8 ways to bring more offline play into daily life with LEGO® bricks!

Laundry. Cleaning. Waiting around. Doing homework. Yaaaaaaaawn. Not every moment of family life is a joy… but it doesn’t have to be this way!

Parents of 6 to 9-year-olds will well know the energetic, enthusiastic little people they are! Buzzing with curiosity, they’re constantly shifting from one activity to another. One minute, they’re deeply engaged in building a LEGO® set, the next, they’re on their device playing games or watching videos about toys/aliens/dinosaurs/insert today’s current interest here.

But let’s be honest – not every moment of family life is quite so fun. When it comes to everyday tasks and chores, they may want to reach for their devices instead (and quite frankly, we can’t blame them…).

We believe a good balance of digital and physical play is important. So, how do we keep these young’uns engaged when they need a break from screen time? And how do we make things more enjoyable for you as parents and caregivers, too? With more play, of course!

Check out this fun-filled list of LEGO ideas that’ll make even the most unglamorous moments of family life creative, playful and most importantly, enjoyable for all!

1. Wake up and play

How d’you like your eggs in the morning? We like ours with a side of LEGO bricks...

Start the day right by getting those creative juices flowing – leave a small LEGO challenge on the breakfast table for your kids, like building their breakfast in LEGO bricks, designing an evil breakfast-nabbing monster or creating their favorite video game character out of bricks!

Not only does it make for great motivation for getting kids up and out of bed in a flash, but it brings the whole family together in a fun bond-and-build moment around the table. What’s not to like?

2. The Messy Bedroom Game

What if the bedroom-tidying experience could be made easy, rewarding and lots of fun? Well, it’s possible! Set a timer and challenge your kids to pick up and sort their clothes, toys and LEGO bricks by color before the time runs out.

The best part? This game isn’t just limited to bedrooms – you can set tidy-up timers in every room of the house, so you can sit back, take a deep breath and... NO, NO, NO, LEAVE THE LITTER TRAY WHERE IT IS, PLEASE!

3. No more boring car journeys

Car journeys can often be screen heavy. So, instead of plonking your kids down in the back with their device, why not turn every car journey into an adventure with spotting games?

One day, you might get your kids to spot and track how many dogs they’ve seen, the next day it could be green cars, and the day after, people wearing hats. All they’ve got to do is look out the window!

To make it a little more challenging, you could even assign points to different things. For example; yellow car = 50 points, runner = 10 points, any animal being carried = 100 points.

Instead of using notepads to track scores, make it more fun by keeping score with LEGO bricks. Keep a travel-friendly LEGO kit in the car and get your kids to add bricks to a scoresheet-style baseplate as they spot each item. Fun, right?

4. Make homework funwork

Tricky homework? Turn it into a LEGO challenge...

Help your kids to visualize troublesome math concepts by using LEGO bricks. For example, they could use the studs on different bricks to help them with their multiplication tables. Or they could use LEGO bricks to form geometric shapes, and even work out the perimeter and area of these different shapes by counting the studs.

But it doesn’t stop there – bring even more fun to homework by combining LEGO bricks with any device used in the process. For example, if they’re tapping away at the computer writing a story for class, they could add a brick to a Story Tower for each new sentence written.

Suddenly, homework feels more like playtime!

5. Food shopping with style

It’s time for the weekly shop… again. But how can you make it fun for your kids? Well, by giving them each a handful of LEGO pieces – let’s say 5 bricks – to represent their spending money.

Now, as they stroll down the aisles and choose what they want, they bring items to you for the price tag in LEGO bricks. “A chocolate bar? That’s 3 LEGO bricks, please!”

Not only will this keep your kiddos entertained but it also sneaks in a basic math lesson in budgeting. Win-win!

6. A tower of laundry, literally

Surely not – laundry can’t be fun. Can it?

Well… yeah, it can be! Of course, your kids won’t be asking to do laundry instead of asking to play a game on the tablet, but there are certainly ways to make it more enjoyable for them (and more bearable for you).

How? By turning laundry day into a building challenge! For each item of clothing sorted, kids can add a LEGO brick to a tower. Challenge them to see how tall you can build it before all the laundry is folded. It might topple over, but that’s part of the fun…

7. Quick, get some fresh air!

Screens. In the world of modern parenting, they can be both a blessing and a curse! We know it can be hard to convince kids to put away the screens in favor of some fresh air time. Hard, but not impossible.

Try taking LEGO bricks outside for a nature-themed scavenger hunt. Hide the pieces in the garden or park, and let your kids find and build something with them. This build could even be related to the game they were playing or show they were watching – combining their interests with outdoor play to make the transition smoother.

8. The waiting game

Waiting around is inevitable – whether it’s for a bus, for a sibling to finish school or sports practice, or for an appointment or check-up. It’s annoying, and nobody likes it.

Our top tip is to always keep a small pocket-sized bag of LEGO bricks handy. Then when you’re waiting around, you can give your kids impromptu building challenges, with the limited number of bricks adding to the challenge. Or you could start a collaborative build, where each of you adds a piece to create a unique, evolving structure.

So, stop waiting and start playing! It’s good for the brain and beats feeling bored any day of the week.

Time to play

LEGO bricks aren’t just toys – they’re tools for transforming everyday tasks into playful experiences. By incorporating these creative ideas into your daily routines, you can make life more engaging, enjoyable and exciting for everyone.

But this isn’t us saying digital play is bad! No, we strongly believe digital and physical play can co-exist in a wonderful symbiosis, like ants and aphids (without the sap-sucking, of course). When balanced correctly, digital play has its benefits and, combined with physical play, can enrich your family’s experiences, fostering creativity, connection and fun. What’s not to like?

So, grab some bricks and start bringing more play into daily family life today!