Getting into "big boy lego" - your hints and tips please...

[tassisssss]

Wondering about getting ds some proper small lego for Christmas. He's 4.5 and still enjoys his duplo but quite a few of his friends are into the smaller stuff.

What's the best way to start? A big box of bricks? A themed set? Do they ever actually make what's on the box or is he far too wee for this? Don't all the bits just end up together or do you need to keep sets separate?

The bits he enjoys playing with most in the duplo he has are the figures and the vehicles. Can you buy these by themselves (smaller size))? Where's best to buy from?

All help and guidance gratefully received!

---

MNHQ Update
This is an old thread, but if you’ve landed here while on the lookout for similar recommendations, our guide to the best LEGO sets has been recently updated. Made up of recommendations from Mumsnet families, it includes a wide range of LEGO suitable for kids of all ages (and adults too!) from LEGO Friends to Harry Potter. We hope it’s helpful!

big boy lego??? My mind is boggling..... Is this a new development for Lego?

we bought the starter box aged 4+ for Christmas for ds1 last year (he was 3yrs+2weeks) he loves it and really uses his imagination, he has never had Duplo. This Christmas we are looking at the Fire Engine Lego set for 5+. It is fab.

Lego do lego ranges that include figures and vehicles, but the vehicles need to be built rather than ready formed.

I'd get him a small set that would go with the duplo sets he has.

meant to doa link lego site

oooggs, it was the Fire Engine set that caught my eye and i just wondered how it actually gets played with. do all the bits just get mixed together etc etc

are there many figures/vehicles in the starter set?

any starter box is good, one with a selection of bricks, windows doors etc.

this ad is fab

Build your own marital aids....

But to answer the question.... I would get a big basic box to start with. My eldest started collecting lego from about 5 or 6 but didn't really get into it until he was 7ish.

OrmIrian - I have no idea what you're talking about

very few figures as I recall and no vechiles (make your own), ds1 makes houses and castles and gardens and flats with roof gardens!! such an imagination, but his heavily into fire engines so dh and I thought about that.

Lo and behold he comes running to me last week with the Tesco Direct catalouge showing me the fire engine set and 'he would love it' for birthday/christmas.

FWIW, we got ds1 a starter set of big boy lego for Christmas last year when he was 6 along with various little sets e.g. fire engine from assorted relatives. He doesn't really look at it having been a massive Duplo fan. It's very small and he's such a stickler for rules that he feels inhibited (I think) by the lovely booklets that come with it on how to build things - he doesn't feel constrained by Duplo (never had an instruction booklet) and builds wonderful freeform things (usually churches ) still but largely ignores the Lego. I was really surprised but we're not pushing it, figuring that he will come to it in his own time.

thanks oooggs.

Hi HA! That's really interesting re your ds as that's exactly how I felt when I saw the lovely fire station. Ds still loves his duplo too and we've got so many vehicle bits and windows/people/animals etc that he can just by creative and make whatever.

I've just seen lovely wee vehilces (with figures) on amazon for about £2.99 so I might just buy a starter box, a base or 2 and try to supplement it with extra figures/vehicles etc. Am I right in thinking you can buy it per brick in Jenners?

Or maybe we'll just leave it until next year...

Ds started getting into Big Boy Lego at about 4-5 years old. He has all the fire sets (is similarly fire engine fixated) and loves them. He puts together the sets as per instructions, but then often takes them apart and modifies them. For this reason it is difficult to keep the sets separate, so we have a massivebox to keep it all in!

He is also really into the Playmobil fire stuff, which you don't have to build (as in bricks), but does need some putting together to start with, and there is plenty of scope for arranging hoses with connectors, nozzles etc.

DS is 6 and is into Lego in a big way. He enjoyed his Duplo but needed encouragement. Went straight onto Star Wars stuff and never looked back.

He got a bit frustrated at the Star Wars stuff as they fall apart if you play with them obv but then we bought some big basic boxes (I bought one and DH bought another as he is a bif fan) and then he started getting the Lego City stuff. Has been bought and has bought himself most of the vehicle kits. He was given the fire station as a birthday present from his class at school.

I got him a Sponge Bob set for Xmas to add to what he has.

Have tried to reassemble all the Star Wars ones but failed so far!

He spent an hour playing with Lego tonight in preferenec to watching TV.

we found some of dh's old technic lego from the 70's in the cellar and we were making the large beach buggy looking thing (about 10pm) when ds1 walking in and caught us - he found it very funny to see mummy & daddy playing with lego

My only advice is to encourage your children to tip their lego out onto a sheet when they start really getting into it. That way you just have to pick up the four sheet corners and tie a big knot to clear it all away quickly.

I hate treading on lego.

It took me back the first time DS#1 put all his lego kits into one big box and we heard that crashing gravel-path type noise of him searching for that elusive storm troopers head

DB and I used to make same noise when we were kids....ahh nostalgia...

Make sure it is all picked up off the floor, it hurts like hell if you stand on it in bare feet

My DS1 (4) started playing with my old lego...making trucks and all sorts of things and now we've got him the big bucket. I think it's quite nice not to get a kit that makes in to something specific. Get lots of people too...they do one big people set on the website that you could eek out across the year.

DS1 wanted the big police station set last xmas (he was 5). Once it was assembled it didn't really get played with. Once we'd knocked it down and chucked all the bits in with a starter box, odd bits from the charity shop and ebay etc, the creative juices started flowing and he makes his own weird and wonderful vehicles.

I keep all the boxes and instructions for when the DC decide they want to build the models again. TBH i prefer them to do their own thing rather than be constrained by the kits.

I've just bought the Lego advent calendar. Figure it's better then chocolate which we normally do but DS wasn't that bothered by last year.

Oooh budababe, so have I! Ds would far rather have Lego than chocolate!

have got a playmobil one, where can I get a lego one?

I bought mine in Woolworths, but you can order one on line from the lego website (if you don't mind paying the postage).

thanks, will take a look

amazon have it, if anyone's interested.