Toddler plays with lego set

How to Know if Your Toddler is Ready for Legos

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Legos are just amazing, and my toddler loves to play with them. They’re good for his problem solving skills. They’re good for learning to share. They’re good for fine motor skills. But they’re also small and sometimes chaotic! So how do you know if your kid is ready for Legos?

First, of course, start with Duplos! Duplos are great for little hands, and do all the basic things Legos do. We started with the My First Number Train and it’s still a favorite.

When you start to wonder if your kid could move up from Duplos, ask yourself these questions:

Dirty hands, happy kid
  • Does my kid put everything in their mouth? (Don’t get Legos)
  • Does my kid dump every conceivable container on the floor, no matter what’s inside? (Don’t get Legos)
  • Do I as a parent have a medical reason why I shouldn’t step on small, sharp, slippery items at inopportune times? (Don’t get Legos)
  • Does my kid have an older sibling who is already using Legos? (It might be time for Legos)
  • Does my kid reliably listen when I tell them “no”? (It might be time for Legos)
  • Does my kid gravitate to the Legos bin at school, the mall, friends houses etc? (It might be time for Legos)

There was one big thing I worried about when moving up to Legos: choking. We waited until there was absolutely no more putting-random-things-in-his-mouth behavior.

If you’re ready to do Legos, there is one thing you absolutely cannot worry about, and that is losing them. You will lose them. It will just happen. My husband, bless him, is very concerned about losing the donuts from the amazing Donut Shop set Grandma gave us. But it’s just a foregone conclusion. The dog will eat it, the vacuum will eat it… as long as the kid doesn’t eat it, I’d say you’re ready.

Looking for starter Lego sets? We started with the LEGO City Great Vehicles Garbage Truck. He loves it and the pieces were a great starter size.

Are you using Legos? What did you start with? Link to your favorites in the comments!