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What to build with LEGO® bricks: 56 ideas for kids

Pick something your kid loves and build it at a size that fits their age. These 56 ideas run from a 6-piece heart for ages 2–3 to a 71-piece tower crane for ages 10–13: jets, fire trucks, ships, dragons, castles and holiday builds. Each uses only plain bricks and plates and has free step-by-step pictures.

What to build at each age

A build's size says who it's for: more pieces and more steps as kids grow. Older kids can build anything in the rows above theirs, too. These are regular bricks, which are small parts, so under 3 stay with DUPLO® big bricks. Here's which bricks fit each age.

AgesPiecesStepsIdeas to try
2–36–103heart, F-35 Lightning II, police car, present, dump truck, ghost
4–612–303–5submarine, witch hat, cupcake, excavator, helicopter, Saturn V rocket, and 25 more below
7–932–703–5love letter, Star of David, teddy bear, turkey, landing ship, C-5 Galaxy, and 12 more below
10–13717tower crane

Trucks, diggers, cars and trains

Police car 9 pieces · 3 steps · ages 2–3 Many police cars are painted white so people can spot them easily. Dump truck 10 pieces · 3 steps · ages 2–6 Many dump trucks have two back axles to carry heavy loads. Excavator 18 pieces · 4 steps · ages 4–6 Excavator tracks spread the weight so the heavy machine doesn't sink into mud. Bulldozer 29 pieces · 4 steps · ages 4–9 Bulldozers ride on tracks instead of wheels so they don't sink in mud. Race car 29 pieces · 4 steps · ages 4–9 The fastest race cars can zoom faster than 200 miles an hour! Fire truck 30 pieces · 4 steps · ages 4–9 Many fire trucks are red so people can spot them quickly on busy streets. Drill rig 45 pieces · 5 steps · ages 7–9 Crawler tracks spread a heavy machine's weight, so it doesn't sink into mud. Steam train 70 pieces · 5 steps · ages 7–13 Flying Scotsman's big driving wheels are about 2 meters tall, taller than a grown-up! Tower crane 71 pieces · 7 steps · ages 10–13 Real tower cranes stand on a concrete foundation that can weigh more than 100 tonnes.

Jets and helicopters

F-35 Lightning II 9 pieces · 3 steps · ages 2–3 The F-35 can fly faster than the speed of sound. Helicopter 19 pieces · 4 steps · ages 4–6 The Apache is about as long as four cars in a row. F-22 Raptor 21 pieces · 3 steps · ages 4–6 The F-22 is a stealth jet, so radar has a hard time seeing it. AC-130 gunship 23 pieces · 4 steps · ages 4–6 The AC-130 is almost as long as three school buses parked in a row. C-5 Galaxy 36 pieces · 5 steps · ages 7–9 The C-5's cargo room is so big you could fit six school buses inside!

Ships and boats

Submarine 12 pieces · 4 steps · ages 4–6 A real submarine can be longer than a football field. Hovercraft 29 pieces · 4 steps · ages 4–9 A hovercraft blows air into its skirt, so it floats just above the water. Icebreaker ship 30 pieces · 4 steps · ages 4–9 Icebreakers break ice by sliding up onto it and crushing it with their heavy weight. Tugboat 30 pieces · 4 steps · ages 4–9 Tugboats are small, but they are strong enough to push giant ships. Landing ship 35 pieces · 5 steps · ages 7–9 Landing ships had flat bottoms so they could slide right up onto a sandy beach. Pirate ship 51 pieces · 5 steps · ages 7–9 Pirates coated their ships' bottoms with tar to keep water and worms out of the wood.

Rockets and space

Saturn V rocket 19 pieces · 4 steps · ages 4–6 Saturn V had four fins at the bottom to help it fly straight. Space shuttle 45 pieces · 5 steps · ages 7–9 The shuttle's delta wings let it glide all the way home with no engine power at all. Moon rover 47 pieces · 5 steps · ages 7–9 The moon rover's wheels were made of woven wire mesh, not rubber, because rubber would crack in the Moon's cold.

Dinosaurs, dragons and castles

Castle tower 24 pieces · 4 steps · ages 4–6 Castle walls were so thick that people could walk around inside them! T. rex 29 pieces · 5 steps · ages 4–9 A T-Rex's legs were so strong they held up an animal as heavy as an elephant. Dragon 42 pieces · 5 steps · ages 7–9 In old stories, dragons were often said to guard caves full of gold.

Christmas and winter

Present 9 pieces · 3 steps · ages 2–3 People wrap presents so they are a surprise. Christmas ornament 23 pieces · 4 steps · ages 4–6 People hang ornaments on Christmas trees. Reindeer 26 pieces · 4 steps · ages 4–9 Reindeer live in the cold far north, where it snows a lot. Snowman 27 pieces · 4 steps · ages 4–9 Snow is made of tiny ice crystals called snowflakes. Santa's sleigh 28 pieces · 5 steps · ages 4–9 Sleigh runners slide over snow like skis. Christmas tree 30 pieces · 4 steps · ages 4–9 Christmas trees are pine or fir trees that stay green all winter. Penguin 30 pieces · 3 steps · ages 4–9 Penguins are birds that swim instead of fly. Santa Claus 43 pieces · 4 steps · ages 7–9 Santa Claus comes from stories about Saint Nicholas, who gave gifts long ago. Gingerbread house 47 pieces · 5 steps · ages 7–9 The biggest gingerbread house ever was big enough for grown-ups to walk inside!

Thanksgiving

Little turkey 24 pieces · 3 steps · ages 4–6 Baby turkeys are called poults. Pumpkin pie 26 pieces · 3 steps · ages 4–9 Pumpkin pie is a favorite dessert on Thanksgiving. Turkey 34 pieces · 4 steps · ages 7–9 Only boy turkeys, called toms, spread their tails into a big fan.

Halloween

Ghost 10 pieces · 3 steps · ages 2–6 Ghosts in stories float instead of walk. Witch hat 17 pieces · 3 steps · ages 4–6 The brim of a hat keeps the sun and rain off your face. Pumpkin 26 pieces · 4 steps · ages 4–9 People carve faces in pumpkins for Halloween. Bat 27 pieces · 3 steps · ages 4–9 Bats are the only mammals that can really fly. Black cat 28 pieces · 4 steps · ages 4–9 Cats walk on their toes, so they move without a sound. Haunted house 53 pieces · 5 steps · ages 7–9 Old houses creak at night because the wood cools down and shrinks.

Hanukkah

Dreidel 25 pieces · 3 steps · ages 4–9 A dreidel spins on its pointy bottom, like a top. This letter is shin. Menorah 29 pieces · 4 steps · ages 4–9 Hanukkah lasts eight nights, so the menorah holds eight candles plus one more. Star of David 53 pieces · 3 steps · ages 4–9 The Star of David is made of two triangles, one pointing up and one pointing down.

Valentine's Day

Heart 6 pieces · 3 steps · ages 2–3 A heart shape means love. Flower bouquet 29 pieces · 4 steps · ages 4–9 People give flowers to say get well, thank you or I love you. Love letter 37 pieces · 3 steps · ages 4–9 People have sent love letters for hundreds of years. Teddy bear 32 pieces · 4 steps · ages 7–9 Teddy bears were named after a US president, Teddy Roosevelt. Rose 38 pieces · 4 steps · ages 7–9 Roses have grown on Earth for millions of years.

Birthdays and parties

Cupcake 17 pieces · 3 steps · ages 4–6 Cupcakes got their name because people baked them in cups. Balloon bunch 26 pieces · 3 steps · ages 4–9 Party balloons float because they are filled with helium. Birthday cake 45 pieces · 5 steps · ages 7–9 People have eaten birthday cakes for hundreds of years.

Get well

Sun 54 pieces · 4 steps · ages 7–9 The Sun is a star, the closest one to Earth.

Questions parents ask

What can I build with LEGO® bricks?

Start with what your kid loves this week: a fire truck, a jet, a dragon, a castle tower or a rocket. Pick one sized for their age, find its pieces in the parts list, then follow the pictures. All 56 ideas on this page have free step-by-step instructions.

What can I build with random LEGO® pieces?

Simple models work best: a jet, a boat, a dragon, a castle tower, a fire truck. These ideas use only plain bricks and plates, and when you are missing a color, a brick of the same size in another color works. Or show Tumbly Blocks the bricks on your table and it designs a build from only those.

What is easy to build with LEGO® bricks?

The smallest ideas here take 6–12 pieces and 3–4 steps: a heart, an F-35 Lightning II, a police car, a present, a dump truck, a ghost and a submarine. They are sized for ages 2–6.

What can a 10-year-old build?

The biggest ideas here are the 71-piece tower crane and the 70-piece steam train, for ages 7–13. For more, Tumbly Blocks designs builds for ages 10 to 13 with 6 to 9 steps and up to 160 bricks, from the bricks you have.

Is there an app that tells you what to build?

Yes. Tumbly Blocks designs what your kid asks for from only the bricks the camera sees on your table, sized for ages 2 to 13, with every step in 3D. Brickit scans a pile and suggests ideas from its catalog, and LEGO® Builder shows the instructions for official sets.

Are these building instructions free?

Yes. Each idea links to its own page with every step pictured and a parts list. In the Tumbly Blocks app, the same builds turn in 3D and a voice reads each step.

More brick builds

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