Games and Challenges to Make with Lego

Sometimes when the kids are home from school you need some little games and time fillers to keep them entertained while waiting for some event or something else is going on. Since most people seem to have a cache of Legos, I thought it would be fun to take a look at some Lego games and activities you can try with your kids.

The first thing I found was this post on minute to win it style games you can do with Lego bricks from Kids Craft Room (there’s a review of a Lego book at the top but just keep scrolling and you’ll find the ideas). One of my favorites is the chopstick challenge, where you have to pick up bricks from a pile and move them to another pile one at a time using chopsticks.

Another really cool idea that takes just a bit of prep is using Lego pieces to make sudoku challenges. I originally found this idea on a website that is not in English, but I did successfully download the printable game boards there if you want to give them a try. The pages use four colors of bricks and 2×2 grids that are partially filled in so kids can figure out what bricks go in the other spaces.

Frugal Fun for Boys and Girls has a version with 2×3 grids but instead of using a printable you design the game board then take a few bricks off and let the person playing solve it. You can make the board any size you like if you’re building it in this way as long as you follow the rules (all colors must be present in each section, and they don’t repeat across the same row or column).

This last one isn’t really a game but with the nations of the world posts that I’ve been doing I wanted to share it, too. I found this pin on Pinterest that doesn’t like to a website but its credited to Meredith Anderson of Momgineer but I’m not finding it on her website. Still you get the idea I think. Just pick some flags that have simple colors and designs and try to build them with bricks. Then you can also find those countries on the map or play a guessing game where other people try to figure out which flag was made.

Check out the kids craft section on Craftbits.com

10 Ideas To Have The Best Lego Themed Birthday Party [Party Ideas]

19 AWESOME Ways To Decorate With Legos [Home and Garden]

20 Lego Gifts For Ever Budget [Kids Crafts]

Lacing is a great fine motor activity, and most kids go through a phase where they enjoy working with lacing cards. It helps promote focus and is a great quiet activity for kids to do in the car or to fill time in the classroom. And of course knowing how to lace is the beginning of knowing how to sew, which is great for all kids to learn (more on teaching kids to sew here).

There are lots of ways to make your own lacing cards. This one is just a pin but it’s easy to make lacing cards with any shape a child is into using cardboard and a nail to poke the holes. This could be fun for letter and number recognition or spelling the child’s name. Or try this version from Hey Azka, which uses a hole punch to make bigger holes so you can lace with shoe laces.

You can also just do lacing cards with paper, but it’s a great idea to print them on card stock and/or laminate them to make them sturdier for little hands. Homeschool Share has a set of alphabet lacing cards, which are free with email signup. Deceptively Educational has a set of number lacing cards with numbers 0 to 10.

Picklebums has some basic shape lacing cards, too.

Living Life and Learning has a bunch of cute printable lacing cards, including back to school designs, shoes kids can lace and learn to tie and ocean themed lacing cards. She also has tips for making your own lacing cards.

A Rose Tinted World made their lacing cards with craft foam, which makes them a little more durable than paper and you can cut it more easily than cardboard. They used a die cutting machine but you can also cut shapes by hand.

I also love the cat and mouse cards from Seam Whisperer. They also have some spring themed designs. So cute!

If you want to make lacing cards that are more open ended, check out this tutorial form Pretty Life Girls to make lacing cards that are more like geo boards. Theirs are made with wood but you can also do this with cardboard, craft foam or card stock.

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