Staring LEGO collections and buying LEGO when your kids hit a certain age is pretty common! There are a tons of awesome LEGO activities out there! Not just traditional set building activities or the ideas that come with the creative boxes, but unique activities that take LEGO beyond what you traditionally think of it as a building toy. Yes, we do have a ton of these amazing LEGO activities and even a new book, the Unofficial Guide to Learning with LEGO out now. Of course to do these super cool LEGO activities, starting your LEGO collection is key. But, it doesn’t have to be a fancy collection! Read our tips for buying LEGO and to start your LEGO collection!
 STARTING LEGO COLLECTIONS AND BUYING LEGO
LEGO IS AWESOME FOR FAMILY TIME FUN!
There are definitely different ways that we can go about starting LEGO collections and buying LEGO. Some kids will build the LEGO set they receive as a gift and then dismantle it to build something else. Voila! Now you have a great selection of LEGO pieces to get you started. Now, there are kids {like mine} who refuse to take apart the set once built. This poses a slight problem with gathering enough bricks and pieces for free building and creating crazy LEGO creations!
How do we go about starting LEGO collections if we can’t take apart sets or if we need more bricks?
Here are a few of my favorite resources for buying LEGO that will really get you a good size collection and a good mix of pieces. LEGO is pricey, but it doesn’t have to cost a fortune and you can work slowly to build up an awesome collection. Included, I will also share with you are favorite picks from Amazon to add to your LEGO stock. Though my first few ideas are really my favorite!
STARTING LEGO COLLECTIONS: ASK FAMILY AND FRIENDS
You want to make sure that the grandparents don’t have those pesky little LEGO bricks packed away somewhere. Boy was my son happy when nana broke out my husband’s LEGO from when he was a kid. He had the 1990’s space set before Benny was even a thing. They were a little dirty and definitely well loved, but LEGO lasts! That’s why it is such a great investment! Next, check out any of the older teens in the extended family. My nephew has grown out of his LEGO and was happy to pass them along. I mean tons of bricks and figures plus popular stuff too, not like my husband’s old ones! We gave him a little bit of spending money because it was so worth it.
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SOMETIMESÂ BASIC BRICKS ARE ALL YOU NEED
We really do like the most basic of bricks to the tiniest specialty pieces. You can do a lot with basic bricks like the 2×2 or 2×4 and the 1×4 or 1×6 type of LEGO bricks. We are working on a whole year of LEGO projects that use just the most basic pieces but are still lots of fun. Check out all these cool LEGO projects and more.
BASIC BRICK IDEAS
 
 
 
BUYING LEGO: CRAIGSLIST OR FACEBOOK SWAP SITES
Now, I know not everyone is into these types of deals or situations, but they can be done safely. We have a local FB swap site that is perfect for this type of thing. I simply posted and ISO of a bulk LEGO post and got tons of responses. Â I will be carefully storing my son’s LEGO away for his kids, but I will happily buy someone else’s! I purchased a huge lot of LEGO pieces for $100. This may seem like a large amount of money, but it is worth every penny for the amount of specialty pieces and pieces in general you will be getting. Plus it’s super fun to look through. This has really been the bulk of our LEGO collection plus the family LEGO we received. You shouldn’t be paying more than $10/12 a pound to give you an idea. LEGO that isn’t in complete sets is not worth the same amount, but it offers far greater building opportunities. Sort it all out or keep it one big bin!
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BUYING LEGO: EBAY
 I do love eBay for the convenience of purchases, but the drawback is that you don’t have the opportunity to examine it before you buy it. We also like to buy loose or bulk LEGO from eBay. Again keep in mind that you shouldn’t be paying more than $12 a pound unless you are talking a Star Wars mix or other popular set mix of LEGO bricks. Most of the time shipping will be free, so take your time and look at what the offers are and read the descriptions carefully. We have bought several loose lots of minifigs to get us started {also perfect for activities like our Easter Egg Hunt or our Christmas Gift Ornaments}
BUYING LEGO: THE STORES
Make sure to take a look at the sales on LEGO in your local big box toy stores! They will often price match each other and you can get a really great deal. I always bring my phone with an Amazon App into places like Target, Walmart, and Toys R Us if we have planned to make a purchase there. I will often save a few dollars up to $20 on a LEGO set that I was planning on buying anyway. Occasionally, Toys R Us will have events to build a freebie to go along with a set release. Those are fun! Additionally, Toys R Us will offer a free with purchase LEGO set {usually something very small but still cool and free}. You can plan your purchases strategically if you do the prep work beforehand.
Below you will find Amazon links for LEGO items I think our worth the purchase. These are affiliate links with no obligation to purchase.
IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR NEW COOL ADDITIONS TO YOUR LEGO COLLECTION
These sets, although more expensive, will really take your LEGO to the next level especially if you have a kid who isn’t to learning about how things work,loves robots, loves building machines, and loves making things move!
STORING YOUR LEGO COLLECTION AND SETTING UP A WORK SPACE
Now that you have ventured into starting LEGO collections for your family or yourself, you will need to store all those pieces. We have some fun and easy affordable LEGO solutions outlined in this post here. Plus, two years later, the system is still working for us! This year we went to BrickFair New England and noticed that many of the vendors used the same storage boxes! How cool is that! Click here for details on setting up this space and more ways to store LEGO
BUYING LEGO AND STARTING A LEGO COLLECTION CAN BE EASY AND FUN!
Garage sales are also great places to get Legos – though I suggest going early as they sell fast. Unless a piece is put together, be doubtful the entire set is there.
Are the Easter egg Lego challenge cards and the pirate Lego challenge cards made with Lego to close or regular Legos?
I think you are asking about regular or Duplo size, so regular is best. However, you can make the images off the cards as well and just use them as a guide.