type?
This should be considered so that you can choose the correct containers – though remember the collection will grow so always allow for its evolution.
Where does your child build?
Does your storage need to be portable, do you store LEGO in your child’s room but then build in the living room? Or does your child build right next to where their collection is stored?
LEGO storage solutions for younger children:
Draw string bag
– like these from Kidly which are so stylish they could be left in your living room as part of the decor and you are bound to find one you fall in love with.
Under bed storage
– like these great star drawers from GLTC
A big bin
– like the stackable metal bins in gorgeous pastel tones from La Redoute, or simple seagrass bins and basket that could go anywhere in your house.
I think that a LEGO Activity table is too permanent and won’t adapt as your child grows and their interests develop ( and they take up a lot of space). So instead have a child height table and chairs that can be used for anything from drawing, to eating to playing LEGO. Much more multi purpose for our day to day lives.
LEGO also produces storage cubes in the shapes of large lego bricks and mini figure heads – these make a great display but are not hugely practical beyond a certain size of LEGO collection.
Get them involved
The aim is to get your children to keep up the tidying so you don’t have to walk on any more bricks!
From about 5 years +, or for those with a larger LEGO collection, the methods of storing LEGO above are not going to be condusive to finding a particular piece. I recommend using plastic drawers and sorting by category. Which will be in next month’s post… How I sorted my Son’s LEGO…..
How do you sort and store your child’s LEGO?… What are the categories you sort it by?…. I will reveal the categories that work for us in next month’s post…