LEGO age ranges: recommendation rather than reality
10.3.2020
Translation: Eva Francis
While there are a wide range of LEGO sets to choose from – Galaxus alone has over 600 – some are better suited for certain age group than others. Here’s how to navigate the LEGO bricks jungle.
Your kid is four but builds LEGO sets that are recommended for eight-year-olds? That's all well and good, but it doesn't mean your little one is any more gifted than others. Often, the age ranges on LEGO sets don’t reflect reality. Although they give a rough idea, LEGO underestimates kids. Here’s my own, well-founded opinion on which sets are suitable for which age group.
1 to 2 years
LEGO Duplo is ideal for kids up to two years old. These bricks are larger than regular LEGO bricks, making them easy to grab and snap together. Playing with Duplo is a great way for toddlers to train their fine motor skills and stimulate their creativity and imagination. Children discover and learn about the world through animals, vehicles and buildings. Duplo base plates make it easy to build own objects.
3 to 5 years
This is the right age to move from Duplo to LEGO. LEGO sets that suit this age group shouldn't be too detailed. Smaller sets, the themes City, Friends and Classic, for instance, are a good introduction to the LEGO world. These themes include LEGO sets for fire and police vehicles or all sorts of farm equipment. Bricks boxes have no instructions and boost the creativity of three- to five-year-old children, allowing the little ones to build anything they can imagine.
6 to 8 years
The wide world of LEGO opens up for children aged six to eight. While almost every theme offers sets that are ideal for this age group, this is also a great time to start experimenting with LEGO Technic. Kids aged 6 to 8 love playing with their favourite movie characters: LEGO offers a wide range of sets for fans of Batman, Frozen, Harry Potter, Spider-Man and many others.
9 to 11 years
Experienced master builders between nine and eleven years old can tackle larger LEGO projects. Sets with more bricks are more complex and require more patience. The programmable robots LEGO Mindstorms are also ideal for this age category, as they allow kids to acquire programming skills in a playful way. Motors and sensors make LEGO Mindstorms robot walk, talk, think and perform a variety of actions. This video gives you an impression of all the great things LEGO robots can do.
From the age of 12
No matter how large, detailed or complicated, every LEGO set is suitable for children aged twelve and older. Although some LEGO sets are marked with the age of 16 and older, it seems to me this refers to the interest of this age group rather than the abilities. The themes Ideas and Creator are especially popular with adults.
Check out our full LEGO range. Visit my author profile to find more insights from the world of LEGO.
I get paid to play with toys all day.
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