Recently, a fellow mom asked how I organize my son’s Legos? How do I get him to clean up every night? I paused and said, “I don’t.”
Living simply does not mean perfection. Toys are not neatly stowed every night, certainly not Legos.
I learned pretty quickly that organizing Legos was a losing battle but more importantly an unnecessary one. In our house, we LOVE Legos. The benefits far outweigh the clutter and pain of stepping on a brick in your bare feet!
Tired of all the clutter?
In Simply Start, you will go from unmotivated and overwhelmed about where to even start, to formulating a plan to completely transform one room in your home.
The Lego Group
The Lego Group makes high quality, fair trade products. So, we do not ask grandparents to stop buying them because they add clutter. Instead, we request one special set for Christmas or birthdays. Legos are a “work-horse” toy that stands the test of time. Additionally, friends and siblings can play happily together.
However, the more I made my son clean up, the less he played. Now, he plays with mini-figures from Marvel, Justice League, and Harry Potter at the same time. Sometimes all in one body. 🙂 We do not stress over lost pieces or deconstructed sets. Legos are an open toy and the joy comes from the creativity it brings out of our kids.
I am in a season of hosting kids in my home, so I prioritize the toys everyone loves. Legos are at the top of the list with a goal of more playing and less organizing. And yet, my house remains uncluttered.
Downsize Unused Toys First
If you fight a daily battle over Lego-clutter, I would assess all other toys first. Donate toys they no longer use. Create room for Legos. ‘Saying No’ to unused toys means saying Yes to Legos. Less clean up, more fun!
If kids resist, work with them to create a Lego Play Area. Then box up the unused toys and label it with today’s date. After several months, if they love this new space, get their buy-in to donate the old toys to kids in need.
Set Boundaries for Play and Display
Play – Assign a room or section of a room for Lego Play. For many years, my son preferred the corner of our family room, near us. Now that he’s older, he moved to the basement where the mess can live longer.
Display – Designate a shelf or two for finished creations. Rotate as needed and send older displays back to the general population where they can inspire new creations. My son’s favorites live in his room away from younger, less careful visitors. Give kids boundaries but let them choose. You will be amazed at what they come up with. My son has worked on a single house design for over two years.
Embrace the Mess
Do not clean up daily. Every week or two, we restore order and vacuum. We refill the bins together. He instructs me on what masterpieces are “in progress” so I do not interfere with an artist at work. I love listening to his stories and ideas.
Don’t Worry About the Sets
Recycle the cardboard boxes. Keep the instructions books or don’t. We toss the books in a drawer but rarely reference them. The Lego Website maintains building instructions for current and retired sets. You can download them anytime.
Bins
Choose carefully. Most bins advertised for Lego storage are terrible. Pick a size that is shallow and snaps closed. I like these because they stack nicely in our cabinets. We can take them in the car too.
Shushing
Storage bins must allow room for “shushing.” Shushing is the noise and action of a hand running through Legos looking for a specific color and shape. Our bins were once organized by color. Just let it go.
Living simply means living with a level of imperfection in my life. Someday, the Lego mess will be cleaned up forever. And I will miss it.
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susan says
I laughed when I read the title! We too have a plethora of Legos decorating the floor in our family room. We push them to the side at night, but don’t clean them all up, save the occasional vacuuming of the rug underneath. 🙂 We have clear bins and jumble them all, with the exception of the Mixels, which are mostly intact and have their own box. You are right about the creativity. My son makes his sets one time with us and then begins the creative deconstruction, which lead to so much more!
Amy Slenker-Smith says
Laughter is the best medicine right!? So glad the title resonated with you. Thanks for reading and commenting!
Daisy says
That’s an interesting way of going about it. Very out of the box yet still fun, thanks for sharing!
Amy Slenker-Smith says
Thanks for your comment Daisy! Love your website name!
Camille Ney-West says
I agree with most of this but as an AFOL, I would ask, please don’t just toss those boxes in the recycling! If can carefully break them down and store them flat, that would be good, but if not, maybe eBay them?
Lots of fans/collectors want those boxes because even open, they add value to the sets.
Now that my kids are older, (19 and 22) I’m the keeper of the Lego in my house, and I have my own collection as well.
The loose stuff is sorted by color, and the sets are kept in their boxes (the sets are mine lol)
As for clean up… a play blanket/bag with drawstring is amazing
Amy Slenker-Smith says
Hi Camille – thanks for reading and your comment! It is interesting to know that that there is a market on eBay for the boxes. I will definitely research that in the future. And I love the idea of a play blanket/bag with drawstring. Great suggestion!!!