Lego - what happens after you've built a set?

[suckatshopping]

DS (6) is getting really into lego. I also loved it as a kid, but we play very differently. I had a box of generic lego and would build stuff, then dismantle it and next time build something new. Endless possibilities, hours of fun, only one box of lego. DS has inherited some old stuff from me and DH, then received a few 'sets' at birthdays/Christmas etc for the last 2 years. He loves the sets the best, really enjoys following the instructions etc. However once he's built something he puts it on a flat surface somewhere or fully assembled back into the lego box and that's it. There's no further 'play' or building with the generic stuff that comes without an instruction booklet (maybe still too young for the latter, idk)

We're not a rich family, and also don't have a very large house. We're already getting a little over crowded in terms of 'display zones', and there are other children who also deserve space for their things. December is coming and I know lego would be a winning gift...but I'm loath to bring more into the house for it to be a single use item.

So I'm just wondering what happens in other households who are limited in space and budget? Suck it up? Limit the new items which come in? Dismantle the sets and store them with the instructions so he might build them again? DH suggested that we keep the boxes and resell things as sets so can swap them for others but DS really doesn't want to do that. Looking for some suggestions I can bring to the table so we can find a solution which works for the whole family!

Thanks in advance!

Eventually they end up being broken down into the generic Lego ‘bin’ and we keep the instruction booklets so they can rebuild later if they want to.

We don’t keep the boxes because they take up space - if we had the space to do that we wouldn’t have a problem 😂😂

Yeah this was my argument!

That's good to know though. I've kept all the instructions in a folder so far. Will suggest that if DS wants to add any to his list for this year that some of the currently built stuff needs to be dismantled to make room.

How about agreeing a display zone just for the most recent model (or two), and all the rest go into the Lego box? You'll probably find that he does eventually start to break them down for free play given a bit more time.

In terms of buying more, I'd probably buy him one new set for Christmas but no more, and maybe suggest Lego as a gift to any friends or family who ask for recommendations.

I take it apart and put it back into boxes to rebuild - I enjoy the building the most. I do keep a few pieces on display and rotate them over time so newer pieces are on display but the vast majority get disassembled and put Into storage containers neatly in the cupboard.

We used to play with display them for a bit then take them apart and chuck them in the Lego bin.
We kept the instructions but never got round to rebuilding.

If you are really anally retentive you can disassemble them and put them in a poly bag with the instructions.

Finally, if you want better value, there are 3 in 1 and 2 in 1 sets.

Let him display the sets for a short time and then break them up, bag them in resealable with the instructions so he can build them again at a later date if he wants to, or you can sell them.

Put a limit on how many sets he can have on display at one time? Or designate one or two shelves, when they're full he needs to break sets down to make way for the new ones?

Don't mix them in with generic Lego if you want to make them again or re-sell. Lego holds it's value well, some sets actually increase in value if complete.

I kept sets in large plastic boxes under the bed and displayed on a tall shelving unit in his bedroom.

Thanks for the reply :) Yes he gets one set from us/FC, then usually two others from family/friends. So perhaps 4 or 5 a year between December and birthday, which doesn't sound like much but add in the duplo displays from the little one (has to copy big brother!) and all the rest, I feel like the house is being taken over 😅Lego in the hallway, lounge, kitchen, their bedroom...even found spiderman on the bathroom shelf the other day. Which I suppose does suggest it's being played with....or at least noticed....now I think about it.

There's a shelf in their room which is meant to be the display zone, but when you're 6 it seems any flat surface is fair game.

I'd love him to get into building stuff with his imagination, but not sure if he's just a bit young or that's not the kind of person he is. Don't want to force it, but am hopeful!

We just added everything to a generic pile after it was built. That worked well for the lego years. I did keep all the boxes though in the attic (aware that resale value can be good) and the instruction books in a cupboard.
Now we are in the process of moving and DS is a mid teenager. He has spent the last 3 weeks or so happily reassembling each set and restoring them to their boxes. He's kept a list of missing and broken bits. Also set aside a few sets to sell, but wants to keep most of it.

I must confess to occasionally enjoying making up a set too!

I had 4 shelves in my room full of lego as a kid. Anything that didn't fit on them had to be either disassembled and put in the generic lego box or sold.

Every so often the lot of it would come down and sit on my floor for a week or so, as I built a lego city on my floor and played with it.

Now as an adult I've got a BrickBorrow subscription, kind of like a Lego Library. Pick a set, have it delivered, build it, keep it as long as you want, then disassemble it and send it back. Once they get it back you can pick another one. Works out cheaper than buying a set every month and I don't have to worry about where to display it all!

No such thing as too much Lego 😁

Any sets that are disassembled, like seasonal sets, are put into ziplock bags with one colour per bag and all labelled with the set number and name and kept in the box. This way endures all pieces are put away and nothing is lost. The instruction booklets list all the pieces by grouping them into colours so this is how we sort them.

Sets put into a mixed Lego box is the stuff of nightmares 😱

We have lots of Lego in ds's bedroom and the living room. We always find room for more. We have all the boxes on top of his wardrobe or in cupboards. I'm hoping the Lego will be passed down to grandchildren and having the boxes and taking good care of it all is important to us.

We had a house full of models we’d made when DC was circa 7-9. Impressed that your DC is succeeding in building unaided at 6. My DC played with some of the models and remade quite a few of those 3 in 1 sets in their different ways. Some models have been reboxed and sold or regifted to a neighbour’s child. We also have sorting boxes stored away with some for future generations and a couple of favourite kits in the loft.

Have a lego display zone. Recommend ikea for shelf and led light strips. Put other sets in a sealed plastic bag. When bored on a Saturday afternoon do another set and another set goes into storage. Rotate the sets.

We also have big boxes for free play but once the sets get mixed in they'll never get it out again.
I also have the home alone set as my advent calender...... Comes in 24 bags and gets bagged up again in reverse order when tree comes down.

My children like to display it, although it’s difficult with space! We do have a generic Lego box but the big sets they get for birthdays etc get kept. They don’t really play with it as such, for my kids they just love the build.

@35965a yeah we're all about the build too!!

This thread has some good ideas though, thanks all :D I think lego will be a long term love for us so want a system which works.

As kids we used to play like you did, just creating from our imaginations. I can understand your wanting to encourage this as it's so good for problem solving and imagining possibilities. In lockdown DS and I created a school (a bit like Hogwarts meets Grange Hill ) although it meant we had to dismantle the doctor's clinic and the police station to do it... I do think there's loads of value in learning to follow the instructions though, and will stand him in good stead when you need to construct a Kallax unit for storage for all your Lego.

If it were me I'd ask him to choose a couple or a few, depending on available space, to stay on display and the rest be dismantled and put in clear plastic bags with the instruction manual. Then if he wants to change the display model he has to break up an existing one and pick another to make.

I know this is an older thread, but I wanted to add that the BrickIt app is fab for anyone who prefers following instructions to build something over just free play.
You spread your lego out, take a photo, and it analyses what you've got and put together options for things you can build, and will then give you instructions for them.
May be a good option for helping to persuade him to disassemble some things and build new things, or getting him to use the big box of loose lego over the kits.