“Do you have to build it with her?” my mother asked me doubtfully.
I was showing her the new Lego Juniors castle set I’d been given for Miss4.
“I think I could handle a Lego castle,” I told my mother. “It’s not like it requires me to use real tools.”
Plus, I have decades of experience with Lego.
Even now, well over thirty years after the fact, I have fond memories of playing Lego on the lounge room floor of my family home in Port Moresby. I’d spend hours designing and building, of all things, motorhomes. I’d become obsessed with them after watching a few episodes of a short lived science fiction series called Ark II. I’m pretty sure my enthusiasm was mainly due to their flash, futuristic, science lab Winnebago seeming to have the only working loo in the 25th century. I know it was always the first thing I’d kit out in my constructions.
“Of course, you’re right,” said my mum, handing me the box. “Plus it says on the packaging these are for four to seven year olds, so you should be okay.”
“Actually, she’s going to build it herself I think.”
My mum nodded. “That’s a good idea.”
Not that there was much chance of Miss4 playing with the new set by herself. The moment Miss4 pulled the pink box out of the bag she was assured two helpers by her side the whole way. They helped supervise the opening of the box and bags of blocks, including the pre-built quick start components which make these so much easier for small hands and young minds to bring together.
The girls opened up the easy instructions and started to build.
“It doesn’t look exactly like the one of the box,” Miss4 reflected to me a couple of hours later, showing me her masterpiece. They’d all had a play and rebuilt the castle a couple of times.
“That doesn’t matter,” I told her. I ran an experienced Lego eye over the castle. It looked pretty dang close to me. “I think it looks excellent,” I told her with what I’m now certain is more sincerity then my mother used praising my Lego contraptions. “And anyway, the main thing is you had fun and you’re happy with what you’ve built.”
Then I reached for one of the extra blocks the box set comes with and pushed it into place inside the building.
“What are you doing, Dad?”
“It was just missing a toilet, sweetie.”
***
Lego Juniors have asked me to give away one of these exact sets to a reader’s kid to try out for themselves. To be in the running, like Lego’s Facebook page and answer the following question in the comments below – What Lego set would you design? Don’t forget to register your entries in the Rafflecopter widget above so I can find you if you’re the winner.
I have to say, I’m thrilled with how well suited this Lego Juniors set was to Miss4’s age group. She’s at that age where Duplo doesn’t challenge her but normal Lego is too finicky. These sets are perfect and she’s already requested Santa bring her the Pony Farm for Christmas (yes, she made us look it up on the net).
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“Raising a family on little more than laughs”
I think i’d definitely design a Frozen themed lego set. My miss 4 is so obsessed with the movie, it would certainly give me at least 10 minutes of quiet time 🙂
I wouldn’t design new sets exactly but I would design new female characters so that you can have them integrate with the existing “male” sets eg. Adventuring, police work fire fighting ect.
Definitely Scooby Doo!! My Kids Love the show, but finding merchandise that they can play with at their age is hard. I know Hubby would definitely join in on the fun as well!!
I’d design a swimming pool set of Lego – water slide and diving board and of course cute beach chairs!
We have also played with this one annd still have most of the bits 😉
I woudl design a Circus one, as has animals, a building and animals. Lots ot play with.
My boys love any lego, they have “sets” which aren’t together anymore cause they are Master Builders 😉 but they are both interested in Star Wars at the moment (despite not having seen the movies yet!) so probably a Star Wars set is next.
An actual dollhouse, Victorian style.
I’d take the idea of the duplo farm sets a bit further to suit older kids by including produce they can pretend to grow; fruit & veg as well as the animals, farmer & tractors
I would definitely design a set that has a way of getting all the pieces back into the appropriate box… argh sorting and standing on it is a daily this in our household
I would have to say a detailed sports car is what I would design in lego – although my son makes his own creations without instructions – everything from guns to gardens!
My daughter has said she would like a Lego school. She said it could have a board that writes & desks, chairs & a playground. It is nice having more ‘girly’ Lego but it hasn’t stopped my daughter from stealing her brothers 🙂
Lego Is awesome! Everyone in our house loves it. All 9 of us. I’d love a game of thrones Lego set. Build all the cities.
Full size house… yeah I know it’s been done, but mine would be bigger
An evil scientist’s lair. Complete with mad scientist, white fluffy cat, scientific paraphernalia and a few underlings. And the scientist character would just happen to be female.
I would design a superhero head quaters. With tall spikes and gargoyles on top to protect the heros. It would have rooms for each hero and also a big room for them alll to sit and play together. Miss 4 loves them. But it would be in neutral colours such as red blue green purple yellow. so people didn’t know who lived there. I
I think I would design a horse farm as every kid wants a pony. I know my 6 year old grand daughter would play with it for hours. It can have a pony club with little jumps for the ponies to jump over.
I would also have a Frozen themed Lego – Elsa’s Ice Castle with see-through blue blocks – to look like ice, of course!
I’d design a themepark lego, with rollercoasters and the likes.
Tinkerbell aaaaaallllll the way here for Miss 3…complete with Pirate Island, Peter Pan, Cptn Hook and Lost Boys…..you know so she can share with her older brothers lol (not that they’d care either way….it’s freakin lego WOOHOO
Hi I my design is called charity, it’s a design using multicultural inclusion so every pack has a small booklet with educational information about a country and a put together Lego set of a building or animal, icon from that country. Proceeds give 10% to a charity such as building wells for cleaning drinking water for those who need it, 🙂
My almost 4 year old says she would build a Lego castle for her barbies and my little ponies. We have duplo but she says ‘I’m a big girl now’
Both my kids love all things Lego. They spend hours playing with it which lets me get study done, so I love Lego too!
I’d have to design a ‘baby Batman’ Lego set. That’s what my Miss 3 was adamant we had to name her little sister!
I would design a plants vs zombies Lego set. My boys are zombie mad!
How bout an “average family set” – no slick haired clean shaven man, and we’ll groomed princess here.
A scruffy, 3 o’clock shadowed shirtless dad, along with a ‘mum ponytailed, yesterday’s clothes” mum and a diapered baby!
Accessories could include a stove, mop, blocks with ‘spills’, and a glass of wine! 🙂 I’d play with them!!
A moon base. I have actually already started designing and building it, my very own project that was kickstarted by opening an old box of 1980-something space Lego when my first son turned 4. After two trial versions, my moon base meanwhile has six rooms, some light bricks and 12 astronauts. Both my boys (8 and 4) regularly play with it when they’re not building their own stuff!
I would design a Disney Princess and the Frog set – I’d love to see Mama Odie in Lego – not too mention the frogs
My princess needs a castle!
I would definately design a series of Lego hotrods with big old grills and blown engines for my husband! That way master 6 wouldn’t have to share his Lego with Daddy anymore! 😉
It would have to be a soccer themed set with players that you could actually have a game with. All my kids would live this!
I would design a musical lego set that you put together in a certain way to play a tune, make it another way and the time changes. Or a set that comes with a lego vacuum that sucks it all up and sorts it at pack up time.
A family Set! A home with various family members, a family car, pets, play equipment etc 🙂
I don’t know who’d have more fun at our place if there was a How to Train your Dragon Lego set me or my son
I would design an adventure set aimed at girls.
Cricket would be very popular in our house!
The Batcave. I’ll even let my son help. Maybe. ;P
My daughter is waiting for the frozen set. She is mad for Lego. People look at me funny when I say that.
A frozen or game of thrones set.
The Top Gun Lego Set, so I can combine both my husband’s favourite things into one toy. How awesome to see Lego Maverick and Lego Iceman!!
I would design a Lego fairy kingdom. My daughters adore leaving notes out for the fairies, and receiving the fairy responses. To be able to build the kingdom in which these little fairies live, and all the associated magic, would be, well, magical.
Dont know if its been done but a Saturn5 complete with Lunar module and astronauts would really bring the history of space travel back
The 7 Wonders of the World set! It’s hours of fun for the family..including the parents!
I would love to design something for Special needs children, easy to put together and something they can relate to. I would like to maybe set it up at a school or park and include Lego men with a wheelchair, glasses, ect
I would design a house, for the children to use and keep their mess in it.
I believe that Lego is the best gift and toy that any child can have, it is great in so many ways. Puzzle solving, creativity, cognative and so so much more.
I’d design something that Aussie kids actually do. So maybe a Hills swing and slide set. Or a jumping castle. Or an entire pre-school room.
A Sea world Lego play set where the children could expand on their knowledge and fun with an attraction they have already visited and loved
For my 3yr old girl a leggo tea set would be a hit! And how to train your dragon for my 5 year old boy 🙂
Female superheroes. Batgirl / Wonderman / Blackwidow / Catwoman etc I’d love to get my daughter this! Do you know how hard it is to get female superhero toys that aren’t overtly sexualised!?! And on that theme… fairytale princess sets that aren’t all “fluffy”
I’d design a Brazil-inspired theme Lego, a scene with beach, soccer, sugar loaf mountain, colourful birds. Other country inspired sets would follow.
We have all picked different countries here, Australian themed, Italian themed and French. No particular reason for choices..
cool to build the coliseum, eiffel tower and sydney harbour bridge
Farmer.. but with veggies not so much animals, to encourage kids to eat good home grown/ farmer grown food not just processed packaged foods
I would design a LEGO set which has ABC alphabets written on them and kids can play a game of make a word or sentence with them.
Centre of the Earth, filled with mystical and mythical creatures. Be lots of fun.
Lolly land, so I’ve just been told because it will be fun 🙂
I would design a teddy bears picnic lego set, grass, teddies and a rotunda.
Some lego doll’s house furniture and accessories to put in the lego house everyone seems to build.
For all the little girls that are obsessed with Frozen at the moment I’d design a Frozen Lego set.
A chocolate factory! Kids would love it, because (at least in my household) chocolate and Lego are kids’ favourite things!
A jungle Lego set, with all the great big animals and trees and such.
I’d design a Lego hospital. Lots of rooms and people and crutches and X-ray machines… my children are fascinated with doctors and would love this!
Show jumping and horse set
I’d design other princess sets – Frozen, Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast, Princess and the frog.
i would love a lego set called cities and it rep[resent all the australia citys
A hospital. An actual hospital playset. The City range has pretty well everything else but not a hospital (ok they have a front door with an ambulance & a helicopter but that doesn’t cut it.As a nurse in the Emergency Department my kids can’t come into work with me so it would be great to have a lego set to use to help explain to them how it works in a Hospital setting. Plus it would be really cool anyway.
Bugger the hospital, I’ve changed my mind. What I really really want is Doctor Who playsets. Tardis Console room, Dalek ships, EVERYTHING!
An inspiring set of Lego taking in the world of an entrepreneur developing and block building to an early learning business level for the fun and the future.
I think lego is one of the best toys you can buy. You can use your creativity, imagination and thinking skills. Best toy ever
I would design a Tinkerbell Pixie Hollow series. Starting with a pixie dust tree Playset; then following it up with Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter and Tinkers Nook. My girls would play with something like this for hours and hours!
Defiantly Frozen Lego how cool would that be???
I’d create a rainforest, complete with colourful birds, jungle vines, monkeys and more.
Monster High! My step daughter loves monster high and Lego – win win – peace!
I would build a homestead one with; a big red barn with off Grid solar panels, and a wind mill, a cute farm house with all the animals you find on a homestead, bee hive, a garden of raised beds, and fruit trees, don’t forget homestead equipment either new write or Amish style, and a family that ranges from 3 to 8 (people available in different races). Thats all I can think about for now.. what an I missing!! !?!?!
I’d design a school Lego set. My children are so excited to go to school and preschool next year. It would be so cool if we could design a playground and school yard!
I’d design a Circus Set with big top, entertainers and lots of animals.
I d love to see a Thomas and frinds duplo playset with all the new trains
I would design a Disneyland themed set. What little kids doesn’t want to go to Disneyland (what big kid doesn’t)!
I think I’d design a farm machinery set, air seeders, harvester, mother bins, chaser bins, all the big gear.
A Frozen one or Barbie
Jungle castle…my little one cannot decide what theme she currently likes.
Dinosaur Lego for Littlies! My 4yr is obsessed with Dinos and Lego so he would lose it over dinosaur lego!
I would design a Dr who lego set! I can’t believe it hasn’t been done yet!!
My little girl wants ballet lego. She can’t have that but is getting the castle lego for christmas.
I am doing lego this year for christmas mostly just basic blocks. A kit would be fantastic for my 4 year old
I would Create a mermaid Lego set! All my
3 girls love mermaids and Lego! Combine them both and you have awesomeness 🙂
I would design a medical laboratory. Complete with scientists ( male and female), microscopes and Petri dishes
I would design a school lego set.
I’d love to create a Frozen Lego set – a little girl’s dream (and big girls too) with a fairytale castle, white Lego snow wonderland, clear Lego “ice”, and cute little figurines… especially Olaf.
Pokemon Lego!! No One has done it yet!
Fairy Tale sets. With so many to choose from, there would be a tale for everyone!
I’d love to design some shops, school and ‘workplace’ sets – and not for a particular gender….just those real life situations all of us experience…kids love role play and we don’t always need a ‘back story’ or situation for that. The houses and building sets are great because of this…
I would design a How to train your dragon or tinkerbell set for my Miss 6 and Miss 8.
As a family of 7 with at least 6 kids loving Lego but myself being a Lego idiot, I would like to see craft Lego; that is Lego figures being crafty, knitting, painting, crocheting, scrapbooking, and other craft you can think of.
I would design a Monster Jam – Monster Truck Lego!! my son LOVES Monster Jam…so does Mummy 😉
Anything to do with “Frozen” at least I know it would be popular. Especially with my Daughter.
I would design a lego set that brings out all the magic of the ocean and what’s hidden beneath it.
In order to educate and encourage creativity, I would create a scaled down version of our solar system.
Both my 4yr old & my 6 yr old (& my 37 yr old husband) would love Doctor Who Lego sets. So I’d create those
Minecraft 🙂
My two year old is right into Duplo… Counting down the days to lego!
I woud design a boys girly set that was just not so very pink. My five year old son isquite concerned hes lego world doesnt suit girls too but all those sets are just so frilly lol or a schoolhouse would be cool and unisex too 🙂
Peppa pig for sure. My daughter is obsessed with that show.
I would have a go designing a farm Lego set complete with little farmers and animals, could also include tractors, headers and other farm machinery as little mini sets.
My daughter would love a gymnastics Lego set. With all the apparatus and little lego men and women to flip and spin around on them
I would love to design a beach themed lego set inclusive of sandcastles. My kids would love to play with fish and build castles.
We need Lego minions!
Every morning before school and Kindy my lounge room floor is covered in Lego.
My 3 kids would love to add some Lego to their collection.
Mario!
A treehouse 🙂
Mario!
At the moment i think the world needs a Frozen Lego set!! This would make my neices 4 Year old little life!!! 🙂
I would design a disney princess meets avengers play set so miss5 and mr3 can happily play with the one set ( 2 birds, one stone)
I would design a vinyard set. With wine barrels, grape vines, a cellar ect
Who said Lego was just for kids?
I would design a dragon ball z kit and have spirit bomb blasters 😀 it would keep me entertained for hours while the kids got to relax. They could even hide the dragon balls around the house for me to hunt.
I would have a vegie garden set, let them create a garden with vegies and fruit trees. My daughter wants to create a vegie garden like the one at her grandparents.
Oh the possibilities! A frozen inspired ice castle set would be appreciated by my DD the most
I would design a Lego set of a Scottish castle. Castles have so many rooms and so many people that lived in them – so many possibilities,
An Aussie outback adventure set!!
I love any Lego. So not picky. Besides always best to create your own designs.
I would design a theme park set. Possibly with a roller coaster, Ferris wheel, merry go round. Endless possibilities 🙂
How to train your dragon set 🙂 who doesn’t like dragons???
It would have to be a zoo kit with exotic, interesting animals! Hopefully it would spark the child’s interest and lead to awesome imaginative play
Mr 5 would love one based on minecraft, apparently there isnt enough minecraft in the world already. (picture lots of arms flying around as he tells me this) lol
I would design the Super Star Destroyer from Star Wars for my husband and a giant My Little Pony for me 🙂
I would design a Cars set. A Lego Mater would be super cute. My kids would go crazy for it.
Lego cat run for all those crazy cat ladies that still love to build Leggo. ; )
Dinosaur train
I would design more girl Lego sets ie princess castles ect
circus themed. Build the tent, have the people do stunts, animals
Or farm. Build a shed, a tractor, animals etc
Frozen castle! Kids love it!
I would create Lego for intellectually challenged kids. Easy to fit together pieces and castles / houses / barns that only require 4-5 pieces to complete.
Angry birds lego would b cool and would b a hit. U could catapult them over something to smash a tree apart, etc
I’d probably design all the models and makes from the LEGO MOVIE just to become a master builer! 🙂
Octonaut themed
Lego scientist. My 5 year old son loves science and would be in heaven making a big science lab full of cool stuff.
A set with lots of useful and cool pieces- full of all the bits that older brothers and sisters won’t let you use, or have been lost, like solar panels, and people, and swords, and light sabres, and wheels- so a set for creative builders who already have a stash of lego- All the other sets are great, but they go into our tub after they have been made the first time to become fodder for new spaceships, houses, cool cars, tree houses, bases etc. etc.
My 7 year old would like that. He would also “like a spaceship that has lots of moving parts and can transform into a car with moving bits that interlock.” Or a set that is “a whole lot of people like girls, fighting men, data vader etc….”
My boys love lego. It’s the one thing they will play for hours together doing. As they are aged 5,3 and 1.5 and it’s Christmas time, I would love to design a Lego advent calendar for the younger ones. We have the calendar this year, it’s just good for the 5 yEar old who loves it.