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Original poster

Lego sets for girls?

51 replies

NumptyNu · 27/09/2014 18:30

Can anyone recommend a good starter Lego kit that is neutral or good for girls?

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IsItMeOr · 27/09/2014 18:54

The Lego Bricks and More themed sets are nice for starters (e.g. safari, police, etc).

Then the Creator 3 in 1 sets are good, as they include 3 designs that you can build from the same bricks.

We also liked the Brickmaster sets (we have pirates and castle) which again, come with instructions for numerous models from the same set of bricks.

The City, etc sets are more limited, as they only come with one set of instructions.

We liked the idea of encouraging DS to build his own designs. He does that.

He still loves the ready to build sets though (presumably that's why Lego sell so many of them).

kelda · 27/09/2014 18:55

We have Lego Star Wars too but my girls have never shown any interest in it - which is fine with me, because they have made a choice. My ds isn't showing much interest in any Lego. I'll just have to keep it for me.

The Lego friends stuff is still real Lego, the friends campervan is almost identical to the Lego city campervan.

IsItMeOr · 27/09/2014 18:55

The Safari set is nice, as it includes both male and female minifigures.

StripyBanana · 27/09/2014 18:56

My daughter loves Lego friends and loves having instructions rather than open ended. She likes the jungle rescue too.

How do people store Lego... By kit so you can do it again?? Or by colour/piece size...type?

fuzzpig · 27/09/2014 18:57

I'm thinking of getting DD (7) one of the technic range, some of the vehicles have a pullback thing so they actually move which is cool. She did say she wants a lego house too so I'm thinking one of the creator range - there's a treehouse, a beach house and various others I think. Or the creator one that transforms into a dinosaur...

It's so hard to choose, there's loads out there! DS (5) will be getting lego too, and this Xmas for the first time SO AM I!!! Really excited, I've never had my own before so I specifically asked DH for some :o

Numpty it depends if she really wants to build a particular thing, and if she's ready for instructions yet. My two started at 5 and 3 with a huge box of basic bricks and a couple of baseplates, it was only more recently they've started getting the creator sets and building them by themselves.

If you aren't sure then I'd recommend a big box of bricks for open ended fun, plus one of the smallest creator 3in1 sets (the latter are around a fiver) to see how she gets on.

I wouldn't bother with the lego friends stuff if she's not asking for it, it's really dull - even DD totally ignores it in the shop.

notnowbernard · 27/09/2014 18:57

I got DS Lego Spider-Man stuff for his birthday. Should I hand-wring over it? (Sorry, being a bit narky)

fuzzpig · 27/09/2014 19:00

DD got lego spongebob last year :o

kelda · 27/09/2014 19:03

Fuzzpig - good for you!

Notnowbernard - my ds ignores his spiderman set, the girls have played with it instead! Still a good little set.

To the person who mentioned Lego Barbie - there is no real Lego Barbie. That are small Barbie figures that are compatible with Lego -since the patent ran out after 50 years there have been loads of cheap copies - but that really is crap, much prefer Lego Friends.

The only Lego copy that is worth buying is of course Doctor Who character building sets, the Tardis is fab, and the weeping angles figures have terrified my ds when watching them on TV!

Original poster
NumptyNu · 27/09/2014 19:08

Wow, thanks for the quick response. as you can tell, I'm a complete novice, so please forgive my ignorance! There just seems so many to choose from that I feel overwhelmed!

The ages are 4 and 6....

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LumpySpacedPrincess · 27/09/2014 19:10

DD9 is really into chima and star wars lego, best bet is just a big bucket of bricks.

Original poster
NumptyNu · 27/09/2014 19:10

To justify my query (it has clearly seemed like an odd one to some), I saw some that made a Fairytale type carriage the other day, which challenged my view that it was unisex. The creator sets look good!

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kelda · 27/09/2014 19:10

The Lego City advent calendar is usually very good value for tiny sets and figures.

ZenNudist · 27/09/2014 19:25

A bucket of bricks and a baseplate to share would be money well spent.

What budget?

For the 4 yo a lego juniors set would be good as she could build it herself. On amazon the princess play castle is £12 and the knights castle which is better is £26. There also 'pony farm' but it's friends which is frowned on here.

I bought some 4yo girls the smaller friends sets. I get what people are saying about how lego doesn't have to be gendered but there's a lot that might interest boys more than girls of my acquaintance.

That said if they're into a bit of it then it's easier. Like I know that my 4yo and 8yo dns love ninjago but that's because they watch the tv show. Chima is great too but starts at 7. I buy things for 4yo ds and make it for him because it's his favourite lego.

Small sets are easier as a starter.

exexpat · 27/09/2014 20:35

DD is nearly 12, and although she doesn't play much with the normal lego these days, she has asked for some of the architectural lego for her birthday, e.g. the Sydney Opera House.

She played with all sorts of lego when she was younger, from the creator kits to lego city, to the vast collection of Star Wars and Harry Potter kits her brother had built up. She loved Ninjago stuff (the temple with the traps and moving parts) also had some of the fairy tale lego they made years ago (based on Hans Christian Andersen fairytales, e.g. the Snow Queen), but it all ended up getting mixed together and used to make weird and wonderful constructions.

fuzzpig · 27/09/2014 20:39

I would go for one baseplate each rather than one to share :o

jamtoast12 · 27/09/2014 21:37

I don't get the snobbery with lego friends! It's all lego! My dds are 9&7 and are obsessed with lego friends, as are all their mates. It's brilliant. They absolutely would not be interested in some if the other ranges.

jamtoast12 · 27/09/2014 21:40

That said it depends on the purpose. Mine build their sets quickly then store them in built format and play with them permanently once set up. They don't rebuild. The fun aspect for them us the playing not the building. If the kids get more enjoyment out of building then any set would be okay.

pigleychez · 27/09/2014 21:43

My girls are 4 and 6.

I started off buying Lego friends sets but soon abandoned them for Lego creative buckets as they built the sets then dismantled them in favour of building their own houses etc.

This tub www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/9110661.htm

Agree with getting two base plates. Keep an eye on Amazon as you occasionally have deals/offers on them.

ConcreteElephant · 28/09/2014 14:38

We're getting some Lego for DD this year, I'm making a Lego table from a £5 Ikea Lack (it was on offer for some reason I don't remember) with 4 x base plates stuck to the top - DS will no doubt play with it too so should be a good present.

I agree with Pigley that Amazon sometimes have good deals but I'd exercise a bit of caution with them too. The Creative Bucket set 10662 which has been linked to a couple of times is £19.99 in Argos and on the Lego website, but £26.10 on Amazon, with a listed RRP of over £40! Makes it look like a great deal but actually it really isn't at all. I was quite surprised to find them so expensive, I think I always assume they'll be pretty comparable. Argos has some Lego in the 3 for 2 at the moment.

BrieAndChilli · 28/09/2014 17:30

I don't understand why people get so up in arms about Lego friends, do they cause such an uproar about Lego ninjago, Lego star wars, etc etc?
Dd loves Lego friends and won't let it be mixed up with the rest of the Lego! She has the vets and riding school and lots of the pets and loves playing with it. Ds2 loves playing with it too and he's a boy, it is marketed at girls but star wars is marketed at boys etc

WantAnOrange · 28/09/2014 18:05

I would argue quite passionately that a fairytale carriage is totally unisex but I agree there is a double standard here, it's unreasonable to reject the 'barbie' kits and promote the Ninjago or Star Wars sets because they are also clearly marketed towards a specific gender.

The important thing is what your girls like! If they like fairytale princess stuff get the carriage! If they want to build a rocket, get a rocket, Lego are bound to sell it they seem to have everything! I would probably start with a kit of basic bricks though and some baseplates, with a small specific kit of something they like because sometimes children need the instructions and the initial idea to get it, then they pull it all apart and build their own thing.

LumpySpacedPrincess · 28/09/2014 18:55

I think with the friends they are just a bit lame. Dd loves princess stuff, for instance the playmobil fairy tale castle, but she isn't keen on the friends stuff. As I said upthread she does really like the Chima stuff and that's unisex anyway like most lego.

I've just ordered her the arctic base camp for christmas.

noblegiraffe · 28/09/2014 19:07

Look at the ages on the sets, if you are buying sets. The ones for age 4 are easier than the ones for age 6, they split the pieces into different bags for different stages of building.

loubielou31 · 28/09/2014 22:15

We got This suitcase for DD age 4. It's a really good starter set and has suggestions for lots of things you can build with the set. This has now been supplemented with other sets and we will need a bigger holder for it all already.

Original poster
NumptyNu · 28/09/2014 22:28

The suitcase looks perfect for my 4 yo!

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