Some Ideas on How to Organize LEGOs

Have you ever stepped on a LEGO piece in bare feet?! Ouch!
Do you have a preschooler and a baby that share a play space? No LEGOs on the floor; they're choking hazards!!

So you see, LEGO storage is actually essential to the safety of all those who live in your home. Here are some easy and fun ways to store your child's LEGOs in a way that your child will be able to clean up for him or herself after play time.

Since we have an 8 month old baby in our home, it's very important that the LEGOs are kept out of his reach. Notice the square pink box in the above picture. Inside, we keep several of our daughter's toys. Near the top, she puts the LEGO Junior Suitcase, and above that, we keep two clear plastic LEGO bins. After she puts everything away, she is able to close the heavy door, but the baby is completely unable to open it. (It took her three years to be strong enough to use this door.)

This situation is perfect because our 4-year-old is completely capable of taking out, and replacing her LEGOs where they belong. (Although, she still needs practice removing the lids from the bins.)

In the table above, I have listed the different storage options that we use in our home. I have found all of those bins and the suitcase at my local Target.

We're currently trying to stress to our daughter the importance of putting her things back where they belong. It's been a rough road… but she's getting there. Consistency is key.

Sorting is great for many reasons. It's a math concept for Kindergarteners, and it teaches kids about categorizing things. It helps young kids identify similarities and differences, and with LEGOs, it can be done in a very fun and engaging way.

I just really want the LEGOs sorted mainly because of my OCD. But I also recognize that it's helping our daughter learn that things must go back where they belong. You can't very well put a cube brick in with wheels or a flower in with the windows. Everything has a home.

Normal bricks, as I said earlier, go in one of the big bins.
In the compartmentalized suitcase, there are different areas for different types of blocks. Here is how we categorize them: small circle pieces aka lights; flowers, stems of flowers and leaves; wheels, tires and axils; windshields, steering wheels, levers and dashboards; windows and doors; fences; funny cylindrical pieces; and unique pieces.

I've seen a big yellow LEGO storage bin that looks like a LEGO person's face, which I thought was pretty cool. Then I saw one next to it that looked the same, but if you shake it, it actually sorts the pieces inside according to size. Pretty awesome, but to me, not worth $30. The way *we* do it, our daughter is learning to sort for herself, rather than letting the storage head do it for her.

Knowledge is power.

Sorting, and keeping LEGOs in their proper place also saves endless hours searching for that certain piece (or pieces) in a giant box of every LEGO.

For the time being, we also allow our daughter to keep some of her favorite, every day LEGOs out on the LEGO table that I made for her. This DIY project was a very simple IKEA hack, and it only cost about $25 to make.

This is a fun way to store them if it's done in an visually-appealing way. We have ours set up like a town with some different buildings, people walking around, and cars parked, either in spots or on the street. She also has a lovely picnic bench and some smaller kiosk-like structures.

I would *love* to figure out a way to make drawers under the table that can roll in and out. How cool would that be?!

Or do you already store your LEGOs in a pleasing and effective manner? If you store them, but differently than illustrated in this hub, PLEASE share with us! Leave a comment below!

And if you do feel inspired, please share this article on your social networks. It would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!