Which LEGO® suits which age

A preschooler concentrates for 10 to 30 minutes at most. That decides more about your purchase than the number on the box.

We have been writing about LEGO® since 2016. What follows comes from our own posts across those ten years, with the date attached.

DUPLO and the first story

With the youngest children it is rarely about building. It is about what happens afterwards.

Is your toddler starting day-care? Children use toys to replay what they went through. Playing with water, building with blocks, what the staff are like - it all comes out when your child tells the story at home. Get them started by giving the figures a name, then let the child finish the story. Sit down at the table with a cup of tea and listen while they play. You will hear all about the fruit, another child, a favourite toy.

28 November 2023, about set 10992.

67 pieces. The piece count is not what you are buying here.

Juniors and 4+: building without "I can't do it"

There is a step between DUPLO and regular LEGO®. Same bricks, different assembly.

Larger elements are used, so fewer steps are needed. In this case that is the car chassis. It is one big block with axles for the wheels, so small hands have something to hold on to while the other bricks are pressed on.

21 June 2018, about set 10739.

The point is not that it is easier. The point is that the child does not get stuck.

Few small bricks they cannot place, so the sentence "I can't do it" does not come up too often.

4 March 2017, about set 10736.

The 4+ sets work on the same principle. Same size as regular LEGO®, only the build is adapted.

The sets are put together so that not too much patience is needed to finish them.

1 December 2022, about set 71759.

Where it goes wrong: the large surface

A set that arrives too early is rarely recognisable by its piece count. More often by the size of what gets built.

Children need some experience or help building this set. The larger surface makes it harder to put the bricks in the right place.

30 August 2017, about set 41318.

A big flat area is harder than a tall narrow build with the same number of bricks. The box does not tell you that.

Technic from about seven

Has your child never had a Technic set? Then try the Rescue Helicopter. The recommended age is 8+, but if your child has been building with LEGO® for a while this should work unaided from seven. A few parts in and it is already clear how force is transferred to the rotor. One extra connection and the tail rotor turns along with it. Another advantage of LEGO® Technic is how sturdy it is.

13 January 2019, about set 42092.

The label says 8+. A child who has been building for years can start earlier.

What a favourite game tells you

One of the most important questions to ask a child is what they like to play with. Are they children who like puzzles, drawing, crafts and building? Or do they prefer role play with dolls, reading and telling stories, little plays and puppet shows? A child's favourite game often says something about their preference, whether they are verbal or visual.

23 August 2019.

A child who mainly wants to make up stories gets more out of a DUPLO set with figures than out of 800 pieces. A child who wants to know how something works is better off with Technic than with the biggest castle.

Current prices for every set in this article are behind the links above.

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